“I’m not going. Not until I find V,” I said firmly. Liam told us that we were going with our grandparents away from the pack to keep us safe and so he could find Lea.

“Missy, it’s the safest thing right now,” Maddox tried to reason. We stood in my room arguing. I stormed out of Liam and Lea’s after refusing to go.

“He won’t answer his phone, Maddox! What if he is hurt? You heard Felix and Lacey talking; people are missing!”

“Missy, if the vampires took people, sitting here in the packhouse isn’t going to help them. You are a target here! I’m not convinced they weren’t looking for you today!”

“I am not going to run, Maddox! I will help,” I argued. He pushed his hands through his hair, stress evident on his face. He didn’t say anything more, so I picked up my phone and tried calling V again. His cellphone rang endlessly before going to voicemail.

“If we can find him tonight, will you please leave with your grandparents in the morning?” Maddox asked. I turned around to see him looking almost defeated.

“No,” I told him. “I don’t want to hide! Hiding isn’t going to help anyone, and it surely won’t get Lea back.”

“What if something happens to you too? How do you think Alpha is going to feel? How do you think I am going to feel?” he was almost yelling at me now.

“And what about me? What if something happened to you while I just ran away?” I yelled back at him. We were both breathing heavily now. Maddox closed the distance between us in 3 long strides and wrapped me tightly in his arms. He buried his nose in my hair as my arms came around him.

“They got your brothers once and now your mom. Missy, they are going to come after you. I would die if something happened to you,” he said into the top of my head.

“I’m not entirely helpless. And I don’t want to leave the pack. I feel safer with you, Felix, Damien, Liam, and all the other warriors.” He squeezed me tighter.

“Your Dad is going to wring my neck for failing to get you to go,” he said with a shallow laugh.

“You can take him,” I tried to joke.

He pulled away from me with a heavy sigh. “Can you stay here? I need to go down to the briefing and help with the cleanup. I should also probably tell Felix and Damien you won’t go.”

I nodded. “Yea, but I really want to find V.”

“If he can’t be found in the next couple of hours, I will take you to go look, okay?” he offered.

“Alright,” I agreed.

“Maybe you can go help your brothers pack? I’m sure they will want to spend some time with you before they leave,” he suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” I said. He brought his lips to my forehead in a lingering k**s before pulling away and heading out of my room. I let out a deep sigh and hugged my arms around me. Liam would be mad that I won’t leave, but I have to do whatever I can to help find Lea, even if that just means helping around the packhouse.

I went to my bathroom and splashed some water on my face, trying to pull myself together. Liam was barely holding on by a thread; I could tell. Being away from your mate is supposed to be painful after a while, and males are very protective over their pregnant mates. Junior and Leo were going to be just as upset and needed their big sister right now. I just hoped we could find her before anything terrible happens to either of them.

I pulled on some clean clothes since mine were a mess from running through the woods, then headed toward Junior’s room. He had his small suitcase open on his bed, but he was staring at it only partially packed.

“Hey bud,” I said gently. He looked up, dashing away the tears from his eyes. “Want some help?” He turned back towards his suitcase but nodded his head. I came up next to him and kneeled on the ground. I never noticed just how tall he is for six. I pulled him close to me and hugged him tightly. “Dad will find her, okay?” He just nodded. I held him for a minute more before letting him go. I ruffled his hair and started grabbing some of the clothes in the pile next to the suitcase to fold up.

We worked together in silence as I helped him fold things and pack them. I went to his drawers and grabbed some extra stuff, not knowing how long our grandparents were going to keep them away. When we were zipping us his suitcase, Delilah came in. She hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry about your mommy,” she said as she squeezed him. He squeezed her back even tighter. I snuck out of the room, letting them have their moment. I know they are really young, but it would be just about the sweetest and most adorable thing if they ended up mates one day; they are already best friends. My heart hurt a little bit for how much this all would make them grow up.

I went down to Leo’s room to find him sitting on the floor, sniffling. “Hey, Little L,” I said softly. He looked up.

“Sissy, I want Mommy,” he pouted. I came over and sat next to him.

“I know, big guy. I do, too,” I told him. He laid himself on my lap, and I rubbed his back.

“Did Daddy leave to go find her?” he sniffled.

“He will soon. He’s going to bring her home safe and sound,” I said.

“And my baby too?”

“Mmmhmm. And the baby too.” Leo snuggled into me more.

“I don’t want to go with Grandma and Grandpa. I want to be here when Mommy comes home,” he whined.

“I know. But the bad guys could come back, so it’s best if you go with Grandma and Grandpa where there aren’t any bad guys,” I told him.

