LOGINGraham:I did not know what was wrong with Elgin. He acted as if reaching the mountain top would make everything fine. If anything, Elara was gone. At least I knew that much. I did not understand why he could not get that through his thick head.I wandered up the path, moving casually, and when I reached the mountain top, I saw Madeline giving him a hard time.She shoved him around and yelled at him, but his anger was no longer the same. His worry did not look the same either.He looked calm, almost stunned. I understood why when I turned and saw what he was staring at.It was Elara in the distance.I tried to make sense of it, but then I noticed one child was missing from the group.“Where is Gina?” I demanded again. This time my voice caught in my throat.“Both of you get the fuck away from my home,” Madeline screamed, refusing to answer me.“Wait. No. No, no, no,” I insisted. “You are going to answer me. Where is my daughter? She was supposed to be here with you. Why the fuck are t
Elgin:I began to wake up in the guest room of Graham's mansion. For the first few seconds, I was completely puzzled.My head hurt, and I had to rub it and shake myself awake just to gather my thoughts and understand what had happened in the last few hours. Why did it feel so strange? Then it finally struck me.“Elara,” I gasped as I got to my feet.I remembered everything. My daughter, my dear Elara, had been taken away from me. The monster came and took her, all because Graham and I had constructed a very poor plan.I sprang up from the bed and reached for the door. It was as if Graham was already on his way to see me, because the moment I opened it, he was standing outside with one hand on the handle, about to open it.“Elgin. Wait. Elgin,” he greeted softly, but once he noticed me rushing past him, he moved to block my path.“Get out of my way, Graham,” I snapped, then reached into my pocket to look for my phone.“Your phone is on the nightstand,” he remarked casually, his voice g
Baxter:I had seen how hopeful Madeline looked when Ron arrived with his warriors. I felt responsible for her state. She had not eaten anything. She had not taken a single sip of water. She had been searching for Gina without stopping. There were moments when I wondered if her mental health would worsen. There were too many questions, and I had no answers. I was just an alpha who had let it happen, who had let his daughter be taken.“I will come with you,” I said after they returned a few hours later.We had covered only a small part of the area. This time, I noticed they were taking a short break to plan where to head next, and I realized they were about to leave again.That was when I understood they were planning to leave me behind because of my mother.“No. I told you, I need you here,” my mother insisted again.“Why, did you not just say I am useless?” I remarked, taunting her and reminding her of what she had been telling me for hours, ever since I lost my daughter.It has be
Madeline:“We will cover this area, and then we will check more spots over there,” I said frantically, tying a torn piece of cloth around a tree to leave a signal and remind myself that we had already searched this area.It had been more than twelve hours since the incident, and I was angry with myself for briefly passing out.Ever since I woke up six hours ago, I had been running around, searching for my baby. I could not stop thinking about it.My daughter must have been terrified. She must have believed her mother would save her. Every time these thoughts crossed my mind, my heart broke.“Madeline, why don’t you go back home? I’ll continue the search,” Baxter requested, reaching for my elbow, trying to get my attention for the sixth time.“No, I’m fine. I just think we should not waste a minute,” I said, looking around with empty eyes.The tears on my cheeks had already dried. A few hours ago, my eyes had been swollen shut, so I considered myself in a better state than before.“Mad
Graham:“Wait a minute. Say all of that again. I do not think I heard you correctly,” Elgin requested.I could tell he had picked up on the same thing I had.“I said the monster took one of Madeline’s daughters,” he repeated, and our eyes met.It meant one of our daughters, because Baxter was only the father to the boy.My gaze stayed on the warrior. He still had not picked up on the worry on our faces.“Can you please explain everything instead of taking these little breaks?” I snapped when I noticed him busy taking a sip of alcohol.He startled and set the glass down, looking confused. Just moments ago, we had been treating him well.“I think what happened was that after the wedding ended,” the warrior began, then paused when I raised my hand.“What do you mean, the wedding ended? You were supposed to do that during the wedding,” I told him, smiling tightly.I tried to convince myself it was a slip of the tongue, that he had said it wrong but still done the job properly.“No, Your H
Graham:“I don’t understand how much you two are going to drink,” Kaylee remarked as she stepped into my office, complaining about me and Elgin celebrating for what was probably the last ten hours.Ever since we were informed that the warriors had summoned the monster on the mountain top, we had been extremely happy.We had done a great job ruining their night. I was pretty sure Yuvonne and Ron did not get married. That felt like a win for us.And then there was the court date coming up. If they did not get married, Yuvonne would show up looking like a rogue, and a rogue’s statement would never be taken seriously.“Come here,” I told her, holding her hand and pulling her closer. Kaylee glanced shyly at Elgin and then back at me.“You smell like alcohol,” she complained softly.“Yeah, but baby, come on. Give me a little kiss,” I requested, puckering my lips toward her.She rolled her eyes dramatically, then leaned down and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips.“Now serve me a drink,” I as







