A Princess Lost

Chapter Nine

Back at the pack house, Aaron held up the bruised and battered head of the bouncer, who hung by his arms from chains attached to the ceiling, the small cell covered in blood spatter as he swung half unconscious, his legs having long given out underneath him.

'I will ask you once more, who was it that took my daughter' He growled angrily as he raised his fist again, pulling it back away from the bouncers face.

'Please' begged the man weakly, 'please no more, i'll tell you everything I know'

Dropping his head in disgust, Aaron took a seat in a wooden chair across from the beaten man, glaring at him as he coughed painfully and spat out a mouthful of blood before raising his bloodshot eyes to the furious Alpha, trying to focus on him through the rapid swelling around his eye socket.

'The man's name was Rowan, he's known as a collector' the bouncer muttered, 'if you need something collecting, he's your man.'

'What do you mean by collecting?' snarled Aaron

'You need guns? Rowan will find someone who has guns and collect them for you using a five finger discount, you need drugs, he'll collect those too, you need a blonde haired girl who's going on a night out? he's the guy who you contact to go and pick her up' the bouncer explained wearily.

'Rowan had orders to collect your daughter, I don't know if he knew who she was, I truly didn't, i thought she was just some pimps girl who had tried to run from her duties' he sneered.

Aaron growled angrily, leaping from his chair, punching the man squarely in the stomach as he yelled from the pain, hunching his legs up to his chest automatically before dropping them again and coughing blood over the floor.

'My daughter is no w***e' Aaron growled into his face, 'and you will never speak like that about her again unless you wish to leave here in a plastic bag'

Nodding his head slightly, the bouncer took a deep breath, wincing as his lungs pressed against his heavily bruised ribs.  'If I had known who she was I would never have helped him' he gasped, 'He told me he had a collection for an important client and he needed an out, gave me one hundred bucks to open the side door for him.  When he came up to me with the girl in his arms, she looked like she had passed out, he piled her into the boot of a silver car, jumped in to the drivers seat and drove off, that's all I know, I swear' he begged.

Gazing at the broken man intently, Aaron stepped close to him, 'You have twenty four hours to leave my territory, if I see you on my land again, I will kill you, do you understand?' he glowered as the bouncer tried to shrink back from the Alpha's intense gaze.  Turning to Merrick who was stood silently in the corner, Aaron indicated toward the man and growled 'Dispose of the trash, make sure he doesn't try to stay in my territory and then come back here.'

Nodding his understanding, Merrick stepped round the Alpha, and untied their captive from his restraints as Aaron marched up the steps to the foyer and then made his way up the stairs to his office where Charity was waiting for him.  He would never allow his wife to witness an interrogation, not wanting her horror at what he would do for information on their daughter to taint the way she looked at him.

Walking into the office, the worried expression of his wife was the first thing that came into view, jumping up from the chair, she ran over to her husband, looking at his hands that were covered in blood, grasping them in her own to check for cuts or damage.

Smiling down at her Aaron muttered, 'Don't worry my love, it's not my blood'

Breathing deeply, Charity raised her eyes to his, 'Did you find out what happened?' she asked tentatively.

Nodding seriously, Aaron relayed what the bouncer had told them, finishing with 'so we are looking for a man named Rowan, that's who took our princess, and I can promise you that when I find him, he will regret ever laying a hand on her' he growled angrily.

                                                                        ***************************

Marching up and down his fathers office, Riley kicked angrily at the furniture, growling angrily as his parents spoke quietly between themselves.

'Riley, you need to calm down' Chloe called out soothingly.

'How can I mom! Isabella is missing, she was taken two weeks ago and other than the name of her kidnapper they have nothing! no sight or sound of her' He shouted back swinging his fist into the wall and feeling it crumble under the impact.

'Riley, as much as I understand your anger, trust me, your mother and I are just as furious, please could you try not to destroy my office as we wait for news' James cut in, eyeing his son who's shoulders dropped before he threw himself into one of the arm chairs that was situated by the fireplace.

Looking over at his parents, Riley's broken face pulled at his mothers heart, 'Dad, I should be out there! looking for her' he stated beseechingly, 'We have been best friends since before I can even remember, I always swore I would be there for her and now she needs me, i'm sat here behind our walls like some sort of coward!'

Chloe caught her husband's eye, shaking her head as she glared at him.  Sighing, James looked back at his son, 'Riley, we also have to think about your protection, we have no idea why Isabella was taken, we have to assume it was known she was the next Alpha for Silver Cross, if this maniac is going after future Alpha's then you are in just as much danger' he replied candidly.

Standing up and walking over to his desk, Riley placed his palms on the polished mahogany surface, meeting the eyes of both his parents in turn, 'Dad, do you trust me to take over this pack if anything happened to you?' he asked.

'Of course son, you are a skilled warrior, and have trained for a long time to get yourself ready' James replied with a small smile.

'So you trust me to lead our warriors into battle, protect our members from Rogues, deal with our surrounding packs, but you don't think i'm worthy to take a small group and look for the future Alpha of our closest alliance's pack?' he asked sternly.

Chuckling slightly, James looked up at his wife who had a shocked look on her face, 'He has a point my love, how can we trust him to take over this pack, something he has proved he can do many times in our absence, but not allow him to go and help search for Isabella?' he mused as Chloe's face darkened.

'This is different! He's . . . he's . . he's still my baby!' she ended finally.

Skirting round the table, Riley pulled his mother into a tight hug as she clung to his shirt, 'I'll always be your baby mom, but i'm also a grown ass man and I was taught by one of the fiercest warriors in our pack' he muttered proudly.  'If I can't take a group and look for the most important person in my life, and keep them and myself safe, well I don't deserve to take over this pack' he said sadly.

'But what of your birthday? it's in six weeks! what about the possibility of finding your mate?' Chloe cried desperately, clasping at any straw she could find.

Riley shook his head, 'Mom, how can I have a party when my very best friend and your niece is missing? and anyone who is destined to be my mate, well they'll still be my mate when I return, plus if they can't understand how important this is, well they don't deserve to be the next Luna' he said emphatically.

'I know' Chloe replied sadly, 'I'm just worried, I know you are capable and I know you have to go, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it' she grumbled.

Laughing softly, Riley held his mother close, 'I'll be fine Mom, i'll take Daniel with me and maybe a couple of others too.  If I don't go and try to help i'm going to go stir crazy'

Chloe looked up at her son with a small smile, 'Did I ever tell you how proud I am of you?' she asked.

'Every single day since I was born mom' Riley chuckled planting a kiss on his mothers cheek, before releasing her and heading to the door.

'Son' James called out, causing the teenager to stop and turn back to the desk, 'Be careful, don't take any unnecessary risks and don't come back without our niece' he said with a smirk.

'I have no intention of stopping until Bella is stood next to me' Riley replied before opening the door and stepping through, pulling it closed behind him.