“Are you going?” he asked. I was afraid he would ask.

“No, I’m going to stay here and help find Mommy,” I told him gently.

“But what about the bad guys? I don’t want them to get you too,” he started to cry. I ran my fingers through his hair.

“I have Maddox. And Daddy, and Uncle Damien, and Felix. There are lots of people here, so you don’t worry about me, okay? Plus, Daddy taught me how to fight a long time ago. I will just punch the bad guys,” I told him.

“I guess it’s okay if Maddox will protect you,” he said, raising his head. “If he doesn’t protect you, I am going to kick his butt.” He paused. “After I save you, of course.” I smiled down at him. This kid has the purest heart.

“I will make sure to tell him,” I said. “Why don’t we get your stuff packed. Grandma wants to leave before breakfast.”

“Okay,” he sighed.

–

After I helped Leo finish packing, he went into Junior’s room with the other three. I went down to the kitchen after checking my phone yet again for any call or message from V. I was getting really worried. No one was in the kitchen, which was a bit odd. I guessed Miss Marci went home after everything today. At the end of the island sat cake ingredients. I walked over to them and saw strawberries with a big jar of peanut butter. I scowled; Lea was planning on making us both a cake tonight. My birthday was undoubtedly ruined, and there wouldn’t be any party, but I could still make a cake. I grabbed the mixing bowls and got to work trying to remember everything Azalea taught me about baking. Once I got going, it wasn’t hard.

A couple of hours later, I was piping the final touches onto the strawberry cake. I sat back and looked at my work, content with the results. I managed even to whip together a strawberry compote to put in between the layers. I hoped Maddox would like it. I looked at the clock and realized it was already 10 o’clock.

I grabbed my phone again to see no new messages. I dialed V again but got no answer. I sighed, getting an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I covered the cake and made room for it in the refrigerator. I would surprise Maddox tomorrow, hopefully. I then realized I hadn’t seen him since earlier.

“Maddox?” I tried linking him.

“Yea, what’s wrong?” he replied.

“Nothing. You just have been gone for a while,” I said.

“I’ll be back in a bit. Should I come upstairs?” he asked.

“Please?”

“Sure. By the way, do you know what time you were born?”

“Um, the morning, I think?”

“Sometimes the mate bond can’t be felt until you actually turn 17. Just wondering.”

“Alright. I guess I will see you in a bit,” I said. Now, I was nervous again. I didn’t want to be alone, but I was also worried about this whole mate ordeal. And I still couldn’t get ahold of V. I looked through the fridge but decided I was too nervous to eat. I headed up to my room. Peeking into Junior’s on the way, I saw all four kids curled up together on his bed. I grabbed a couple of extra blankets from the closet and covered them up.

When I got back to my room, I plugged my phone in and went to my closet to grab some clothes. I wanted to shower, hoping I could wash away some of the sadness and worry. I really missed Lea right now. She would know exactly how to make this whole mate thing less stressful. Before I could head into the bathroom, my phone buzzed with a notification. I rushed over to it and almost collapsed in relief at V’s name

V

| i’m okay

| are you ?

ME

| sort of

V

| there is a rumor that your mom was kidnapped ?

ME

| its true…

V

| come to the cabin

| i am already here

ME

| why?

V

| i was here when it happened

| dropped my phone

| had to come find itContent rights belong to .

Biting my l*p, I weighed my options. I had no idea when Maddox would be back, and I didn’t want to bug him. Wolves were crawling every around the pack right now; certainly, no one would be able to do anything tonight.

ME

| for a bit

| give me 15

Maddox

“What’s wrong?” Beta Damien asked me. I looked up at the moon in the sky. I was born just after midnight, so I would know as soon as I smelled her if she was my mate.

“Nothing,” I muttered as we continued. Damien and I were tracking all the trails around where Missy and I hid today, looking for anything that could help, but the scents were growing almost too faint to detect anymore.

“I know you want to find out if she is your mate or not, but this is important. The attackers were clearly looking for you,” he reasoned.

“Yes, sir,” I said.

“This way,” he motioned, and I followed, trying to pick up what he was smelling. He pointed to the ground to show me some tracks.

After the meeting earlier, Beta Damien had pulled me aside and said he needed to know exactly where I hid Missy today. Since then, we have been trying to trace where the rogues may have gone. I didn’t want to leave Missy so long like this, but I guess this is what happens for a warrior. Ever since she linked me a bit ago, I haven’t been able to focus. My wolf was on edge, too, desperate for her to be our mate.