“Annie,” linked Nathan, “where are you and Cassie?”
“We are in her room, Nate. She’s digging through her backpack looking for something.”
Cassie sat on the floor, looking determined as she turned out each pocket in her backpack. Annie had watched as she pulled clothes, a man’s dirty socks, and a pillowcase? She carefully put aside the cash when she found it. Annie had assumed that the money was what she had been looking for, but she didn’t stop there. She opened a zipper in the front and cried out, “I found it!” just as the Alpha walked in the door, trailed by Nathan and the doctor.
“Found what, sweetheart,” asked her father.
Cassie looked up and whispered, “The thumb, daddy! She forgot to take the thumb. The Alpha said she would need it.”
“What would she need with a thumb?” Zayden as
