Chapter 369
+15 8gnus
Three hundred and seventy one
Isabella POV
By the time I reached the daycare, my legs trembled so badly I had to force myself to keep walking. The daycare had already descended into chaos. Teachers stood near the entrance, parents who had come to collect their children lingered with curious faces, and the owner wrung her hands as though she could squeeze an explanation”
out of them.
“I don’t understand how this happened,” she said, her voice shaking. “We have strict procedures for picking up the children. Nobody should have been allowed to take Maverick without being identified and recorded p>
“Then where is my son?” I asked.
The question came out harsh, but I couldn’t soften it. I wasn’t about to sit quietly and admire the efficiency of a system that had let my four-year-old disappear.
“We’re checking everything. There must have been a mix-up somewhere. Please, Ms Isabella, try to remain calm I’m certain we’ll find him p>
“Stop telling me to calm down p>
Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
Maverick had never spent a night away from me without someone I trusted caring for him. Even when I left him with Iris, I knew where he was. I knew who would pick him up. I knew he would wait for me with his arms stretched out, probably talking about whatever had caught his attention that day.
My gaze moved around the daycare, searching for something that might tell me what happened. His backpack rested against one of the walls. Children’s drawings covered a section of the corridor, their bright colors painfully out of place against the panic spreading through the building. Somewhere behind us, a child laughed, unaware that another child’s disappearance had turned the adults around him into a frantic mess.
Wesley stood near the entrance with his phone pressed to his ear, speaking to the park security team. “Search every road leading out of this area. Check the surrounding buildings, transport routes, everything. I want every camera pulled and reviewed. Nobody leaves the pack without being questioned if they were anywhere near this place p>
Iris stood beside me, tears gathering in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I should have gone back sooner p>
“This isn’t helping p>
The words escaped before I could stop them. Her face crumpled, and guilt twisted inside me, but I couldn’t comfort her. Not now. I needed my son.
My chest felt crushed. Iris hadn’t taken him. She had done what I asked. She had left him at a place that was supposed to protect him.
The owner hurried toward us again. “We’re reviewing the sign-in and sign-out records. None of the authorized contacts came for him. We’ve already checked with every teacher on duty p>
“Then someone took him,” Wesley said.
The woman looked at him, visibly shaken.
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“How?” he demanded. “If you have all these procedures, how did someone walk out with a child p>
We don’t know p>
That answer broke whatever control I had left.
I covered my mouth as a sob escaped. Maverick was out there somewhere, probably wondering where I was. Maybe he was crying, calling for me, waiting by a door that would never open. The thought tore through me.
How much more was I supposed to take? First the secrets surrounding my family had been dragged into the open Then Wesley had rejected the bond. I had spent days wondering whether I would ever see him again, only to have him return and give me hope. Now, when I had barely begun to breathe again, someone had taken my son.
Couldn’t I have one day without something falling apart?
Apparently, even that was too much to ask.
Wesley ended his call and turned toward me. “They’re searching p>
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I want my son p>
Wesley looked crushed.
2
“This is my fault,” he said. “I made things difficult for you lately, and while we were dealing with everything else, Maverick was left exposed p>
“Wesley, don’t p>
“I should have thought about p>
“Stop p>
I didn’t want his guilt, or Iris’s, or the daycare owner’s explanations. None of it could make Maverick appear.
The tears came harder. I lowered my hand and let myself cry, because there was nothing left to hold back.
“I just want my baby,” I whispered.
Wesley came closer, but he didn’t try to tell me everything would be fine. He seemed to understand there were promises neither of us could make.
The security team had already taken over the daycare by the time I returned to the main hall. Two of them stood near the entrance while another sat with the owner and the staff, reviewing the CCTV footage on the monitors. Every camera was being checked from the start of the day, because no one could tell us when Maverick had disappeared.
The woman responsible for his section kept rubbing her palms together as she tried to remember the day’s events. The daycare separated the children by age, babies in one section, toddlers in another, and the older children, including Maverick, in a different room.
“He was here after lunch,” she said. “I remember because he was struggling with his bag. He couldn’t get it open, so I helped him. Then after their midday break, he sat with his friend, Eliana p>
That narrowed things down. If she had seen him after lunch, then whatever happened had happened later in the day. The security team returned to the footage, moving through the recordings from that period and checking everyone who had entered or left the building.
I stood behind them, staring at the screen without really seeing it.
