Chapter 5 : unwanted reunion

Melissa’s POV

Everything went black after I received that devastating call from the detective.

I had crumpled to the floor, beca my mind couldn’t bare it to process the reality that my children had been kidnapped from me.

It was my secretary, who found me in that state and quickly revived me. She had stayed with me until I could stand on my own two feet again, but my legs felt like they were made of jelly, and my heart was pounding ferociously in my chest.

When I finally pulled myself together, I rushed to the car, with every instinct in me screaming for me to get to my babies back from the monster that took them.

Through out the drive to the station, I was a mess of tears and whispered prayers to the goddess, begging for my children’s safety.

My vision kept blurring, and I struggled to keep the car steady as my hands began shaking on the wheel.

“Please dear goddess.” I cried. “Please help me save my boys. Don’t let him take them away from me. Please.” I cried.

My sons were my only purpose for living. If Alpha Knox tried to take them away, I would simply die.

As soon as I reached the police station, I bolted from the car, barely bothering to lock it, and sprinted inside.

The first person I saw when I entered was Sam, my fiancé, who was waiting anxiously near the entrance.

Tears filled my eyes as I rushed towards him, his familiar presence was a small comfort because at least I was not alone in this nightmare.

“Melissa!” Sam called, opening his arms wide. As soon as I reached him, I collapsed against him and broke down crying.

“Sam, he took them! Knox took my babies!” I sobbed against his chest, clinging to him like my only lifeline.

Sam looked as pained as I was as held me close, stroking my hair gently. “We’ll get them back, Melissa. I swear. We’ll get your boys back,” he vowed.

I could hear the bitterness in his voice. He loved my sons as his own so this was devastating to him too.

His words offered me a little comfort, but the moment I pictured Knox’s face, taking my boys away, the panic rushed back with renewed intensity, and I started crying again.

“Hasn’t Knox done enough already?” I cried bitterly. “He broke my heart, humiliated me, banished me from the pack, and now, after six years, when I’ve finally moved on, when I’ve become a doctor, revived my wolf, and am about to get married… He’s back to destroy me.”

Sam said nothing, only pulled me closer as he tried to absorb as much of my pain as possible.

“He’s a monster,” I spat, with bitterness and regret. “I wish I’d never met him.”

Before Sam could respond, a detective interrupted us. He looked sad for us.

“Ms. Melissa, Mr. Sam,” he introduced himself, extending a hand. “I’m Detective Reynolds, and I’m in charge of your case.”

“Please,” I begged in a shaky voice. “You have to find my boys.”

Detective Reynolds nodded sadly. “We’re doing everything we can. I promise you, we’ll find them. This afternoon, your boys were taken from their playground. A teacher witnessed a black van speeding away. We searched the area and only found their backpacks, with a note taped to one.”

He handed me the note, and my heart sank as I recognized it as a replica of the email I’d received from Alpha Knox.

The message was chillingly clear: return to the pack to treat his son, or I’d never see my children again. My hands shook, and I screamed in frustration.

“How could he do this?” I sobbed harder.

Sam was just as furious as me as he read the note over my shoulder. “This is outrageous!” he exclaimed, and looked back at the cop. “You know who the kidnapper is, and you know where he is. Why aren’t you doing anything? You have to get our boys back.”

Detective Reynolds sighed. “I understand your frustration, Mr Sam, but the Crimson Pack is beyond our jurisdiction. Entering their territory without an invitation is considered an act of war. And with Alpha Knox having a treaty with our president, our hands are tied legally. The only way to ensure the twins’ safety is for Ms. Melissa to return to the pack.”

The detective’s words felt like a punch to the gut, each sentence was like the hang man’s rope tightening harder around my neck.

I felt like I was in a waking nightmare, where my worst fears where coming true.

After my humiliation, heartbreak and banishment, I had never planned to return to the Crimson Pack ever again. I never wanted to see the asshole Knox or my cruel sister again.

K actually thought I had buried that part of my life forever, but now it had come back to haunt me.

The pain felt like it was drowning me oI realized then that I would do anything to protect my sons. I had no idea if Knox knew they were his children yet, but if there was a chance he didn’t, then I had to stop him before he discovered the truth.

“I’ll do it,” I said quietly but firmly. “I’ll go back and get my boys.”

Sam looked at me like I had lost my mind. “What? No!” Sam shouted, so loudly that it startled me.

His eyes were shining bright with anger and something else—fear. “You can’t go back there, Melissa. It’s too dangerous.”

His reaction surprised me, and I blinked at him, taken aback. “Sam, I have to. I have to save my sons.”

Sam shook his head. “I know, but what about us? What about our wedding? Are you just going to just leave me here while you go back to your ex?” Sam’s voice was filled with hurt and disbelief.

I was so shocked by his words, that I struggled to find the right response.

“Sam, this is about my children. My sons are in danger and I have to do whatever it takes to bring them back safely. That’s final.”

Sam shook his head and it was clear that he was disappointed in me. “Melissa, you’re walking into a trap. Knox won’t let you leave once you’re there. You’ll be at his mercy, and he’ll use whatever he can against you. Think about what you’re doing!”

“I have thought about it,” I snapped back firmly, though my heart ached at the thought of leaving Sam behind.

“I’ve considered everything, and I have to do this. My boys come first. I’m sorry, Sam, but I can’t risk their lives.”

Tears brimmed in Sam’s eyes, and his grip on my arms tightened. “Melissa, please. Don’t do this, don’t go back to him, don’t leave me. There has to be another way.”

“I wish there was,” I whispered, feeling equally pained. “But this is the only way I know to keep them safe. I have to face Knox, and I have to bring my boys home.”

I could see the raw anguish in Sam’s eyes as he looked at me.

“I’ll come back to you, Sam,” I promised, hoarsely. “I’ll find a way to come back, I swear.”

The next morning, I found myself on the first flight back to the Crimson Pack.

Sam had tried to persuade me to stay, pleading with me until the very last minute, but my decision was not going to change. I had to get my sons back, no matter the cost.

As the plane touched down, I felt an overwhelming sense of unease. The journey had been far too short, and as much as I tried to prepare myself, nothing could have readied me for what lay ahead.

I disembarked, and made my way through the small airport.

Waiting outside was a sleek black car with tinted windows. It stood out against the backdrop of the rural setting, it was evidence of Knox's power and wealth.

He already knew I was coming so he sent a car to fetch me and take me to the pack house.

As the car sped through familiar territory, painful memories I had tried to bury clawed their way to the surface, each bitter a reminder of a past I wanted to forget.

Before long, we arrived at the gigantic gates of the pack house. The car came to a stop, and I slowly stepped out my heart racing at the thought of seeing the first man I had ever loved again.

As I looked around, I was suddenly hit by a scent so delicious, it nearly stopped me in my tracks. It was intoxicating—warm, spicy, and utterly irresistible. Confused, I glanced around, trying to find the source of the aroma.

Then my eyes suddenly fell on a tall, broad-shouldered figure standing at the entrance of the front door m. It was him—Alpha Knox.

His presence was as commanding as ever, and my breath caught in my throat. Then I suddenly realized something very shocking.

The tantalizing scent was coming from him. It was coming from Knox.

Out of nowhere, my inner wolf Lyra, suddenly rose to the surface and, whined softly, “Mate.” She said and I froze.

Dear goddess no! Please no. Alpha Knox can not be my fated mate!