The soft sound of a door clicking open was heard and seconds after, the head of a girl popped out, checking her surroundings.
Slowly, Penelope closed the door behind her softly, her head still swaying from left to right for anyone.
Slowly, she walked towards her left to the path which led to the stairs instead of the elevator.
Even though it was night already, this house was illuminated quite well as bright lights shone her way down the flights of stairs.
Her steps almost inaudible as she made it to the main stair ramp, her eyes looking down and thankfully, there was no one in the large palor, at least that was what she imagined since the lights there were turned off, only a deem lamp shone.
Her eyes moved to where she was, she was certain that she had seen it earlier and a smile covered her lips when she saw it, a land line phone.
She had seen it when Dorian brought her back here.
Quickly, she made her way down and soon she stood in front of the phone.
Hopefully, it was a working one and not just as a decoration.
She prayed before grabbing hold of it and heavenly grace, it was a working phone.
With shaky hands, she dialled out a number, this number she had known for almost two years now as the owner had made her cram it all up.
The line buzzed and she could hear her shallow breaths in the deem light and heavy darkeness.
Pick up!
Pick up!
Please pick up!
{Hello}
A voice rang at the other end.
{Hello?}
It sounded again when Penelope didn't say a word and immediately, she caught her breath and voiced out, trying hard not to tear up.
{Josh..}
Her voice sounded cracked and low as the oggling silence in this hall was much and she didn't want to draw attention.
There was silence at the other end for a while and for a moment, Penelope freaked out thinking the line was cut off.
{Josh}
She called again, this time louder, no one was responding but then.
{Penelope?}
The voice of a man finally spoke.
{Penelope is that you?}
He questioned and Penelope nodded vigorously but when she realized he couldn't see her, she replied.
{Yes}
{Penelope where are you, we have been worried sick, you just disappeared that day and..}
{I've been abducted}
Her voice cracked as she chocked on her tears trying not to cry.
Silence.
{What!?}
He sounded shocked.
{W-where are you now?}
{I don't know}
She answered shaking her head while tears rolled down her eyes.
{In an estate somewhere but I don't know where}
{Are you alright?}
He asked, concern laced in his voice and Penelope nodded but realising her mistake again, she answered him
{Yes,am fine}
Silence.
{Is there anything you can recognize in that estate, a landmark maybe}
He asked, an agitatedly worried tone in his voice and one could tell from the other end that he was stressing out.
{I don't know I....}
CREAK,
Immediately, Penelope slammed the phone back to it's hoster swiftly turning her head around to see what caused that sounds.
Her heart raced when she noticed the silhouette of someone by the further end of the hall in front of her.
The person seemed to be looking at her but she couldn't tell.
She swallowed a lump as she stared at the person who she couldn't recognize due to the deem environment but suddenly, the person walked away without saying a word and even though this confused her, she was thankful for it as quickly, she immediately dialled out same number which picked up at a heartbeat.
{Penelope what happened?}
{Josh am scared}
She admitted, she didn't know why she was here and honestly, she didn't wish to know,she just wanted to get out.
{It's okay, I'll find you,I promise,I already filed a case of you missing to the cops, nothing will happen to you, okay, it's okay}
He tried to sooth her out through the phone but he himself was stressed out.
{How's mum?}
She asked worriedly, sniffing in a cry but when silence followed her question, her eyes bulged wide as more tears flowed.
{Josh, how's mum, what happened?}
She asked hurriedly, she was trembling now, what happened to their mum
{Josh}
She cried but then, he answered.
{Mom's fine}
A breath of relief left Penelope's lips as she bit her lips to stop her from crying more.
{Her surgery was conducted and she's been treated, she's fine}
He answered, but instead of joy, a confused look contoured her face.
{T-the fee?}
She began but he cut her off.
{It was paid}
He replied but this only confused her the more, she was certain her family wouldn't be able to get even half of such an amount in less than a week, so how was it paid.
{How?}
{The hospital just called us, saying we needed to fill up some medical documents for her surgery and when we asked about the fee, they said it was paid off}
{By whom?}
{They didn't say, for some reason, the person who paid asked their identity to be kept secret}
Silence.
Silence.
No one said a word as the quiet boomed through the phone.
Penelope was still trying to wrap her head over the miracle that she just heard, her heavy chest flooded with relief, she could calm down now, her mother was fine, she was really fine, she could finally breath.
××××××××××××××××××
"Luna used the lined phone last night"
Azrael reported to Dorian who was currently in his office, although he didn't want to be here but since he had skipped so much of this meetings during the last few months, he couldn't afford to skip more as it would cause annoying side problems.
"Was it recorded?"
He asked, his eyes looking at his beta with strutiny.
"Yes Alpha,"
Azrael replied pulling out a phone which looked like a bulky calculator rather than a phone.
Giving it to Dorian, he walked out.
××××××××××××××××
The ground beneath this man shook as his eyes darkened with rage.
The smooth surface of the table suffered his rage as his claws scratched brutally against it.
Dorian's aura eruded such a terrifying feel that anyone near would want to scurry and hide or rather, go far from this frightening man.
His eyes glared hard at the comptator which Azrael had given him and he felt like crushing it to the ground.
His mate had had the chance to use a phone and the first person she called, was a man.
Josh.
He felt his anger rise up to it's limit as he didn't bother hearing the rest of the conversation, he wouldn't be able to bear hearing another man comforting his mate in her distress.
[AZRAEL!]
He roared through mind link and immediately, his beta came rushing in, a slight frown on his face as he was yet to recover from the pain of the Alpha’s rage at which he mind linked.
"Trace and find the man who spoke to my Luna,"
He Instructed but then added in a deadly tone.
"And make sure he's left dead"