Missing
1775 Words
Wrenna POV
“Brenley, not today, please,” Wrenna yawned, shaking her head as the toddler bounded out of the bathtub, laughing hysterically—naked, dripping water across the carpet. Of course. Why did he always have to be difficult at the worst time?
She was exhausted—drained from too many sleepless nights and a restless wolf that wouldn’t stop pacing inside her. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed the damage: dark circles, puffy eyes, hair that needed more than hope to be tamed. She sighed, grabbing a towel and darting out of the bathroom.
Brenley’s giggles echoed through the sitting room, high and hoarse, as he dodged her first grab.
“Wait till I get you, little monster!” Wrenna half-growled, half-laughed, crouching low as she cornered him by the door.
She was this close—the towel ready in her hands—when the door swung open.
The world slowed for a heartbeat.
Brenley squealed with triumph, darting past her and straight into the hall—past a very startled Damian, who stood frozen with a breakfast tray balanced in his hands.
“Whoa there, little guy,” Damian laughed, shifting the tray just in time to avoid disaster.
Wrenna darted out after Brenley—towel in hand.
Time slowed.
Brad stepped out into the hallway just as Brenley rounded the corner, his brows lifting before a slow, crooked smile curved his lips. The sight before him was almost comical—Wrenna flushed and breathless, a towel clutched in one hand, and a very naked pup squealing with laughter as he ran free.
But she saw it—the exact second everything changed.
The moment Brenley’s unmasked scent hit Brad’s nostrils.
Her heart stuttered painfully in her chest. No. No, this isn’t happening.
“You need to apply the masking spray after every bath or swim…” Seraphina’s voice echoed in her mind like an omen.
The smile died on Brad’s lips. His head snapped toward her, eyes widening—then narrowing, sharp and searching.
Brenley, sensing the shift in the air, froze mid-step. The laughter faded from his little face, replaced by wary curiosity as he turned toward Brad, tilting his head.
“Brenley, come here,” Wrenna whispered, her voice trembling as she kept her gaze locked on Brad.
“How old is he?” The question came low, guttural—his wolf’s voice layered beneath his own.
“He—what?” she stammered, trying for confusion, for anything that might buy her a few seconds.
Brad took a step forward, his fists clenching at his sides. “How. Old. Is. He?” he grated, every word vibrating with barely-contained fury.
“He’s… almost two,” she said softly. She didn’t have to say more. His wolf already knew. They both did.
“Brenley, come here,” Damian’s voice cut through the thick silence—rough, warning.
Wrenna turned, startled by the low growl vibrating beneath his words. Damian’s eyes glowed gold, his wolf pressing against the surface as he extended a protective arm.
Brenley immediately bolted toward him, tiny feet pattering across the carpet. Damian scooped him up, pressing a kiss to the boy’s curls—but his gaze never left Brad.
Brad’s eyes had shifted too—bright blue, his wolf surging forward to meet the unspoken challenge.
The hallway crackled with tension.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Damian said finally, voice low but steady. His gaze flicked between them one last time—warning clear—before he turned and disappeared into their suite with Brenley.
Silence.
Brad’s chest rose and fell in short, sharp breaths. His hands were shaking at his sides, though his voice came out low—too calm.
“He’s mine.” It wasn’t a question. It was instinct—Alpha-deep, wolf-deep—etched in certainty.
“He’s—” Wrenna’s throat locked. The words tangled on her tongue, excuses dissolving before they could form. You knew this was coming. You just thought you’d have more time.
“Spare me the bullshit!” Brad’s control cracked, voice rough and raw. The air pulsed with his fury, with the strain of holding his wolf back.
She flinched, mouth snapping shut. But then her spine straightened, her own anger spiking through the fear. “I tried to tell you… so many times.”
His eyes narrowed, wolf flickering behind them, blue blazing like lightning. He took a slow step toward her—another, until her back brushed the wall. The scent of smoke and cedar closed in around her, suffocating.
“You lied to me,” he rasped, jaw tight. “You let me think—” His voice broke off as he braced his palms against the wall beside her head, caging her in. “You let me think he was his.”
Her heart pounded. “I had to protect him.”
“From who?” His voice dropped, dangerous and quiet. “Me?”
She couldn’t answer. Her wolf whimpered.
“Are you…going to take him from me?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper. Everyone knew it was law that an Alpha had the right to claim his air—to take him from his mother. Even when the mother herself was an Alpha. The council did not favor women.
