6.

And she knew just the person.

Natalia stomped out of the school and flagged down a cab, heading straight to the outskirts of the town to a small farm. It was run by a man named Jake, who used it as his base to carry out his secret agency, running a small but efficient spy network.

Jake was a human, but he knew about the existence of werewolves and other supernatural beings. He had contacts and clients from all walks of life. He was famous for being discreet, professional, and expensive.

But Natalia didn't care about the cost. She was willing to pay anything to save her kids.

"Lemonade Juice." She said after knocking at the door. That was the secret code. An old woman opened the door and nodded her head with a knowing smile as led Natalia to an underground tunnel where she met Jake at his office.

"What brings you here?" Jake, a masked man sitting in the shadows grunted, scratching his scruff.

Natalia show him a picture of Vitale and explained her situation, all the while, Jake listened carefully, nodding his head at the end.

"I can help you," he said. "But it won't be easy. The Sanguinari pack is very secure and secretive. They don't trust outsiders. They don't let anyone in without a thorough background check and a scent test. They have cameras, alarms, sensors, patrols, everything."

Natalia knew all that, but still felt a pang of fear in her heart.

"How will you get in then?"

Jake smiled and tapped his nose.

"I have a way. I have a spy who can change his scent at will. He can mimic any werewolf's smell and fool their noses. He can also hack into their systems and disable their security devices. He can get in and out without being noticed."

Natalia felt a glimmer of hope.

"Who is he?"

"That's classified. You don't need to know his name or his face. You just need to know he's the best at what he does." Jake shook his head.

"Okay. How long will it take?"

"That depends on how cooperative Vitale is. If he has your kids and the security is lax, it could be a matter of hours. If he doesn't have them or hide them somewhere, it could take days or weeks."

"He has to know. He picked them up himself. They are with him." Natalia said, clenching her jaw.

"Are you sure about that? Do you think he would let them roam free even if he took them? Do you think he would love them as his?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

"No, he wouldn't. He doesn't even know they are his. He's a heartless bastard who rejected me and them. He has no right to take them away from me after rejecting me!"

"I understand your feelings, but don't let them cloud your judgment. Revenge is a dangerous game, especially when you're playing against someone like Viper."

"I don't care about the risks. I just want my kids back."

"Alright then. I'll send my spy to the pack tonight. He'll contact me when he has something useful. I'll let you know as soon as I hear from him." Jake sighed.

"Thank you." She nodded, handing him a wad of cash.

"This is not much. You'll get the rest when I get my kids back."

"Deal." Jake said, taking the wad and counted the money.

He tucked the money and put it away.

"Good luck." Natalia said as he escorted her out of his office and locked the door behind her.

Natalia left the building and got into her car. All the way back to her apartment, she felt anxious and restless. She could only hope Jake's spy would find something soon. She hoped her kids were safe and sound.

She hoped Vitale wouldn't torture them to get back at her. He was the one that rejected her, banished her, and told her he never wanted to see her again. What sort of mind game is he playing here?

...

Inside her two bedroom apartment, Natalia paced around the living room as she kept glancing at the clock.

"They are fine." She told herself, trying to ease the nerves twisting around in her stomach.

It has been two days since her kids have been kidnapped.

She had waited for two days, but there was no call from Jake. She tried calling him several times, but there was no answer. She feared the worst.

Today is the third day, she couldn't wait any longer. The sun had set and the sky had gotten darker. If she didn't hear from Jake throughout the night, Natalia had every intention of going back to Sanguinari herself.

Just as she was about to start packing her bags, there was a knock on the door.

"Coming!" Natalia flew to the door and opened it. A man wearing a hooded cloak that covered most of his face stood outside her door; she recognized him immediately as one of Jake's messengers.

“Are you Natalia?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“I have a message for you from Jake,” he said and handed her an envelope.

Natalia took it and opened it eagerly. Inside was a piece of paper with a few words written on it.

The words written in red made her heart sink.

"Vitale doesn’t have your children."

"He doesn’t even know you have children."

"Someone else took them."

"Someone who wants revenge on their father."

Natalia looked up at the messenger with disbelief.

“What does this mean?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging. “That’s all the spy wrote.”

“Where is he? Where is the spy?”

“He’s dead,” the messenger said bluntly.

“Dead?” she repeated in shock.

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “He was caught by Vitale’s guards while trying to sneak into his pack house. They tortured him for information, but he didn’t tell them anything. He wrote this note before he died and gave it to me. He told me to deliver it to you.”

Natalia felt a surge of grief and anger. The spy had sacrificed his life for her, and for nothing. He had died in vain.

She clenched her fists and felt a tear roll down her cheek.

“Thank you for bringing me this message,” she said to the messenger.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

He turned around and left.

She closed the door and slumped against it. She felt numb and confused.

"Who had taken my children?"

"Who wanted revenge on Vitale?"

"Why?"

She thought about it but Vitale had many enemies that would want revenge against him. The bastard was surrounded by them, yet he decided to reject her, the only person that cared about him apart from his brother.

Natalia didn't even know where to start looking. She was too weak to take on V's enemies alone.

She only had one option: to seek Vitale's help. She'd get her kid's, she'd get her kids and they'll be safe. That would most likely cost her life, but Natalia is ready to die for her kids.