Chapter 101
+25 Points
I don’t want to behave hastily but I’ve been trying to concentrate on everything else other than finding my daughter because I trusted that Astor was going to bring her back to me but that trust has dwindled.
I swallowed hard, the taste of fear like ash in my mouth. My thumb hovered over Kyle’s name on the screen. This was it. No more waiting, no more agonizing. I had to do this.
I pressed the call button. My heart hammered against my ribs in the silence of my kitchen. It rang once, twice before he answered and then his voice, cold and sharp, cut through the air.
“I hate being bothered,” Kyle said, his tone flat, “but I’ll let it slide because it’s you. What do
you want?”
His voice was like a punch to my gut. The man who had taken my daughter, speaking to me as if I was the inconvenience. I gripped the phone tighter trying to calm my nerves. “You know what I want,” I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. My throat felt tight, as if a fist
was stuck in.
A low chuckle came from his end. It wasn’t a sound of happiness, but of cruel satisfaction.” I’m glad you’ve finally decided to take the initiative, Faith. To do the right thing for your daughter.”
A single, hot tear escaped my eye, tracing a path down my cheek. The sheer nerve of him, talking about ‘the right thing.‘ I furiously wiped it away with the back of my hand. No. I wouldn’t cry. Not now. I have to be strong.
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice firmer this time, though it still trembled slightly. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. For my daughter’s sake.” The words felt like poison on my tongue, but I pushed them out.
“Good girl,” Kyle purred, and I cringed. “Meet me. North side of the pack territory. In an hour and you better be there, Faith. It may be your only chance to get your daughter back.”
“I’ll be there,” I agreed, the words leaving my lips before I could even think. It was a reflex, a desperate promise.
He hung up, the line going dead with a click and my whole body sagged with a mix of relief and pure terror.
I promised myself, right there and then, that I had to be strong. I can do this by myself and I knew Kyle was playing mind games.
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< Chapter 101
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He always did. But my purpose for seeing him was clear, I needed to find out how Alice was connected to this whole nightmare. I also knew this could be a trap. He could kidnap me. He could do much, much worse. But I had no choice.
I took a deep breath, pushing the fear down, deep inside where it couldn’t paralyze me. The first thing I did was make Marco a warm breakfast. Pancakes, his favorite. I tried to act normal, humming a little tune as I flipped them, but inside, my stomach twisted into knots. After he ate, I helped him get dressed for the morning, buttoning his little shirt, tying his shoelaces. Each touch felt like a goodbye.
As he was playing, I quickly pulled out my phone and sent a text to Mr. and Mrs. Gable. I kept it short. Just instructions on what to do if they didn’t hear from me by tomorrow morning. Astor might be Marco’s father, but he was still a stranger to my son. In case something happened to me, I needed to know Marco would be safe, protected by people he knew and loved. The thought alone made my hands shake again, but I forced them steady.
Then, I took Marco with me to the packhouse. I didn’t have anyone I truly trusted in the pack, no close friends I could leave him with.
So I took him to the pack orphanage. The people who worked with the children there were kind and loving. Marco would be safe, distracted and playing happily with the other kids for a
few hours.
We walked in, and the sound of children laughing filled the air. Marco’s eyes lit up, and he immediately spotted some children playing. I knelt down, pulling him into an extra warm hug, holding him just a little bit tighter than usual. I kissed his cheek, lingering for a moment, trying to memorize the feel of his soft skin against my lips. He didn’t suspect anything, just giggled and squirmed, eager to go play. “Mommy will be back soon, sweetie,” I whispered, forcing a smile. He nodded, gave me a quick squeeze back, and then ran off, disappearing into the joyful chaos of the playroom.
I watched him for a second longer, a lump forming in my throat. Then, I turned and practically snuck away, trying to go unnoticed.
I kept my guard up, taking the less used paths, darting between trees, making sure no one was following me. The North side of the pack territory was always quiet, often forgotten because it was an overgrown forests and rocky outcrops. It was the perfect place for a secret, dangerous meeting.
But Pack patrol was everywhere because everyone was alert ever since the bodies where dumped in our pack with no explanation.
The air grew colder as I walked, the trees thicker. Finally, I pushed through some of the tangled branches and stopped. He was there.
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Kyle stood by an old oak tree, his back to me at first, then slowly turning. His hands were tucked into his pockets, a casual stance that mocked the storm raging inside me. His eyes, cold and unreadable, met mine across the small clearing.
My heart pounded, a frantic drum against the silence. This conversation. It would either end with me dead, or with me finally getting my daughter back. There was no other way this could
- go.
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