8. Bad news

Victoria's POV

I shoot up from the bed, the smile on my face instantly turning sour.

"Mom?! What happen?! Why are you crying!?" I ask, already dreading her reply.

My mother is a warrior. Our pack's Zeta, a rank equivalent to a General in the human military. This is only the second time I've heard her cry in all my nineteen years. The first time was in the privacy of her room, after she lost three of her warriors in a rogue attack.

"It's your father!" she cries, and my stomach sinks.

"Daddy?! Wh-what happened to him?" I hear myself screech.

"He-he is missing! It's been two days!" she replies, sniffling.

"Missing?! Missing how?! For the past two days?!"

"He-he told me they were just—"

"This is not the time for questions and answers." A harsh voice suddenly interrupts her. "Come home! Your mother needs you!"

Then silence.

"Hello? Hello!"

I stare at my phone as the call disconnects.

Slowly, I lower it, confusion flooding my mind.

The Luna!?

‘Come home. Your mother needs you?’

Her words surprise me.

The Luna and my mother hate each other. Everyone who matters in the pack knows she doesn't care about my family one bit.

So why would my mother, who hardly shows weakness even in front of her own family, cry in the presence of the Luna? And why would the selfish Luna, who is incapable of caring about anyone but herself and her son, even be with her?

Could it be my dad is...

I suddenly feel drained of strength and plop weakly onto the bed.

"Moon Goddess, no! Please, no! Please, no. Don't let it be that."

My insides churn with dread when it suddenly occurs to me that it has indeed been two days since I last spoke to him. He had called me every evening since the day I resumed college until yesterday, when he didn't.

I hadn't thought much of it when I called him and got his voicemail. And this evening, I was so distracted by my revenge against Mia that I didn't even notice he hadn't called again.

My eyes turn misty. My hands shake as I open my phone and try calling Mom back. It's obvious from the situation that she didn't tell me the whole truth. For her to lose control and cry in front of the Luna, something terrible must have happened to my daddy.

"Dammit!"

The call goes straight to voicemail.

I'm a warrior like my mom, although not under her command. She's never supported me following in her footsteps and, according to her, never will.

I'm a Gamma–one of the supreme protectors of the pack. If something bad has happened to my dad, I wonder why none of my fifteen colleagues have called to inform me, especially since I grew up with some of them.

Unless they've been instructed not to by the Gamma Chief, who is one of the Luna's minions.

That old bastard!

I've always suspected that he never liked me because of what happened between him and my daddy.

After the Alpha, Luna, and Beta, the Gamma Chief is next in the pack's chain of command. When the former Beta died, he thought he would be appointed to the position. After all, he was more experienced, stronger, and a better fighter than my daddy, who was still in training at the time.

But the former Beta had specifically trained my father to take over his position if anything happened to him. When the Alpha honored the dead Beta's wishes and appointed my daddy instead, the Gamma Chief was furious, and he did not attempt to hide his disagreement.

It's been years, and although he pretends he doesn't care anymore, I'm convinced he still bears a grudge against my father for taking the Beta position he believes should have been his.

For a moment, I consider calling them one after another until someone tells me what's really happening. But I immediately dismiss the idea. That would be wasting precious time. It's better to book the earliest flight back to Los Angeles and get home to my mother as quickly as possible.

My eyes refocus on my phone, but my vision has become blurry with tears. I can't clearly see the screen. I blink, and two fat tears splash onto it. I hastily wipe them against my dress and look again, only to find more tears blocking my vision. Even my hands won't stop shaking.

"Damn it!"

I grab the box of tissues from the bedside table and hastily pull some out to wipe my eyes.

‘Stop crying! Calm down! You have to pull yourself together. You have to be strong for your mother.’

I keep trying to console myself, but the thought of my daddy being kidnapped or lying injured and helpless somewhere makes my tears flow even harder.

I'm glad the qualities of a good leader aren't measured solely by physical strength and fighting ability. Although my daddy doesn't possess the strength or fighting skills befitting the Beta of the biggest pack in North America, he is one of the most intelligent men I know.

He's a brilliant accountant, an experienced plantsman, a philosopher, and an excellent businessman. His shrewd business acumen contributes greatly to maintaining Silver Moon Pack's position as the leading pack in North America.

Everyone loves him. Even the Luna didn't start hating him and my mom until the Alpha fell sick and she proposed that her useless son take over running the pack instead of the Beta, as stipulated by law.

My daddy isn't only good at his job. He's a good husband and father too.

