01 – A Painful Encounter

Prologue

“What time is Dad coming home?” Jared asked, running down the hallway with a light blue party balloon. Jimmy ran right behind him but with a green balloon. Jody wasn't with them; in fact, Jody wasn't anywhere.

“Dad's late, but he's coming,” I lied, as I had done on that date for the past six years. “Where's Jody?” I asked them. ‘Where's your sister?’ I asked again, distressed.

“In the backyard, Mom. She smelled blackberries,” they replied in unison. I smiled falsely at them and discreetly ran to the backyard. We didn't live in a very safe place.

“Jody!” I shouted, reaching the backyard. She wasn't there. My racing heart warned me of danger. They were too young to move, too young to protect themselves. No, they wouldn't be in danger with me. I couldn't fail; I had to prove that even with rejection, I could move on. It was only three lies. Casper would never find out.

I took a deep breath and looked around, finding Jody's bear, all dirty and slightly torn. Jody wouldn't do that. I remembered what the children had said. The smell of blackberries. The scent appeared, and my inner wolf could see the trail of blackberries and Jody simultaneously. I sensed danger and prepared to run, but a loud noise in the house caught my attention.

“Boys!” I shouted as I hurried into the house. First floor, no one. First floor, no one. “Jimmy!” I shouted. “Jared!” I shouted. I got no response. Likewise, I closed my eyes and concentrated. There was no smell, no scent of them. I ran outside, following Jody's tracks, but there was nothing left. The bear was gone too. I ran back in the direction I had come from, where I could still remember part of the trail. Calling out for my children, I howled and growled loudly, trying to locate them, hoping they would run to me.

They didn't run.

A Painful Encounter

The first week had been very difficult. It had been seven days without any news of my triplets. I missed their hair, their smell, and their mess. The police hadn't done anything useful. The few wolves I knew in the area knew nothing. I was alone.

I gathered my courage. Likewise, I needed to call Casper.

Despite Casper's rejection in the past, I still loved him. I knew he was now an Alpha, which meant he had even more power than before. The corporate company he was part of had a public number, but I still knew the old one.

First ring… Second ring… Third ring…

“Bishop Corporation, how can I help you?” It was his voice. My heartbeat quickened. It had been six years since I had heard that voice so clearly. Sweet and heavy at the same time.

“Hello, Casper,” I said, trying not to let the tremor in my voice show. ‘Just think about your children’.

“Naomi? Naomi Stanley?” he said, apparently confused. He recognized me. After all this time, he recognized me.

“Can you meet me? It's urgent,” I said. I hoped his power would be enough.

“I'd love to, Naomi,” I heard him say, and then he paused dramatically. ‘But I'm busy right now.’ Those words sent a chill down my spine and made my heart ache even more. He had definitely rejected me. I had to lift my head and focus on the children; my feelings didn't matter.

“Casper, we need to talk,” I said, the pain already evident in my voice. ‘Tell me, Casper, tell me you'll see me.’ The line went silent. I could hear him breathing on the other end of the line. The smell and memories of Casper came flooding back. I remembered that night, the night he might have given me the triplets.

“Naomi, I'm sorry, but I can't,” he repeated. Even more pain. Casper didn't love me. What did I mean to him? In a desperate gesture, with nothing else to do, I found myself forced to confront him. I gathered all my strength and held back my tears.

“They kidnapped my children,” I said, crying. A cup of hot tea accompanied me. ‘It's been a week and no one has found them, Casper. I can't track them down.' I blurted out, still crying. Saying all that out loud made my stomach churn. I didn't want to think about the worst. Whoever it was, it was definitely one of us.

“Children? I didn't know you… had gotten married,” I heard him say. The lower tone of his voice brought back even more warm and sweet memories. Life was so much easier then.

“I didn't get married, Casper,” I said firmly. Did he really think that what I felt wasn't real? That I would just move on like that? No, never. “They're six years old,” I informed him. The shock of reality hit him. The line went silent for a few seconds, but I could hear him breathing.

“Six years old? That means…” I didn't let him finish.

“Can we meet, Casper?” I asked again. I heard him say a resounding “yes” without me having to ask him again.

The next day, I gathered my bag with the little I had from the police cases. I took a small toy from each of them and a photo album. I knew that at some point Casper would find out about them, and I wanted to at least be able to make up for the time with some memories. There were six years' worth of content in that album.

A discreet coffee shop in Vila Jenjen. The place was frequented by wolves—all the wolves in town. Of course, everyone was welcome, including humans.

I arrived first, sat down, and didn't order anything. I barely had enough money to keep the house going. Likewise, I spent a lot on the three of them. My debt balance was already in a worrying state.

While I waited, I looked around, noticing who was a wolf and who wasn't. All the employees were. I refused the waiter three times, saying I was waiting for someone, but he kept coming back. Suspicious, very suspicious.

“Excuse me, miss,” I heard someone approach and say. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the scent of the person coming. I didn't notice that it was different from before.

“I already said I don't want anything,” I said hurriedly. When I turned around, I came face to face with a tall, almost generous, and attractive young man, very handsome. His scent was very pleasant. Wolf was definitely not a beta, but he was as strong as one. “Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were the other guy,” I apologized, trying to show that I wasn't rude. He laughed as if that kind of situation were normal. His badge said ‘Lancelot Pearson, Manager’. ‘My God, I'm really sorry for the inconvenience,’ I said again. He noticed my gaze; he knew I had seen his name.

“Don't worry, miss,” he asked me politely and still smiling. I said my name, still embarrassed. “Okay, Miss Naomi. Unfortunately, for the time you are here, we need you to consume something to stay in the place. Rules,” he explained. It was true; there was a huge sign on the order window saying so. I had completely forgotten. However, I didn't have any money to pay for anything. Lancelot looked at me kindly receptive, and I almost felt like ordering something, just to see him smile because I wasn't leaving. I couldn't order, I couldn't…

“I don't,” I tried to say, but the smell stopped me. Casper had walked through the door and was coming toward me. Lancelot sensed the presence of an alpha entering and immediately turned his gaze to Casper.

“Two very bitter espressos. She likes them that way,” Casper said, asking the manager. The young man promptly nodded seriously. Conflicts? He looked at me, smiling, saying he would go get them. My face smiled back; it was irresistible. I watched him walk away behind the counter. Then Casper was in front of me. Just as I remembered, the six years had not changed him at all, except for a few scars, probably from his position as an alpha. “Hello, Naomi,” he said, in a completely different tone than when he had arrived. My mind traveled back to the past when we were together in bed, and he had woken me up with that exact tone of voice and that same phrase. I didn't answer; I just watched him sit down in front of me, adjusting his suit. He was a businessman, after all.