The Lost Luna’s second chance

12: THE PHONE CALL.

EX-LUNA ROSE ADAMS.

I sighed in frustration. "Lacey, you need to get off the line. I'm sorry, my dear, but it's important. I will explain soon," I said, hanging up before she could say anything else. Conner stopped the recording and chuckled tensely. “Well, that was intense,” he said lightly. I wasn’t done asking him and Amy about their conversation, but I realized that she had slipped out while I was distracted by the phone. I turned my attention fully to Conner. I guess he will have to do. He finished typing something on his phone and put it down on the desk. “I was just letting Lucas know it was a false alarm,” he told me. I nodded, “Good, then we won’t be disturbed,” I said. He swallowed nervously.

“Is there something more to what your sister was saying just now?” I asked him point-blank. He turned and looked out of the window, clearly not wanting to make eye contact. “I’m not really sure what you mean. I understand that it probably sounded odd, her asking about a body, but she explained that,” he said. Something still seemed off to me. I just couldn’t quite shake the feeling that Amy was up to something. Maybe it was because of the way that I’d found her in here earlier. I probably wasn’t going to get him to spill his sister’s secrets, though, at least not yet. There was something else that I needed to ask him about, anyway. “Conner, I need you to tell me what you know about the grave that they found.” I said. Charles hadn’t mentioned any grave when I’d spoken to him. I wanted to know why.

Conner told me what Lucas had told him. Described an open grave with blood soaked into the dirt, but no sign of Violet. I wanted to curse at my husband for keeping that from me, but I knew that he wouldn’t have if he didn’t think that he was protecting me somehow. I couldn’t scold him for that, though I was still mad about it. I thanked Conner for telling me, and we then sat in silence, waiting for a call. My heart avhed as thoughts of my daughter, scared and in pain, filled my mind. Someone must have planned to kill her, or tried to. Why else would there be a grave? That wouldn’t explain the kidnapping, though. It just didn’t make sense. I was trying to put the pieces together when the phone rang again.

This time it was him. That same deep, gruff voice from earlier. “Is this Rose?” he asked. I confirmed that it was and asked about Violet. “Is my daughter alive?” My voice was shaking slightly, but I held it together. “Yes. It was touch and go for a while, but she’s okay at the moment,” he replied calmly. I felt relief wash over me, but it was soon replaced by fear. What did he mean at the moment? Was that a threat? Also, the phrase touch and go surely meant that he had hurt her already, bad enough to be in a position where she could have died! My heart was pounding in my chest. “Who are you, and what do you want?” I asked. He was silent for a moment. I wondered if we had been cut off. “Hello!!” I said. “Hello, I’m still here. It doesn’t matter who I am right now. As for what I want, well, I would like to get your daughter home to you safe and sound,” he replied. I was feeling confused. “That’s all I want too, how much is her return going to cost this pack? Whatever it is, we will pay it,” I told him. “That will be the decision of Alpha James. Mrs Adams has no authority to agree to a ransom with you. Let us know your demands, and I will relay them to my Alpha. We just need a way to get in touch with you to let you know what he decides,” Conner interjected.

I was furious. How could he think for even a moment that we would not pay whatever this man wanted? Surely Lucas would agree, Violet is his wife. The man sounded annoyed and surprised by Conner’s outburst. “Who the f**k are you?” he demanded angrily. “I am beta Conner Olsen,” Conner replied with an attitude. “I have no interest in speaking with you. I will call again tomorrow, and this time I will speak with Rose and your Alpha, or it will be the very last time that I call. Do you understand me?” The man told him. There was something authoritative about his voice. I believed him completely. “Yes, but…” Conner began, but the man had hung up as soon as he’d said yes. “If he takes your arrogance out on my daughter, then you will regret it,” I told him, getting up and heading for the door. I opened it and waited, making it clear that I expected him to leave. “He won’t be calling back now until tomorrow,” I said. He grabbed the recorder to take to Lucas and left. I locked up again before leaving myself.

LYCAN KING THOMAS GOULD.

I was confused when Rose asked about a ransom. I was going to explain that she had misunderstood the situation. Looking back on our last conversation, I could see how she had reached that conclusion. But then that jumped-up little s**t got involved and honestly just pissed me off. I felt bad that I allowed Rose to continue believing that, though. I considered trying to reach out to her privately to explain the situation. I had taken that photograph of the numbers Leo had written down, one of which was mum. However, I couldn’t be sure that only she would be listening. I hadn’t given my name, just in case Leo was right and someone there was a danger to the young woman. I didn’t want her here messing with my son’s mind, and honestly, I didn’t truly care about what happened to her. It was Rose who stopped me from sending her home right away. The pain in her voice for her daughter had hit me in a way that I hadn’t expected. Besides, the Moonlit Sky pack came under my kingdom. It was my duty to make sure that I wasn’t sending her into harm's way.

I would wait until tomorrow and speak with the pack's alpha. I was sure that he would reassure me of her safety, and then I could send her back to her mother. Leo couldn’t be mad at that either. I felt pretty pleased with myself for figuring out what to do about this woman and where she had come from. I only wish that I had thought to ask Rose what the woman’s name is. Not that I was particularly invested in knowing more about her now, just that it would have been simpler than constantly having to refer to her as the woman.