Chapter Forty–Eight
Alpha Kadden POV
Irritating woman
Doesn’t know when to quit.
These were the thoughts fihering around inside of my mind as Von snuggled in my arms, curling into my chest. Though I was excited she’d finally awoken, at had been four days since our return, and I was still pissed. She needed to rest. Her time away from the manor had left her weakened and broken in a way I didn’t want to think about again. She should be in bed resting to regain her strength, not traipsing around the manor unbidden.
“She missed us, Rhavage polated out.
1
I bared my fangs at him. I damn well knew what compelled the actions of the woman, I didn’t need the lunatic’s reminder. The way the curled into my arms, her face brushing across my chest, soaking in my scent and heat. Yes, it was clear Von had missed me in the weeks we’d been apart, unable to stay away now that she was home. No more than 1, I thought to myself. Yes, I’d missed her. As difficult as it was for me to realize, I’d missed her the month the was held prisoner in the Dark Lands. Missed her touch, her smell, her presence.
Feeling as calm – whether it was me or my beast as I hadn’t in days, at the feel of her in my arms. In the days since our return, though she’d been in my bed, I hadn’t been able to hold her. Not like this. It warmed me in ways I’d never been at having her curled up to me like this, my arms wrapped around her. For that reason alone I turned away from the doorway, heading back to my seat at the table. I didn’t want to go upstairs to my chamber, where Ed leave her alone in bed, forced to return to work.
“Von.” Layla cried in happiness.
Sitting down in my chair at the head of the table I couldn’t miss the happiness glowing in my daughter’s eyes. Just as she told me the two had formed a friendship since she’d returned to living in the manor. A true friendship. Like Rayven. I brushed the hair out of her face. “You made my little girl’s day. Layla’s been so worried about you. She helped heal you.”
Her strange blue eyes pecked out from hading behind her hair, and a tender smile curved up the side of her mouth. “Thank you Laylay, Layla” No. she’d most definitely called her Laylay this time. I couldn’t miss the gap of surprise coming from my daughter, as she too noticed the nickname. Odd. Rayven used to call her that too, a nickname only the girl had ever dared refer to her as.
“It’s okay,” Layla finally spoke. “You can call me that if you want.” As if she somehow sensed the uneasiness that Von felt for dubbing the nickname to the woman. “My best friend used to call me that. I kind of minit”
“Rayven.” Beta Alex realized.
Layla ducked her head
I shifted Von around in my
Wanting to get our minds off the sore subject of the girl, that brought varying degrees of pain to us. For our own
own reasons. arma, where she was sitting up on my lap, though still in the curve. “Why don’t you try to eat or drink something.”
Slowly bobbing her head until she was left wincing in pain, a shaky hand reached out to the table. Only the platter of fruit to far away from her, she instead grabbed a piece off my plate. Showing no anger at her taking from mine, she gently brought it to her mouth, nibbling on the end. Clearly, in was difficult for her, the goddess only knew the last time she’d eaten anything. Further proof of the mistreatment received at the hands of the cold bastard who’d taken her from my home.
“Von“” my betaspoke.
“Hmm?” she mumbled.
Beta Alex leaned forward in his seat, twisting around where he was facing the young woman in my arms. He brushed a hand down his chin thoughtfully. “Do you remember anything that happened? Who took you?”
“Alex” I gritted out between clenched teeth, glaring at the man. “She’s been awake less than an hour and needs time to regain her strength, not thinking about being interrogated”
“I understand,” he calmly accepted my outburst. “I truly do. I’m aware of all she’s been through, but you have to see where I’m coming from too, Whoever took her was able to get past border patrol, passed the guards, and into the manor to get her. Then was able to sneak her out of the manor and passed the border, without raising a single alarm. Even the Remnants couldn’t.”
I knew what he meant. The same thoughts I’d been having. Because whoever had taken her out of the manor hadn’t been working alone this time. To accomplish the goal it meant there was someone on the inside, someone in any inner circle. Somebody among my closest wolves was a traitor, enabling them to get Von out undetected.
“Are you up to it? Lasked.
ware she was a little too weak to
Putting down the fruit she’d only managed to eat half of the waved toward the glass indicating she needed a drink. Aware ger on her own. I helped her swallow a few gulpa of water. Her voice came out raspy. “Doors. Brown boots.”
“Boots“” Alex harrumphed.
She upped her head. “The leather was strange. I don’t know how to explain is exactly. And this scent, it was weird, like a mix of lavender and chamomile, but yet something else, that made it hard to discern. Like they were purposefully trying to mask themselves.”