Something in his gaze shifted—still furious, but something else there too. Pain. Recognition.
He looked away, shaking his head.
“I would never take a pup from his mother.” He bit out, as if she’d insulted him. “Not even my own…not even when I didn’t even know he existed because his mother…” Brad swallowed the words, anger etched on every line of his face.
Guilt was eating away at her, but another emotion pushed its way to the forefront…relief. Relief he would not make a claim to Brenley—not take him for him and Sienna to raise.
“You should’ve told me, Wrenna.” His voice cracked on her name. “You should’ve let me know him.”
He stepped back suddenly, like touching her any longer might undo him completely. “He’s mine,” he said again, quieter this time—but with a weight that shook her to the core. Then he turned and walked away, the bond burning hot and alive in his wake.
Wrenna shut the door behind her. That had gone surprisingly better than she’d thought it would. She was still trying to decide what to tell Damian when—
“How did he react?”
His voice came from behind her—low, rough, not quite human. She spun, finding Damian shirtless, muscles flexing with every stride as he paced the room. His scent hit her first—pine and mint—and her wolf shivered.
“Damian, are you—”
But when he turned, his eyes glowed gold. Bade was on the surface.
“Is he planning to claim him?” Damian demanded, his tone cutting.
She blinked. “What—”
“Taking him?” he growled, stepping closer until her back hit the door. The air between them crackled, the Alpha—from his mother’s side—In him vibrating just beneath his skin.
“No… he said he’d never take a pup from his mother,” she whispered, voice soft but steady.
“And you believe him?” The growl that followed rattled her bones.
“Where’s Brenley?” she asked, trying to glance past him—but his hand shot out, fingers circling her throat. Not hard. Not cruel. Just… claiming.
“In his room. Playing.” Damian’s eyes burned into hers. “He is mine, Wrenna. Mine.”
“He is,” she breathed.
“You both are.”
Before she could answer, his mouth crashed against hers—rough, hungry, possessive. She froze only for a heartbeat before her body remembered him. His growl vibrated through her as his hands roamed down her sides, gripping her hips, her ass, lifting her easily. Her gasp was swallowed by his lips as her legs wrapped around him.
By the time her back hit the mattress, she was trembling. Damian didn’t stop—his lips found her throat, marking every inch of skin with teeth and tongue, his need barely contained.
Stop! Mate will feel! her wolf snapped through her mind.
“Damian—stop. Brenley’s in the next room,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
He froze. Bade’s gold dimmed, fading back into the green of Damian’s human eyes. He exhaled shakily, pressing his forehead to hers.
“Sorry,” he rasped. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“You were just protecting what’s yours,” she whispered.
His mouth twitched—half smile, half growl. “Damn right.”
They lay there in silence, breath mingling, the baby monitor crackling softly with Brenley’s soft hums. It grounded them both. Then her stomach growled, breaking the tension. Damian chuckled, the sound low and rough as he took her hand.
“Let’s talk about Brad later,” he murmured, kissing her knuckles. “Right now, we eat.”
“We eat,” she echoed, smiling despite the storm brewing in her chest.
By the time they stepped into the main dining hall, the scent of coffee and fried food hit her like a wave. Omegas moved briskly between tables, refilling mugs and stacking plates. Laughter floated across the room—too bright, too ordinary, as if Wrenna hadn’t just flipped all their lives upside down.
The breakfast tray Damian had brought earlier had gone cold, so they’d decided to join the others. Brenley sat in his booster seat, chattering to a nearby pup, his curls sticking up in every direction.
“Wrenna!” Beth’s singsong voice cut through the chatter as she waved her over.
Wrenna smiled as Beth took the seat beside her, Soren plopping down next to Damian.
“How was last night?” Wrenna whispered.
Beth grinned, “It was amazing. But I’ll tell you later… have you seen Cassian? He was gone when we woke up.”
“What do you mean, gone?” Wrenna asked, chuckling.
Beth’s smile faltered. “I mean gone. Like, nowhere to be found.”
Before Wrenna could answer, her phone buzzed violently against the table. Callie.
She frowned, answering quickly. “Hey, C—”
“Wren, we have a problem.”
The tone in Callie’s voice—low, urgent, terrified—cut straight through the noise of the dining hall.
The world seemed to narrow to just that single sentence.
Something was wrong.
- Writer