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Barbara’s name cut through my thoughts, and my heart lurched.
he had enough hatred for me to do something like this, and after everything that had happened, I couldn’t dismiss the possibility. She had never cared about hurting me, so why would she suddenly care about the child she saw as another reason Wesley had chosen me?
Then there was Desmond.
I had spent years keeping Maverick away from his father for a reason. If Desmond had somehow found out where we were and taken him, it meant he was using Maverick to get to me.
And if Barbara had found Desmond and given him enough information to locate us, they could both be involved for entirely different reasons. Barbara wanted to hurt me because of Wesley. Desmond wanted to use his son as bait to trap me.
I turned toward the exit.
“Isabella p>
Wesley’s voice stopped me. He had been keeping an eye on me while the security team worked, and he crossed the room as soon as he saw me leaving.
“Where are you going p>
“I need to see my father p>
His brow furrowed. “What does your father have to do with this p>
“I think Barbara knows where Maverick is p>
Wesley stared at me, trying to make sense of it.
“She hates me. She could have found Maverick’s dad, or she could have taken Maverick herself. I can’t stand here waiting for someone to finish watching footage when I might already know where to look p>
He looked even more confused.
“You know Maverick’s dad? I thought you said p>
“I lied,” I cut him off. “His dad is Alpha Desmond of Blood Moon pack p>
Wesley’s eyes widened, but he kept whatever reaction he had to himself, the desperation in my voice shutting him
He turned toward one of the security officers. “Take her to her father’s house. Stay with her. I’ll remain here and make sure nothing gets disturbed p>
“I’ll go with her,” Iris said. Wesley gave her a grateful nod.
The drive to my father’s house felt endless despite the distance. Iris sat beside me, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, while the security officer drove. I stared through the window, watching the streets pass without registering them. My heart wouldn’t slow down, and every thought of Maverick closed my throat.
As soon as the car stopped, I pushed the door open and hurried toward the house. A maid stepped into the foyer and began saying something, but I couldn’t make out the words.
“Barbara p>
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My voice echoed through the house.
Father p>
Stepmother Gwen came from the sitting room with an irritated expression. “Who is shouting in my house as though p>
“Where is my son? Give me my son p>
“Have you lost your mind?” Gwen snapped. “Does this place look like a daycare? Why would your son be here p>
“Barbara took him p>
Gwen laughed in disbelief. “And what proof do you have p>
“Barbara hates me. She knows what hurts me, and she would do anything to get back at me. She could have told Maverick’s father where we were p>
“You cannot storm into this house and accuse my daughter of kidnapping your son without evidence p>
The security officer stepped forward. “We’re going to search the house p>
She gasped, then recovered quickly.
“Fine. Search it. We have nothing to hide p>
I started toward the stairs, needing to see for myself that Maverick wasn’t somewhere inside this house.
Gwen moved in front of me. “Where do you think you’re going p>
“Move p>
I stepped around her, but she caught my arm. I pulled free, and she stumbled back from the force of it.
“See!” she shouted. “She wants to push me down! Ill-mannered brat! You come into my house and attack me, then expect me to smile p>
The security officer stepped between us. “Enough. Let us do our job p>
They searched the rooms while I stood watching every doorway, hoping against everything that Maverick would appear. When the officers came back downstairs, one of them spoke to Gwen.
“If we find evidence that Barbara had anything to do with this, it will become much more serious. If you know anything, tell us now. It could save your family from making this worse p>
Gwen lifted her chin. “We are respectable members of this pack. We don’t involve ourselves in things like this. Why would Barbara want that boy? Search wherever you want. You won’t find anything p>
There was no point arguing with her. I pulled out my phone and called my father. He answered after several rings.
“Where is Barbara p>
“Why are you asking me that p>
“Maverick is missing p>
Silence filled the line.
“What p>
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“My son is missing, and I know Barbara has something to do with it p>
stone changed.
“Isabella, I don’t want any more trouble. I’ve already had enough problems because of everything that happened. Luna Lisa p>
“Maverick is missing!” My voice cracked. “Barbara knows where he is p>
“I don’t understand. How could she p>
I ended the call.
The security officer had moved outside and stood waiting near the vehicle. When I joined him, he looked at me with a troubled expression.
“You mentioned Alpha Desmond. Is he the child’s father p>
I nodded, wiping my cheeks.
“The Alpha Desmond from Blood Moon p>
I nodded again.
He looked thoughtful. “Is there a reason he would want the boy p>
My throat closed around the answer, but I forced the words out.
“I was hiding from him. That’s why he doesn’t have my son. I left Blood Moon because I didn’t want him to find us.
“1
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Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.