“Anything else? he preved:
Von spunted her eyes, trying to remember. “I was but from behind, I never saw the attack coming. I was kept drugged, so I never got a good luck.
dapter Forty–E
Forty–Eight
just know when I did come to it was a man holding me, his voice a constant reminder.”
“It’s not much Beta Alex mused.
Noticing when she tried to smother a yawn for a second time, I knew she’d taken her strength as is. With order for him to do what he could with the Information. I climbed to my feer and left the verands. A couple of minutes later I purposefully stalked through my bedroom, backing the door closed. Against her protests I laid her back down into the bed, bringing the covers up over her body.
Her hand grabbed mine. “Don’t leave.”
Aware it’d taken a lot for her to adnut she didn’t want to be alone, I conceded to her wishes. Climbing up on the other ssle of the bed, I wasn’t surprised when she used the last of her energy to move closer Understanding the need inside of her I wrapped my arms around her, bringing her to settle into my chest. Then holding her there in my arms, she drified off to sleep, but still, I didn’t move from the bed. Instincts assured me if 1 attempted to leave then Von would awake and wouldn’t stay if I was gone.
This was how our days went.
Transferring my work to the office adjoined to my chambers, so I could work while she slept. Though anytime she came to I walked into the room. assuring her that I was still present there. Von would relax in the face of the knowledge, proving her determination to find me if she had to. After ensuring she got a little something to eat and drink. I’d lay down next to her as she drifted off to bed. However, there were times when Layla would pay her a visit, allowing me the chance to retreat back to the office. The most heart–wrenching moment was when Lisa came by on the third day she was up, and she burst into tears.
The way she curled her body away from the sight of baby Angel in her arms, was all the proof I needed. Because the baby was a constant reminder of the one she’d camed and so recently was taken. Von had known she was pregnant, she had been forced to lose our child all on her own during that dark time. It broke her hear to know that she’d been forced to lose a cub, while Sarah’s had survived. I knew it’d be a long time before she recovered
from that moment, longer still before she could face it
More than a week had passed. Von having grown stronger with every passing day when I stopped working. The stresses of the job had been heightened in recent months, as I tried to recover the damage Cursing as I caught a glimpse at the clock, surprised it was almost one in the maming. Never had the allowed me to stay gone so long from the bed, leaving me to wonder what was the cause. Only for my fear to be heightened when I walked into the room, to find her side of the bed empty. Panic seized me at the thought of the last time she vanished, terrified of a repeat session
Oh goddess, not again.
I couldn’t endure it again.
“I don’t hate you.” a soft voice came.
Instantly realized that it was coming from the other side of the door, where Angel’s nursery could be found. Curious I went to the door I saw was standing slightly ajar, proof someone opened it. Pushing it open my heart clenched at the sight of Von standing beside the cradle, staring down at the child. I realized it was her voice I’d heard from inside the bedroom. Von having taken the time to talk to the child.
Her shoulders slightly shook, as if she was crying or fighting the urge. “It just hurts so much to look at you, to remember.”
Angel cooed as if responding.
pause, obviously
Hating the pain evident in her voice I walked to where she stood at the cradle, wrapping my arms around her. After a momentary pause, unaware of being observed, she melted into the embrace. “Let’s go to bed.”
She didn’t argue. Whispering a tearful goodnight to Angel with promises to come back soon, I steered her out of the room. Von was reduced to a weakened puddle of mush in the face of her pain, relying on me as she rarely did. I hated to see her like this. So weak and vulnerable, not at all the strong, proud, and resilient she–wolf she’d been since day one. I knew it was going to be a very long time before she regained that same strength and confidence again.
“I was pregnant,” she finally spoke, electing to use that moment to confess her secrets to me
Standing inside the closet as I flipped through my nightwear, not having slept naked since her return. I didn’t want her to think I was forcing any level of intimacy, I wanted Von to choose to come to me. I stopped at her statement. “I know.”
A choked sols came from her then, bearing as she lowered down into the bed, could feel her pain and anguish Finally, for the first time, Von allowed hemself the time for her emotions to flood her “That morning I’d come downstairs to tell you, I’d taken the test that proved I was pregnant. The baby survived for a while, but after hehe, it didn’t. I felt is die inside of me.”
Only able to imagine the anguish she endured suffering the death of our child alone, hands clenched tightly at my side. Aware she needed me in that moment I went to where the lay in bed, wrapping her in my arms. “I’m so sorry, Von. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. I promise you I’l find the bastard that kidnapped you, and make him pay for what he did.”
She growled in approval.
“I wanted hon,” she barely breathed.
“Our day,” I promised her