The fact that he has never once told me that I can't do something, no matter how wacky it is, makes me a daddy's girl, and I love him to death.

As I wonder about what he might currently be going through, my mind begins conjuring one terrible scenario after another.

Was he kidnapped by rival packs or his business rivals?

Considering how feared and revered the Silver Moon Pack is, I don't think any pack or business organization in North America would dare kidnap the Beta of the biggest pack on the continent to settle a dispute.

Rogues?

Fear grips my heart as that dreadful word echoes through my mind.

Even though I hate to think about it, the only thing I can imagine that would make my mother cry like this, if my dad isn't dead, is that he has been captured by rogues.

Rogues are criminals. Unscrupulous beings. Angry and vengeful werewolves who have declared themselves independent of all laws.

They attack packs to plunder, leaving maimed and murdered victims in their wake. And when they kidnap someone, they torture their victim before demanding ransom from the family. I shudder at the thought of my daddy in their captivity. I doubt he would survive two days.

"Oh, no! No! No!..." I find myself muttering as I cry. "That is not the situation. You have to stay positive..."

A knock sounds on my door before it pushes open. Camila peeks inside.

"Victoria, do you—"

She stops when she sees me.

"Hey! What's going on? Why are you crying? What happened to you? Are you okay?" She rushes into the room.

My eyes fill with tears again when I see the concern on her face.

"Oh, Camila! I–I got a call from home. My dad–I think something bad has happened to my dad. I need to–I need to book a flight, but I can't–I can't see through my..."

"What?! Oh my God!" She hurries to sit beside me. "Calm down."

"No, I can't! I can't! Help me!" I push my phone into her hand. "Help me book the earliest flight to Los Angeles. I–I can't do it. I..."

"Of course you can't do it! Look at you. You're panicking. You need to calm down. I've never seen you this way before."

"Help me book a flight."

"Alright. Just relax, okay?" She pulls me into a hug. "Everything will be fine, so calm down..."

She pats my back soothingly. After a while, she pulls away and takes some tissue from the box, gently wiping my face while I simply sit there, heaving and staring numbly into nothing.

"Lie down..." She stands and gently pushes me back onto the bed. "I'll go book you a flight back home, so don't bother about that, alright?"

She tucks the loose strands of hair that have fallen across my face behind my ear.

I nod, wiping the fresh tears running down my cheeks.

She's never seen me break down like this before because I'm always the one with the positive outlook on life. I believe there is no problem without a solution, no matter how bad it seems.

But this?

The possibility of my dad being dead or captured by rogues?

There's no silver lining in this.

She leaves and soon returns with a small tray holding a glass of water and a pill bottle.

"Sit up and take this."

I sit up, and she hands me the water before opening the bottle.

"What is it?" I ask, my voice hoarse. I'm a werewolf. We don't usually need medicine. Besides, what do I need medicine for?

"The doctor prescribed it for me when I had anxiety and difficulty sleeping. I took one every night."

She hands me the pills.

"As a werewolf, you should take at least three. I hope it's enough to help you sleep."

"My flight?"

"I promise I'll take care of it. Don't worry. You're not going tonight anyway."

She's right. What will I be doing until daylight if I don't sleep?

I take the pills, and she helps me lie down again.

"Now close your eyes. Let me go take care of your flight." She says with a smile.

I'm far from feeling sleepy, but I do as she says anyway.

–––

"Wake up." I hear Camila's voice. "Victoria! It's time!"

Is it time?

My eyes fly open to find her smiling gently at me.

"I fell asleep!" I say, surprised that the human drugs she gave me actually worked.

"Yeah, you did. The drug worked."

"Hmm. Is it daylight already? Did you book my flight?" I sit up.

"No. It's not daylight. It's past two in the morning." She pauses. "I booked your flight but later cancelled it."

"You cancelled it!? Why would you—"

"Relax! I had to cancel it because your man got you something better."

"My man? Jamie?"

"He arranged his family's private jet for you."

My eyes widen.

"He did?!"

She nods, smiling even more.

"He is being intentional about you now, wouldn't you agree?"

I stare at her.

"After I booked your flight, I called Colton and told him about your dad. He, in turn, informed Jamie. They're both here to take you to the airport." She glances at my clothes.

"I know you wouldn't want to go home looking like you've been partying all night, so hurry up and go shower."

I let out a sigh of relief and nod gratefully.

My daddy is only missing. He's not dead. Not yet.

Thanks to Camila, I'm much calmer now and can think clearly.

I'm ready to face whatever curveball life throws my way.