***Natalia***
Rionna’s face pales when she turns to face me, a young woman standing at her side attempting to comfort her.
Something is very wrong here, Devina whispers.
"Where is Kota?" I ask, dread settling in the pit of my stomach.
"Where is my baby?"
"I- I ," Rionna stammers, tears clinging to her eyes as she looks around the play center frantically.
"I was just reading a magazine..." she whimpers.
"And then-" I follow her gaze, not seeing Kota anywhere in the playcenter.
"Where is my baby?" I repeat, handing my things to Celina and storming through the play center.
"Kota? Kota, ¢ donde estas? Dakota!"
Rionna follows close behind me, tears streaming down her face as I search for my pup.My lungs feel as though they are collapsing, every breath I take labored and almost too painful to take.I hold my breath as I search the area, refusing to breathe until I know my baby is safe.
A lump forms in my throat, trapping in the scream I want to release so desperately that it scratches and claws at my soul.
After a thorough search, I turn to Rionna, hoping this is all just a sick joke she’s playing.
"Where is he, Ri?" I ask her calmly, growing irritated when she opens her mouth but says nothing.
Grabbing her by the shoulders, I shake her violently.
"Where is my baby?!"
"I-I’m so sorry!" she cries, collapsing on her knees and begging for forgiveness.
"I was just reading my magazine when this-this man came up to me and-"
"Aman?!" I snap.
"What man?!"
"I don’t know." Rionna shakes her head.
"He was tall...blue eyes," she says, gesturing to her eyes.
"H-his hair, it was light but not blonde."
A chill crawls up my spine as she describes the man she had spoke to.
"H-He asked me which kid was mine and then I woke up all alone” Rionna explains.
"I started searching for Kota and ....Oh Goddess! I’m so sorry!"
She sobs, taking my hands in hers and squeezing them for comfort.
"I don’t...I don’t know what happened! I don’t know! I looked away for just a moment, it was just a moment-"
She weeps uncontrollably, Agnes doing her best to soothe her.
Meanwhile, something inside me is breaking, shattering into a million pieces as I try to take a breath and find myself unable to inhale even an ounce of air.My chest tightens and it hurts.It hurts to breathe.
All the sounds of the world, Rionna’s sobs, the laughter of the children playing in the background, the questions Celina asks the other adults in the room...
suddenly go quiet, and all I hear is the sound of my own beating heart.
Ba dump...
Ba dump...
Ba dump..
Dakota...
It means friend and for many weeks after I left Silver Crest, Kota was my only friend.
After he was born, Kota became my only source of happiness and my daily reminder to keep moving forward.I could not just collapse because I had a little someone depending on me to be strong and brave.I had to work, I had to forget, I had to build my walls nice and tall so no one would ever hurt us again.
But now, as the world around me continues moving forward, my world...my small beautiful little world is gone.
All the pent up frustration I’ve held in for so long has finally reached its limit.It starts with the tears rolling down my cheeks and a burning in my throat.
My face flushes with anguish and Celina tries to calm me down.
"Breathe, Talia, breathe!" she says cupping my cheeks.
I gasp, unable to
"I can’t breathe!"
she soothes, smoothing back
feel an electric jolt ripple through my body, a calming
a deep breath with me and letting it
as we breathe in
and out.In
when I finally manage
healer," she
baby back.So this
he give a name? Talia, do you
Christian," I reply, wiping away
it’s him.He’s the only
said you would know where to find
"That’s all I remember."
do you?"
racing thoughts and think for a moment but I am
the caller ID before answering, my blood boiling with
take my baby?!"
in my body, if that bastard hurts my baby, if that bastard harms a hair
to tell me exactly what you know about
has Dakota?" Jordan replies, the sound of his voice
stupid!" I snap, putting
I swear!" he
and a phone number from the area.Christian doesn’t trust me anymore.He had me
‘we’?" I ask, growing angry with myself for
and Nikki,"
random kid who's been
you?" I
City about 2 hours north of San Francisco," Jordan
the
to Patrick's pack,"
them to meet
Moon.Go to River Moon," I instruct
us there in
silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I
me, Rionna avoids my gaze, the guilt overwhelming me
her, Rionna looked shocked as I rest my head
tears begin to trickle down my cheeks, she wraps me up in
whimper, the thought of
patience for a frightened four year
confidently.I set the world on
house, a car already parked
when we see Jordan step out of the car with Nikki and Micah and a kid that looks familiar, but I can’t make out
after she introduces herself as Princess of the lvory Phoenix Kingdom,
sees me but I do not return the
he takes
Surprise b***h, Devina snickers.
have a wolf..."
when did this happen?" His eyes fall on the mark on
"You're marked?"
invited here to discuss Christian, not my personal life!" I
with me.I turn to Nikki and Micah and they shift uncomfortably on their
I am not angry with them.It is in
do they know, this particular wolf is a
Moon pack house and we settle in the dining room to discuss
y-you look good
of water
my son?" I ask, getting
but it's a valid
son if not to kill him? Surely Vanessa has produced an
b***h feel threatened by my son because I can assure you, we want nothing to do
donor nor does he need anything from him.He doesn’t belong at Silver Crest.He already has a home.He has a family.He has a father.So for f***s sake, give me back my pup and leave us
leaning
infertile." I stare back at him
"What?"
have not been doing too well," Jordan
her infertility, Vanessa managed to get herself turned but she fell into a coma.Derek tells me she’s awake but it seems Christian is not interested in
the audacity that he has to even think
my soul to know Christian and
former pack and my pup is missing, likely terrified to be away from his home and his
for the past four years, growing more desperate
control.He’s killed dozens
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