Alexander’s POV
We didn’t return to the White Moon Pack that night. I knew Emily was taken; her link was close, and I could feel her being in pain.
My father had sent a driver to go get my mother, and I had sent Luke and his mate to go fetch Lex and Sarah and bring them back home. That was two days ago.
I yawned, barely able to keep my eyes open. I haven’t slept, and the power naps I took charged my batteries just long enough not to go mental.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
“Enter,” I called back, straightening myself in the chair.
My mother’s soft scent was the first I could smell, and then Lex’s.
“Morning, son,” my mother called from the door. “Do you have a minute?”
“Sure,” I said, trying to give her a small smile, but even I knew it wasn’t reaching my eyes.
My mother opened the door wider, and Lex came in, running to my side.
“Morning, Alpha Alex,” he called out and got on my lap. “Did you sleep well? I did? Will you have breakfast with us?”
I widened my tired eyes, wishing I had the energy he had.
My mother chuckled as she entered the office, closing the door behind her.
Lex had picked up a pen, grabbed my notebook, and started drawing and scribbling.
“He wanted to see you,” my mother explained. “He has been driving me nuts upstairs, asking me questions about you.”
“Is that so, buddy?” I asked, rubbing his hair.
“He even asked me to show him old pictures of you when you were younger,” my mother said.
“I hope you only showed him the good once,” I teased.
Lex nodded and kept on drawing. He looked focused and was concentrating.
Another knock sounded at the door, and my mother looked guilty as she went to the door.
What did she do?
“I ordered your breakfast,” she said, opening the door and letting the omega in with a trolley. “I hope you don’t mind. You haven’t eaten properly the last couple of days.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “We can have a quick breakfast in here.”
My mother smiled, thanked the omega, pushed the trolley toward the sitting room, and plated some food for us.
“Come, Lex,” she called, and he jumped off my lap and went to her.
My heart warmed watching the interaction between grandmother and grandson, and my mind wandered off to the morning I introduced them.
“Alexander!” My mother’s hysterical and worried voice filled my office as she rushed inside. “I am so sorry to hear about Emily! Have you heard anything?”
I shook my head, feeling frustrated, as I got to my feet. It was a long night, and I felt tired and mentally exhausted. I couldn’t help but worry about Emily.
Lula told us everything she knew, and we were following up on the leads. The only thing she couldn’t tell us was who was giving the orders to Angelica and Axel.
“There is no news yet,” I said, going to her. My mother grabbed me around the neck and pulled me to her. If only the gesture could have soothed the pain and worry away!
We broke apart when Luke and Lex entered a minute later.
“Mother,” I said, gesturing toward Lex. “I want you to meet a special friend of mine, Lex.”
My mother’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped when she saw Lex. I guess she must have put one and one together.
“Is he?” She asked after a moment.
“Yes, he is Emily’s son,” I said, giving her a warning glare.
My mother immediately went to Lex, squatted down, and pulled him to her chest, hugging him.
Lex didn’t shy away, and his arms snaked around my mother’s neck, hugging her back.
“Hello, grandmother,” he said when they pulled apart. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Does he know?” My mother linked me.
“We haven’t told him,” I replied. “But I suspect he knows.”
She nodded and got to her feet.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Lex,” she said, getting up. “Are you hungry?”
My mother turned to look back at me, asking the unspoken question, and I gave her a quick nod of the head, saying that I was fine with it.
“Alex.” My mother’s voice cleared the memory from my mind. “Our food is getting cold. Come on, eat something.”
I rose from my chair and went to sit with Lex and my mom. This was officially my first meal with Lex.
“Are you finished with your drawing?” I asked, trying to get his attention.
Lex nodded, jumped to his feet, grabbed the paper from the desk, and ran back.
“This is Mommy,” he started, gesturing to everyone he had drawn on the paper. “This is daddy, this is me, and this is my baby brother in mommy’s stomach.”
“Lex, what did you just say?” I asked, choking on my coffee.
Lex put his hands on his sides and looked me straight in the eyes.
“I know you are my daddy,” he said seriously. “We look the same. Grandma showed me pictures.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to him. He was too wise for his own good.
“How long have you known?” I asked.
“When I met you,” he said, “Ash told me.”
“Ash?” I asked.
“He is my wolf,” Lex said, looking confused at me.
“You have your wolf already?” I asked, startled.
“Mm.” he nodded, picking up a pancake. “He has been with me from the beginning.”
Emily did say that Lex had already shown signs of ability, but I never thought it was this serious.
“Alex,” my mother said, placing her hand on my shoulder. I slowly turned my attention toward her. “You, too, had your wolf at an early age. All the royals received their wolves early for protection.”
“I can’t remember that,” I said, honestly. “I can’t recall having Ghost before my eighteenth birthday.”
“I know,” she said, looking a bit sad. “But when you got lost in the forest, your wolf went dormant for some reason.” She sighed. “We were relieved when you shifted.”
A knock on the office door erupted, and I got up to see who it was.
I opened the door, thinking it might be the omega fetching the trolley.
“Mila,” I gasped when I noticed her standing with her daughter in her arms. “What are you doing here?”
I was surprised to see her here. I didn’t expect her to come.
“I had to come see you,” she said, sounding upset as she pushed past me and entered my office.
“Aunty, Mila,” Lex called and ran to her.
“Hi, sweety,” she said, setting Lilly down and turning back to me. “They found Jax. He is in critical condition.”
“And Emily?” I asked. “Did they find her?”
She shook her head, tears piling up in her eyes-they were threatening to spill over.
“No, and Jax can’t remember anything about the accident,” she replied.
“Accident?” I asked, closing the office door. Maybe Mila had some information. “What accident?”
“Jax lost control of the SUV on their way to the city.”
“In which hospital is he?” I asked, going toward my desk and picking up the phone.
“He is in the Garden City hospital,” she replied.
That was good news. I can have him transferred here without any issues.
“Would you mind if we requested a transfer to bring him to the Opal Pack?” I asked.
There were a couple of my pack members who worked at the Garden City hospital as doctors and nurses. They were aware of what to do in the unlikely event that a wolf found itself in the hospital-which did happen occasionally, but not frequently. I could call them and arrange a transfer.
“King Xavier tried that,” she said. “But they refused.”
“I think I might be able to change their minds if you gave me the go-ahead,” I said.
****