Chapter 3

My phone suddenly rang, and my heart lurched to a stop when I saw the patrol team's number flashing on the screen. I put the call through without a second thought. "Hello? Have you found Mia?"

"Ms. Townsend, we've gone through more security footage from the surrounding area and found new leads. We've more or less ascertained the area your daughter last appeared in. Please come by if you have the time." The enforcer werewolf's tone was grave.

"Yes, of course. I'm on my way!" My head buzzed with joy and relief. I hung up, then grabbed my coat and bolted out of the house.

I hesitated before leaving, and in the end, I called Callum over and over. He was Mia's father, after all, and I wanted him to be there when we picked her up.

Alas, the only voice that greeted me on the other line was the cold, mechanical one that informed me his phone was turned off.

Gritting my teeth, I hailed a cab and headed straight to the patrol team's office. The werewolf that greeted me was the enforcer werewolf from earlier. He looked somber, and without saying much, he had me go into the cruiser. "Come with us to the scene."

The cruiser sped down the road, and I watched as the scenery outside the window grew more unfamiliar and rural. This road was nowhere near our neighborhood.

My heart began to sink, and my fingers dug into the back of the seat before me. I couldn't hide the tremor in my voice as I asked, "Where are you guys taking me?"

The enforcer werewolf was silent.

It wasn't until we pulled up at the entrance of an abandoned mining area at the border of the pack territory that he said, "The hidden security cameras at the entrance of the abandoned mining area captured Lena and your daughter going inside hand-in-hand. Lena came out alone after that.

"We've already dispatched our werewolves to search the nearby mining passageways, but the layout is complicated. We've yet to find your daughter."

"What?" I was shaking all over. I opened the door frantically, hurtling toward the mining area like a maniac. "Mia! Mia!"

The echoes of my voice were the only sounds that came back to me. The smell of dirt and rust burned my throat.

The enforcer werewolves came into the mining area after me. They held up torches and slowly inspected the mining area. Alas, they couldn't find any trace of Mia despite searching the entire place and its nearby routes.

"Mia will be fine… She must still be inside…" I collapsed by the mining area entrance, my tears cascading down my face like rivulets.

I tried calling Callum over and over, but all I got was the same cold, mechanical tone of the automated voicemail prompt.

"You bastard, Callum! Mia's still suffering out there, and you're just fooling around!" I roared at my phone, my voice cracking.

I hurled my phone on the ground. Cracks formed on the screen as they did over my heart.

The enforcer werewolves told me to leave the mining area just before first light. They told me they'd widen their search, but they also wanted me to brace myself for the worst-case scenario.

I stood on shaking feet and splashed ice-cold water on my red, puffy eyes until all signs of crying were gone.

Then, grabbing my phone, I dialed Lena's number and had her meet me at the lounge just below Callum's office building.

Lena was late to our meeting. She wore impeccable work clothes and a blatantly smug expression. "I heard your daughter is still missing. I didn't think you'd be in the mood to ask me out for a chat."

She appraised me. When my expression revealed nothing, she continued with snide nonchalance, "But don't be too sad. Callum and I will… most definitely have a daughter."

I cut her off calmly before she could go on, "I know you took Mia to the abandoned mining area. You were caught on the security cameras."

Lena's smile froze, and panic danced in her eyes. However, she tried to look unfazed. "What are you talking about? I simply played with Mia for a short time at the park."

My gaze fell on her slightly trembling hand. I bit out coldly, "The patrol team has already retrieved the security footage from the hidden cameras near the mining area. While the footage was blurry, we could clearly see you take Mia into the area. Why would you do that?"

The blood drained from Lena's face, but she denied my accusations vehemently, "No, I didn't! You must have been mistaken! I didn't even know there was an abandoned mining area somewhere!"

"Didn't you?" I produced Mia's sketchbook from my purse and flipped to the last few pages. On the page was written in wonky letters: "Daddy will be waiting for me at the mining area. Ms. Beta took me. I'm not lying."

Panic flooded Lena's eyes when she saw those words. She instinctively backed off. "She wrote those of her own accord! It has nothing to do with me!"

"Nothing, huh?" I repeated emphatically as rage flickered to life within me. "You knew the pack was forbidden from going to the mining area and that it was full of danger, yet you lied to Mia about her father waiting there for her. Then, you left her inside the mining area alone! What the hell were you plotting?"

Now that she was exposed, Lena decided to tell the truth. A wicked smile curved her lips. "So what if I did? She shouldn't take up so much of Callum's time!

"It's not my fault that you and your daughter are the reason Callum refuses to define our relationship despite his clear interest in me! Once that pup is out of the picture, I'll get to stay by Callum's side openly as his mate!"

She had resorted to such vile methods to lure my daughter—my precious Mia—to a dangerous territory. Until now, there was still no news of Mia!

"You scum!" Anger tore through me as I lunged for Lena and grabbed her by the collar.

At that moment, my phone suddenly rang, the tone sharp and frantic. It was a call from the hospital.

My heart leaped to my throat. A dreadful sense of foreboding weighed down on me. I picked up the call, my body shaking.

"Ms. Ayla, your mother… Your mother saw the news in her room earlier. When she learned that her granddaughter had gone missing, she broke down beyond consolation and had a heart attack. We tried our best to save her, but…"

I couldn't hear the words after that.