Mates: Revenge

Chapter 17

~Kehlani~

Nothing. Still no information and no leads. Jayden is sitting with his parents in their room. They are trying to keep him as calm as possible, but I don’t know if that will work. They have been trying to get him to eat and sleep since they arrived but aren't having much luck.

The pack has been very supportive, but I can tell they are worried. They haven’t seen Jayden since Brooklyn went missing. They are missing Melanie deeply, and I’m out and about sparingly. I know I can’t abandon my pack for my own grief, and I’m not trying to do that. I just don’t know how to pack all of this down and continue my duties as if everything is normal. I know that, as an Alpha, the pack needs to come first. Sometimes, one has to put their own feelings first to get through them to be able to take care of others.

Issac and his family should be in sometime tomorrow. I would say that Jayden will be happy to see them, but I’m not even sure he will know that they are in. I hear a phone ring and look down at mine. My phone is dark, but I can still hear a ringing. I look around my desk, and I see Jayden’s phone on my desk. I pick it up, but the number is labeled as ‘Unknown.’ Something tells me to answer it anyway. “Hello, Jayden’s phone. Can I ask who is calling?” Silence on the other line. I look at the screen to make sure it didn’t hang up. I put the phone back on my ear but still hear nothing. “Uh, hello? Is anyone there?” Still no response, but now I can hear breathing on the other line. Clearly, someone is there, but for some reason, they aren’t talking. The door to my office opens, and Jax walks in. He has a tablet with him. He had talked about tracing calls if needed and said he had a program on the tablet to show me that could accomplish the task. I motion Jax over and put the phone on speaker so he could hear. “If you don’t speak up, I will hang up on you.” Jax looks at me, then back at the phone.

“Whhhhhh……..whhhhere’s ddddd……dddaddy?” The little voice is barely a whisper, but I’d know it anywhere. I gasp and look at Jax, feeling tears fill my eyes.

“Brooklyn, baby? Is that you?” I hear a swallow and more breathing. “Brooklyn, honey, do you know where you are?” There is no answer, but I can hear a soft sobbing. I motion to Jax, and he nods, already tapping away on the screen. “Brooklyn, wherever you are, just stay there. I will be there to get you as soon as you can.” No response. “Do you hear me baby? I will be there really soon.” I look at Jax, and he looks at me with a smile. We found her. I mindlink some warriors to meet me in front of the packhouse and a pack doctor.

“Should we get Jayden?” Should we get Jayden? Should I tell him that Brooklyn called? What if we get there and she is gone? Losing that hope would kill him, and I don’t want to risk it.

“Let’s just go get her and bring her back. I don’t want to push Jayden over the edge since he is barely hanging on.” Jax nods at me. We leave my office to head out to meet the warriors. I can feel hope and excitement. I’m trying not to put too much into it in case we get there, and things fall apart. We get into three waiting SUVs and head off. The location is 3 hours away, which is a bit of a drive, but if she is there, it will be very much worth it.

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The butterflies have been going more and more crazy the longer we are on the road. We pull up to a dilapidated house that has to be abandoned. My warriors get out and scout the area around the building. When the warriors deem it to be clear, Jax and I get out of the car. The doctor gets out behind us, and we head into the home. We have two warriors walking ahead of us, sweeping the rooms to make sure there are no surprises. As disgusting as the smell is in here, I can pick out Melanie’s and Brooklyn’s scents. I walk through the living room and into the kitchen. This place is gross, and I can’t wait to get my baby out of here. I continue through the kitchen until I see a door open off to the side. The light is on, and we can see the stairs heading down. I take a sniff and can smell Brooklyn and Melanie. There is another scent down there that I don’t recognize. Jax heads down the stairs first, and I follow closely behind. When I get halfway down the flight of stairs, I look to my right, and I gasp at the sight. I can see Melanie tied up and not conscious. Brooklyn is curled up to her and looks to be dozing. There is a body of a male lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Jax sweeps the room while I walk over to the girls. I kneel down and check Melanie for life. I let out a breath when I feel her warmth and can see her chest rise and fall. I reach for Brooklyn, and she squirms a bit. I move over to her and push her hair back from her face. She looks so angelic right now.

The doctor comes up to me and kneels down to look at Melanie. I gently pick up Brooklyn to move her off of Melanie. I was about to stand up and walk her out until I hear Jax gasp. “Alpha, you need to see this.” I put Brooklyn down and walk over to Jax, who is leaning over the dead body. I take a look down, and my heart drops. Malachi is lying on the ground, eyes wide open, dead. I can’t believe he was the one who took these two. Where did he come from? How did he get them without being found out? There are so many questions, and the only person who can answer them is out cold. Jax orders the warriors to pick up his body. I return to Brooklyn to pick her up and turn towards the stairs. Jax is behind me, picking up Melanie. We head out to the SUVs and set off back home.

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The doctor has checked out Brooklyn, and she is surprisingly well off. She is only slightly dehydrated. He figures that Melanie made sure to care for her more than herself, and that makes sense. Melanie is still out and has to stay in the hospital for now. I convince the doctor to allow Brooklyn to heal at home with a promise that she will be monitored all day and on bed rest. He wants to make sure that she has no lasting injuries, though I’m sure that those may not end up being physical.

Brooklyn is still asleep as I carry her up the stairs to our floor. I was told that Jayden finally closed his eyes and is asleep in our room. I decide to carry Brooklyn there and skip her own bed. The door is slightly open, and I can see Jayden in the bed. He is breathing heavily, but he is also whimpering here and there. I make my way to the bed and gently place Brooklyn in the center. Jayden doesn’t stir, so I stroke his face. He groans a bit and turns his head. I stroke his face again. “What?”

“Jayden, there is someone you should see.”

“Not now. I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Trust me Jayden.” He grumbles and turns towards me. Jayden slowly opens his eyes, looking at me. He looks down, and his eyes shoot open while he shoots up into a sitting position. Tears start to roll down Jayden’s cheeks. He says nothing but lays back down and cuddles up to Brooklyn. He kisses her cheek and cuddles her close. I can feel the tears threaten to spill out of my eyes. I turn to get out of bed when I feel sparks on my arm. I turn back to Jayden, and his eyes are beaconing me to him. I lay down on the other side of Brooklyn and wrap my arm around Jayden. Our baby is finally home.