“Tianna refuses to release your daughter. At first, she lied about Emily being in her keep but my men remained persistent by checking her house through the window when she was away. I ordered them not to take the girl by force until we spoke to you.”
“Did she give a reason as to why she refused to hand Emily over?”
Alpha Walden shook his head, “my men didn’t think to ask. They seemed more annoyed by Tianna’s stubbornness than the reason she refused. I only told them that I’ll talk to you about it before I order them on what to do next.”
Of course, Maggie already knew the reason. For fear of the queen possibly targeting her child, Maggie had begged Tianna not to let anyone know of accommodating Emily until she returned. She had also told her not to release her daughter to anyone but her. It was good of Walden to ask her first before ordering them to take Emily by force. She wouldn’t want to do something like that to Tianna who was only helping her.
“I was the one who told Tianna not to hand Emily over to anyone but me. I’m sorry that I forgot to mention that earlier.”
Walden sighed, thankful that he didn’t choose to handle things violently in this situation. It would have been bad enough to hurt someone who was only helping her neighbor out. At least he’s learnt from past mistakes not to jump to conclusions so quickly.
“No problem about that. So, how do we handle this now? I have to place a call to them so that you can speak with Tianna over the phone. Let’s just hope that she believes it’s you.”
“She will, and please tell your men to be nice to her. Let them explain things to her in a calm manner. Let her know that I was the one who sent them and that Emily will be given to me. Tianna is not an enemy, and I’ll be forever grateful to her for what she did for me after this.”
Walden nodded his head, “of course. I admire her bravery for not backing down to release the girl even after she could have been intimidated by the presence of so many soldiers. It speaks so much of her character.”
“Yes, it does.”
After speaking to her, Walden placed the phone call. One of the soldiers whom he had spoken to earlier, Jan, picked it up.
“Hello, alpha Walden.”
“Hello, officer Jan. Is there any new update?”
“No, sire. We’re still in the same position, standing outside her place for over an hour, but still, she refuses to bring the girl out.”
“I have just spoken to the mother, and she told me that she was the one who begged Tianna not release Emily to anyone but her, so you see, that’s the problem right there.”
Jan’s voice then sounded like he’d just realized something, “It’s no wonder, sire, but now what do we do if we can’t get the girl without the mother?”
“I want her to hand Emily over peacefully. It’s what would be best for everyone, especially the child. So now, I want you to give the phone to Tianna. She might refuse to give the girl but at least she wouldn’t refuse a call from someone who wants to speak to her. Speak to her gently and tell her that it’s from Maggie, Emily’s mother.”
“Ok sire. I will do just that.”
Soon after, the phones were exchanged and now Maggie was over the line with Tianna. Thankfully, her neighbor recognized her voice.
“Oh, Maggie! I thought you wouldn’t come back. Where have you been since?”
“It’s a long story, Tianna, and I’m not sure it’s one I can begin to explain, but I first want to thank you for being patient and holding onto my baby for me.”
“Of course, even with the little time I’ve stayed in this place, I’ve seen how much you care for your daughter. I knew you would never abandon her so I feared that something bad must have happened to you when you didn’t return.”
“Like I said, it’s a long story, but I’m okay now. I also want to let you know that I will no longer be returning to the Turnal terrain.”
Even from over the phone, Maggie could still make out Tianna’s disappointment through her voice.
“Is that why you sent these men to take your daughter? What’s wrong, Maggie? You know you can tell me anything. Remember that I’m your friend.”
“I wish I could say everything, but there’s not much I can say over the phone. I too will always be your friend, Tianna and I hope that there will come a time I’ll be able to visit the terrain and see you again. I’m sorry that things happened this way.”
“It’s okay if you can’t talk. I’m just glad that you’re okay. Your daughter is fine too and she misses you a lot. I took great care of her while waiting for you to return.”
“Thank you for everything, Tianna. I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop thanking you. Can you give the phone to my baby for a moment? I want to hear her voice. I too miss her terribly.”
“Sure. Of course. She’ll be so excited. Emily, dear!” She called out. “Mommy is over the phone. She wants to speak with you.”
“Mommy? Mommy!!!”
Maggie could hear little Emily’s excited voice giggling in the background. It brought tears to her eyes.
“Hello, my darling. How have you been?”
“Where did you go, mommy? Tianna says you’ll be back but you haven’t come. Where did you go, mommy?”
“Oh sweetheart, of course you know that mommy loves you very much. You know that she would never leave you right? Mommy was just busy because we’ll be moving to a new home.”
“A new home? Really? Does this mean I won’t see Tianna again?”
“No. You will still see her. You can even come to visit her later, but in this new home of yours, you’ll get to meet lots of friends!!”
She could hear the sound of Emily’s little feet tapping the ground, “yay! Mommy! I can’t wait to meet my new friends. I miss you, mommy!”
“I miss you too darling. Now, be a good girl for mommy and let the nice men bring you to me. Tell Tianna goodbye before you do. Give her a nice warm hug and tell her you’ll visit soon.”
“I love you, mommy.”
“I love you too, darling. I can’t wait to see you again.”