It took both me and Ren to carry Duke back, with him being a Bernese Mountain dog that weighed about a hundred pounds. I carried him myself most of the way but it felt like the day’s events zapped me of any strength, so Ren helped carry him the last leg to the house.
Jake, thankfully, is no longer in an alpha rage. He’s been on the phone with Logan while Parker is working on the security cameras, trying to see if that can give us a lead. I don’t understand the logistics of it but whatever we can do to find her is best.
Keelan, Micah, and Ben have been near motionless in the same room as when I left. I guess I’m no better. I don’t know what to do. I can’t feel her in the bond. The absence of her in my soul is horrible. It’s the closest I ever want to get to this feeling. I can’t lose her. Especially after we only just found her and finally bonded less than a month ago, it’s not enough time together.Liam is doing something on his laptop. I’m not sure what but knowing him, it’s something that will help Thea.
Thea, my Sunshine. There’s no sunshine left without her here. I almost laugh when I realize how corny that was and how she’d have loved it and teased me again. I look over at Keelan still on the love seat whose eyes look dead. Ben is in a similar state. Micah though, he’s…I don’t know. I’ve known him since we were kids and I’ve never seen him look so broken-hearted. Even when his mom left, and the Amber situation, he kept some kind of mask on. He just looks so raw, like an exposed nerve that will fray and disappear at any moment.
I scrub my hand over my face. Gods, if he can’t be our rock this time then that’s what I’ll do. I may not be able to help find Thea but I’ll keep the pack going, even in the smallest terms, until she’s back with us. I quickly make my way to the kitchen where Jake is sitting at the island, still on the phone with Logan, his laptop in front of him as he types away furiously.
I don’t say anything or disturb him. Instead, I move to the fridge and pull out the stuff to make some sandwiches. I can’t really cook anything edible but I can at least make a decent sandwich. I mean, it’s kind of hard to mess up sandwiches, right? We have to eat even if we don’t want to. We’re no good to her if we don’t take care of ourselves.
It doesn’t take long before I have about a dozen sandwiches prepared. I put one on a plate and slide it over to Jake, who glances up at me from his laptop for the first time and gives me a nod of thanks. Taking the larger dish with the rest of them anda handful of napkins, I make the rounds. First to the spare room near the kitchen we had Harrison use for the security cameras monitoring system. Parker and Ren are in here working. Parker doesn’t acknowledge my presence. I didn’t expect he would and I don’t take it personally. Unlike before, I know this is something he needs to do.
Ren takes one for him and one for Parker as he says, “Thanks man.”
I just nod in reply. I’m almost scared to talk because I think I might just end up crying and won’t stop until she’s back. That won’t be good for anyone.Keep it together for Thea, for the pack. They need you.Micah is usually the one in that role, definitely more than anyone else. We’re pack, it shouldn’t always be him that has that responsibility. I can do this, hold it together for them while they fall apart.
Taz and Harrison are in the dining room talking with their pack mate River on the phone as they work. I don’t interrupt them, just put two sandwiches down for them when they need it. The last are the four men frozen in the sitting room. The cushion next to Keelan is empty and I place a sandwich down with a napkin on it. Ben and Micah have a side table between them and their seats, so I put the main dish there and grab one last sandwich and hand it to Liam. It breaks him out of whatever he’s working on long enough for him to take it.
The other three don’t move to take them. I start with Keelan. “You’re no good to her if you don’t eat and keep up your strength. What are you going to do when we find out where she is andyou’retoo exhausted to help?”
He blinks a few times, like he’s coming out of a daze and really looks at me. I guess what I said got through his thick skull. When he picks up the sandwich and takes a bite, I relax a little in relief. It’s a small win. The next are Ben and Micah. Ben isalready grabbing one. I’m sure he took what I said to Keelan for him as well. I hoped that would happen.
Micah still hasn’t moved. His eyes are red but I don’t see any tears. His normally put-together appearance is now disheveled, his red brown hair sticking out in all directions, likely from him running his hands through it countless times. His suit vest and tie are gone along with the jacket.
Figures he’d be the most challenging one. How to get him to react? Maybe a different angle from what I said before. “Micah, Thea isn’t going to be happy with you when she finds out you didn’t eat anything while she was gone. Hope you’re ready to see our omega pissed off at you again,” I say as seriously as I can.C’mon take the bait.I know he hates it when she’s mad at him, as much as he put up a front during the first month or so she was here. Deep down he isn’t the type to revel in someone disliking him, let alone that someone being the one he loves.
