20: COMMUNICATION.
1172 Words
LUNA VIOLET JAMES.
I had been trying to concentrate on my parents. Hoping to remember something solid to hold on to. I was struggling to concentrate, though. My mind kept wandering to him. His smile invaded my mind, pushing everything else out. I longed to see it again. I could remember the sound of his voice perfectly, but couldn’t recall a thing about the man I was married to. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? I scolded myself for being so idiotic. he was a f*****g Prince, he would never be interested in me. I shouldn’t even be thinking like this. I needed to keep reminding myself that there was a man out there waiting for me to come home. Even though I didn’t remember him, it didn’t make the vows that we had made any less real.
I sighed and tried to push thoughts of Prince Leo out of my head. I needed to concentrate on what he had told me rather than just the sexiness of his voice. It wasn’t working, though. Try as I might, my mind just wouldn’t cooperate. Perhaps I could try something else. I pressed the call button and waited for the nurse to arrive. She didn’t take long. I explained the reaction I had had to that song. I hadn’t planned on telling anyone, but I needed her help. “I think there may be some link between that song and what happened to me. I was wondering if you could get me a copy of it and sit with me while I listen to it. I want to find out if it triggers anything, but I really don’t want to be alone,” I explained. She kindly agreed, assuring me that she would stay with me.
I watched as she pulled out her phone and brought up Spotify. “Do you remember any of the lyrics?” she asked, trying to figure out what song she was looking for. I told her a few lines that had stuck in my head. She nodded and began tapping away in the search bar. “Are you ready?” she asked, reaching out and clasping my hand supportively. I took a deep breath and nodded, holding onto her like she was my lifeline. The song began to play, and as the melody began to fill the room, I felt my chest tighten. “You are safe,” I heard her say, giving my hand a squeeze.
I relaxed; having her there was comforting. It kept me grounded instead of letting fear take over again. Images from my nightmare raced through my mind. I was now sure that it was more than a dream; it was a memory. I still couldn’t see the face of the person who hurt me, though. Other things became clearer: the pain I had felt, the sensation of the dirt raining down on me, and the sound of the shovel as it buried me. I just couldn’t see who it was. It was so frustrating. I tried to focus on the voice instead, but it sounded distorted. “It’s okay. It will come back to you when it’s supposed to. Don’t try so hard,” the nurse told me gently. I nodded and thanked her. I was so grateful to have her here with me.
ROSE ADAMS.
I arrived at Violet’s office ready for the call. Lucas showed up not long after. He seemed to be in an agitated mood. “Let’s hope that this prick doesn’t mess us around. The sooner we find out what he f*****g wants, the better,” he said, sitting down and rubbing his hand down his face. I nodded and took a seat opposite him. We sat in awkward silence, just waiting for the phone to ring. The air felt thick with tension. Lucas got up and started pacing around the room, stopping every now and then to stare at the phone as though he was willing it to ring. I hoped that his behaviour meant he was as desperate to get Violet back as I was.
I considered trying to calm him, but couldn’t find the words. I opened my mouth to start a few times, but nothing came out. How could I calm him when my insides were in chaos, too? Eventually, I decided that instead of trying to calm him, I could just assure him that he wasn’t alone in feeling like this. “Lucas, I know that things…” I began, but I stopped mid-sentence when the phone rang, interrupting me. Lucas reached out and put the phone on the loudspeaker before saying anything. “Hello, Alpha Lucas James speaking,” he said, keeping his voice steady and his tone professional.
“Is Rose with you?” I heard the same voice ask from the other end of the call. “I’m here!” I spoke up, not waiting for Lucas to give me permission. “Hello, Rose. I hope that today we can clear up a few things and arrange to return your daughter to you,” he said. “I hope so too. How is she?” I asked. Lucas looked a little annoyed, but said nothing. “She is doing okay. From what I have been told, she is healing well,” he answered. I so badly wanted to ask what she needed to heal from, what he had done to her? But I didn’t want to piss him off and risk him hanging up.
Lucas had grown impatient listening to our polite back-and-forth. “Listen, you prick, you have my wife. Who the f**k are you and what do you want?” he demanded, his tone making it clear that he was serious. For a moment, there was nothing but silence coming through the phone. I wondered if he had hung up. “If you are so worried about your wife, then why haven’t you reported her missing?” a second voice asked. I looked at Lucas in surprise. “You haven’t reported Violet’s kidnapping to the palace? I asked. I hoped that he had a good reason for failing to report it, but I honestly couldn’t think of any.
Lucas looked flustered. “I told Conner to take care of it. I will follow up on that and see what happened. Besides, don’t kidnappers usually demand no official involvement? Why would you want me to report it? Just tell me how much it’s going to cost to get her back,” he said. I found it odd that he would entrust something so important to someone else, even his beta. If it were me, I would have done it myself to ensure that I had the help of the palace in bringing the person who hurt my family to justice. I know that the royals were intimidating; there were stories about them that would scare even the toughest werewolf, but he hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was nothing to be afraid of in reporting Violet’s kidnapping.
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