Chapter 3

~‘A’~

My thoughts have been a mess since that lady was at the diner. It has been a few days, but it was too much for me. Something about the entire experience haunted me, and I have no idea why. I don't have anyone to talk to about it because I have no one in my life.

I avoided the diner for a few days, not wanting to run into her again. I wasn't sure that I would, so why risk it? I got tired of skipping out on the diner, though. I never got that bacon cheeseburger, and it became too much for me to continue to pass up.

I got off work early and decided to get some food. I work in construction, and it can be grueling work. For some reason, I'm really strong, so working in construction just makes sense. I don't necessarily like it, but it helps me keep a roof over my head and food in my belly.

I walk into the diner and immediately go to the counter. I don't have to wait long for a waitress to ask me for my order. It's Poppy today, and I must admit I missed seeing her. She's a petite woman compared to me at 5’5. She has long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She's always flirty with me, and sometimes, I flirt back. I've never gone out with her; hell, I haven't been out with anyone. I don't know who I am, so the thought of going out with someone is weird to me. “Hello, handsome. You've been gone a few days.”

“Yeah, I felt weird coming in here.” She nods and moves closer to me.

“Is it because of that woman last time?” I give her a half smile, not really wanting to talk about it. “Who is she?” I shrug my shoulders; that same question has been in my head since the incident. “Well, she was here again today. She had some man with her. If I….” Poppy chuckles, and I look up at her. “No, it's just that if I didn't know any better, I'd say the man looked like you.” Something inside of me seized up. Why would some man I don't know look like me?

I turn and look around the diner, not being subtle at all. “Are they still here?” Poppy clicks her tongue and shakes her head.

“I think they left not long after you walked in. It was weird because they were here for a while before that.” I nod absently, looking around one more time. I sigh and sink onto my bar stool. I order my meal to go, anxiously waiting for it to be ready. When it’s brought out, I take it and leave a big tip for Poppy. I have no idea what's going on in my life right now, but things are weird.

I return to my place and sit on the worn-out couch to enjoy my meal. It's good as always, but I just can't fully enjoy it. My mind is plagued by my last two encounters at the diner. Something is definitely up, but I have no idea what it is. Something is telling me that I need to find out, but I don't know how to go about that. The only thing I can do is hope they show up again.

~Eddie~

It was a struggle to get Shawna to leave the town, but I was able to impress upon her the importance of talking to Blake before anything further takes place. She doesn't have to worry about me; I’m a believer. I know, for a fact, that it was our son. I would notice him anywhere. I wonder how long he's been so close to us.

When he first disappeared, we looked everywhere. We reached out to all neighboring packs and sent people to search the human towns, including that one. No matter where we looked, we came up empty. We then looked further out, not knowing whether he had traveled. Again, we found nothing. Eventually, we had to stop looking because we were taking up too much of the pack resources.

Blake and I started to search on our own without telling our mates. Any time we heard of a wolf turning up having been lost or an unidentified body being found, we would go check it out. We did this for about two years or so before it became too much for me. All of that hope getting dashed each time ate away at me. That's why I did it without Shawna knowing. I wouldn't allow her to go through all of that pain.

While I went out and tried to chase down any lead that could bring us to our missing son, Shawna stayed in the packlands with Luna Trina. She leaned on her while trying to come to terms with our missing child. I'm grateful she had her because I barely held it together.

When we arrive at the pack, I send Shawna to our home and straight to bed. Her emotions have been all over the place; the best thing she could do was rest. I watch Shawna walk into our home with a warrior escort. Alpha, are you busy?

Eddison, you’re back. I didn't expect you back so soon. I was just wrapping up in the office.

Can I come to see you? It's important.

Sure, I will wait for you. I take one last look at our home before turning to make my way to the packhouse. I should probably wait until tomorrow and spend the rest of the night with my mate. The problem with that is that I can't rest. My soul is unsettled, and I won't be able to function until I have a solid plan.

I walk to the second floor and down the hall to the Alpha office. His door stands open, and I walk in without knocking. I quietly close the door behind me, this not being a conversation for everyone. I walk over to Blake's desk and sit opposite him. “Eddie! What can I do for you at this late hour?” I slump further in the chair and throw my head back. “Judging by the look on your face, everything is not alright. Where did you even go?” We decided not to tell anyone where we were going. To be honest, I stayed quiet out of concern for my mate. If she had been mistaken, I didn't want that harsh scrutiny to fall on her. No one should be mocked for grieving.

“He's alive, Blake.” Blake sits straighter in his chair and places both hands on his desk.

“What did you say?” His voice is barely above a whisper, but there's no hardship in hearing his words.

“He's alive. My boy, Aston, is alive. I saw him with my own eyes.”