Chapter 5 : Kidnapped

All hell was let loose. In my mind at least. I wanted to scream at him but I was surrounded by curious eyes and prying ears.

I felt immensely betrayed. Kai of all people knew the sorry life I had led in the Moon City pack. He knew the condition in which I left and that my son was their damn Alpha's child. He clearly knew that I had no thoughts of ever returning.

“Why did you do that?” I demanded, struggling to keep my voice calm. “Why? You know how horrible that pack was to me so bloody why?”

He sighed but he wasn't remorseful. “I was just being helpful.”

“Helpful my ass.” I gritted my teeth in anger.

“We'll talk later. My time is up.” And he abruptly cut the call, the bit about me having news of my own forgotten.

Too right, we will talk, because who was he to make important life decisions like this for me, even when he knew my sanity was at stake.

My sullen mood was easily noticed by my fellow officers but I kept mute, not willing to divulge any information. The very moment my shift was over for the day, I hailed a taxi and rushed straight home with pent up anger, ready to rage at Kai. How could he do such a thing to me?

Kai had picked my son from school already and he was awake and playing so I could only be quiet for the moment. I was not going to raise my child in an environment where yelling and screaming was the order of the day.

Once he had fallen asleep on our bed after tiring himself out from playing, I turned on Kai.

“How dare you do such? You know how much I went through there. So why?!”

“You wanted to build your career, didn’t you?”

“And it's that place you frigging chose?”

Kai turned to me, already getting angry. “What's so bad about looking after my partner, hunh?

“Enlighten me. You mean dumping me in the belly of the shark is how you go about that?”

Kai said nothing, just staring at me like I was fucking being unreasonable.

Something just wasn't right. This was not the Kai I knew. The Kai that loved me would never do anything that would compromise my mental health, would never like to see me getting so worked up.

The Kai I knew would be phoning the Alpha the moment he heard I didn't take kindly to his assumptions. But Kai wasn't doing any of that but rather acting like I was being the difficult one.

I proceeded to ignore him and changed quickly into more comfortable clothes. Jean and a thick hoodie. Winter was around the corner. I was heading over for my meeting with the Alpha. And if Kai was too chicken to inform him I was so not in, I could do it myself.

“I'm sorry, Helen.” He said when I was almost at the front door, having followed me from the room. “I thought –.”

But I slammed the door in his face, drowning out the rest of his words. If he was really sorry he knew what to do. The door didn't open back and that was the confirmation I needed. He wasn't even willing to drive me over.

I drove like a mad woman over to Alpha Wulfric's mansion. Fellow road users hurled insults and profanities at me as they jumped out of the way of my speeding car but I was too emotionally messed up at the moment to give a fuck.

It was a far drive out as Alpha Wulfric lived in the outskirts of the town. I was halfway to my destination when my phone began ringing. I ignored it but the caller was incessant, dialing my number non stop and the ringing was starting to irritate me.

As I was already driving dangerously, adding a phone call to the mix would be unwise. I pulled to a stop at the corner of the road and checked the caller ID. An unknown number. On a second look, I recognised it as the number that had called the landline at home. Alpha Wulfric.

I swiped to accept the call so forcefully.

“Hello, Helen.” The voice on the other end was smooth, frail but firm. Alpha Wulfric was quite old. He and his Luna had been without a child for many years and his Luna had just given birth some years prior.

I realised suddenly that his son would be about the same age as mine and it sobered up the brewing anger in me. Alpha Wulfric would be just as concerned about his child's safety.

But I couldn't go back. I could not.

“Helen? Are you there?” The voice prompted. “Kai gave me this as your number.”

“Alpha Wulfric.” I finally answered. “I'm on my way to see you already.”

“Good, good.” He said, delightedly. “I'm sure you have a good idea on why we have to meet. Kai told me you'll be very excited to accept.”

“I'm sorry…” I began, my voice faltering.

But he was speaking again, over me. “See you in a bit then. You're driving so you should concentrate.”

He ended the call. I sighed, bringing my forehead to the steering wheel before steeling myself for what I was going to do. I could not accept this job. My hand was on the key, ready to turn the ignition when my phone began ringing again.

Kai. Why was he calling now?

I ignored it and drove on, slowly and more composed this time. Kai did not quit calling, forcing me to accept it.

“Helen!” His voice came through anxiously the moment I had picked. “He…he's missing…a note.” Kai was struggling to breath.

I paled immediately. Who was missing?

“Alex is missing. And there's a note.” He sounded almost close to tears. “Alex has been kidnapped.”

My world came crashing down.