Bite Me

Chapter 2

Aliyah

“Dad, it’s me,” I whispered as his face contorted in pain. I hated seeing him like this. While his mate mark was blackened, they were still very much linked and right now, while we didn’t know where she was, we knew she was alive.

The night she disappeared, Jake had only left her alone for a moment, and everything had seemed fine. While uncertain, she’d accepted that our pack was her home, and we were her kin.

After the takeover, we trained more warriors in both my style and Ryder’s to ensure more protection around the pack. We believed there wasn’t a spot left uncovered, but we were wrong. Somehow, she managed to escape unnoticed.

Due to the coma, her memories were erased and couldn’t give us any idea of the pack she’d been with, and the vacant building that was the slave warehouse, provided no further clues either. It was as though she just vanished into thin air.

She’d spent half her life looking for me, and now it was my turn to do the same. “We’ll find her, dad,” I comforted him as best I could, “But tonight we rest.”

While I needed to find her, I knew I couldn’t be trusted to go out on my own. Blaze, Ralph and Carter have been amazing in helping me hone my skills. Blaze accepted his position as my Beta, challenging me with surprise attacks to train my focus so I don’t accidentally light the packhouse on fire again and Carter took his place leading the New York coven. We resigned the treaty the same day I was inducted as Luna of the Blood Moon Pack, and through our friendship, collaborated on many interspecies training days and events.

A knock at the door sounded before it was quietly opened, and Ryder’s poked his head around the corner. The mop of hair on his head flopping to the side, making me want to run my fingers through it.

“Hey baby, how’s he doing?” Ryder asked and I waved him further into the room. Closing the door quietly behind him, he walked over placing his hands softly on my shoulders.

“He’s so miserable, Ry,” I whispered downcast. I don’t know why I bothered whispering, its not like his wolf hearing isn’t going to hear it anyway.

“We have to find her,” he kissed the top of my head, giving my shoulders a light squeeze to massage the stress away, “I know it feels like we’ve searched everywhere, but it’s been over ten years. Surely someone, somewhere has seen something?”

His optimism was both a blessing and a curse.

Standing to stretch, Ryder pulled me in towards him, embracing me. It was in that moment I felt I could finally breathe again.

“How about you step out and get yourself a coffee,” Ryder murmured in my ear, “I’ll watch over Jake while you’re gone.”

Nodding, I rubbed my tired eyes, “Thanks. A coffee’s just what the doctor order I think.” Reaching up on my tippy-toes, I placed a soft lingering kiss on his cheek, before heading for the door.

*

I was just pouring my coffee when our daughter walked past with music blaring from her headphones. Her body different shades of purple and blue as her body was still healing from sparring. While I hated seeing her injured, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud knowing the other guy looked just as bad.

Jake likes to wish me luck, taunting me that she’s got the attitude and spunk of my mother, which makes me both smile at the thought, until the pain of no knowing consumes me again.

Knowing she wouldn’t hear me over the music, I mind-link her to get her attention, “How does the other guy look?”

Stopping in her tracks, she looked around, smiling as she spotted me, pulling the headphones down to sit around her neck.

“I broke his tibia and fibula,” she smirked as she pushed herself up to sit on the kitchen benchtop, “Again.”

Scruffing the top of her head, I smile as I shake my head slowly, “What am I going to do with you?”

“Let me patrol the mate run this year?” she asked with a mischievous smile and I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Harmony, you know you can’t go anywhere near the mate run,” I pulled her into a side hug, “It’s an absolute frenzy that should have been banned years ago after that young girl got hurt.”

“Violated, mum,” Harmony pointed out and I was relieved that was all she’d heard. If only she truly knew the horrendous things that could happen.

“How about we talk to your father about you patrolling the ball instead?” I offered as a peace meal as I stood with one hand on my hip, the other hand, held out for her to shake.

“Deal,” she grabbed my hand firmly, the smile on her face showing how much our trust means to her and it was enough to bolster my heart and plan the next route to find my own mother and bring peace to my father.