As if in slow motion, he moves and begins to eat. Sitting back, I tilt my head to the ceiling, letting out a big breath. Gods please let us find her soon. It’s only been three hours and we’re a mess without her. Thoughlet’sbe real, we’re a mess three minutes without her. I know this isn’t the same but it puts it in perspective of the pain she has been dealing with since losing Connor. Of course, we all know how devastating it would be to lose your mate like that but there’s a difference between knowing it and feeling even a small part of that loss. She dealt with it alone for a year while running for her life. I always thought she was strong but maybe I didn’t realize how strong she really had to be.
We won’t feel that loss though. Jake and Harrison will find her and we’ll get her back safe.
No matter what.
36
LIAM
It’s been five hours since she was taken. I’ve been researching different drugs he could have used on her. Ren said there were drag marks as if she was unconscious when she was kidnapped and with her absence in the bond happening at the same time, there’s only so many things that can do both. The ones someone could get their hands on over the counter or even illegally are less so. Typically, most sedatives for medicinal purposes won’t suppress a bond. The most common sedative that can is anesthesia but that’s regulated and only used for surgeries. As a result of anesthesia, the bond may be suppressed for a few hours after the patient wakes up but it fades in time. I don’t think he used that on her. He had to have been quick and any kind of injection would require knowledge he doesn’t have.
She could be dealing with even worse side effects depending on what he used. I need to be prepared for anything. I don’t care what Jake, Logan, or whoever say because I’ll be going with them when they find her. She may need medical care and what use am I if I can’t help her with that? I’ve already had my assistant from the office bring me some supplies just in case—some meds, an IV kit, first aid, anything she may need betweenwherever we find her and getting her to a hospital. Depending on where she is, they could be hours away from the nearest one—all the more reason for me to go with them. I’ll have to remember to say that to Jake when the time comes.
I thought that first mini heat and seeing her in so much pain was one of the worst days of my life. It still is but this is up there. I was about to see a patient when I felt her fear overwhelm the bond. I collapsed right in the hallway of my office. Thank the Gods for Judy, she handled everything so I could leave once I had the strength. As much as I wanted to rush home, my body wouldn’t let me. I was in shock after her bond went dark. Being the last home and seeing the state of my pack helped shake me out of it a bit. I’ve been researching ever since.
Most of us are still in the sitting room. Eli brought us food a couple hours ago. I ate it absentmindedly while I worked. Since the bond has been silent, it’s like as if a blanket of silence fell over our entire pack too. I’m in the middle of researching when it happens—a fog lifts and she’s back in the bond. The energy in the room changes instantly. Keelan, who’s been listless, is sitting up straight like he’s been electrocuted. Everyone reacts except Micah. He notices the change but looks confused.
I can’t dwell on that, not when I can feel her again. I can’t even control which emotions she may be feeling from me. Hers are relief and love, at least that’s what she’s letting us feel. No pain is coming through. My own relief is palpable.
Parker runs into the room. “You feel her?” he asks the entire room. We all agree. Parker is smiling broadly and hugs the person nearest him, who happens to be Eli. “She’s really okay,” Parker says lowly but it’s enough for me to hear.
I’m relieved as well but now that whatever was blocking the bond is gone, I doubt we’ll only feel her love in the bond. My fists clench at the thought. We need to find her before that asshole does anything worse to her.
37
PARKER
Ican feel her again!Before bonding—well, before meeting Thea—I never thought much of bonding. To be honest, I figured I wouldn’t like having someone in my head like that. It’s already a chaotic mess and I couldn’t imagine someone feeling the mayhem that are my emotions sometimes. Despite that, when Thea and I bonded, I felt more at peace than I ever had before. Her love and confidence have been helping shore up my own little by little. I never have a doubt about how she feels about me. She accepts every part of me and I her.
Having that connection muted even for a few hours was more painful than I would have thought before. I’m so happy to have it back. I’m currently sitting on the floor in the sitting room since everyone has claimed a spot. Well, there’s the cushion next to Keelan but I can tell he doesn’t need my energy around him right now. Eli is in the chair next to me. I hugged him so tightly in relief when the bond came back. I should get back to my work but I just want to sit and absorb this moment a little while longer. Everyone is here except Jake. I remember seeing him still working in the kitchen when I made my way here.
