Alpha Rolan’s POV
I paced the hallway outside the study, my mind racing as I tried to piece everything together. Wilson’s reaction earlier still didn’t sit right with me.
He wasn’t the type to let emotions slip easily, and yet the moment he heard the woman’s voice on the phone, something had shifted.
There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes, followed by that strange, pale look. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something that might be crucial to finding Pandora.
I wasn’t going to let this rest.
Deciding to confront him, I discreetly followed him out of the palace and into the city. My instincts screamed that he was headed somewhere important.
After a while, I noticed he was heading toward Ashley’s house. That only heightened my suspicion. I kept my distance as Wilson entered Ashley’s house. A few moments later, I crept up to the door and listened closely.
Voices. They were talking in low tones, too low for me to make out the details, but the tone was unmistakable. Something was going on, and I needed to know what.
I decided to stop sneaking around. I needed answers, and I was going to get them.
Without hesitation, I barged into the room. Both Wilson and Ashley froze, their faces reflecting a mix of shock and guilt. They hadn’t expected me, and their wide-eyed looks confirmed it.
“Rolan!” Wilson’s voice was sharp, but I cut him off before he could say anything more.
“Enough!” I growled, glaring at both of them. “What the hell is going on? What are you hiding from me, Wilson?” My voice was laced with barely controlled fury, and I wasn’t in the mood for excuses.
Wilson scowled, crossing his arms defensively. “I’m not hiding anything,” he said, but his tone was off. He was trying too hard to sound convincing, and it only made me angrier.
“I know you, Wilson. You’re not some damn criminal, but you’re acting like you are. When you heard that voice on the phone, something changed. You know who that woman is.” I stepped closer, my eyes narrowing. “What aren’t you telling me?”
There was a tense silence, and for a moment, I thought Wilson was going to stick to his denial. But then, Ashley, who had been sitting quietly up until now, stood up. Her hand went to her pregnant belly as she stepped between us, her gaze calm but sad.
“Rolan, stop,” she said softly, gripping her brother’s arm. “You’re right. He does know who it is.” She turned to look at Wilson, and her expression urged him to speak.
Wilson’s jaw clenched, and his eyes flickered with something like guilt. “I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure,” he muttered. His voice was low, almost a whisper. “I didn’t want to believe it, Rolan.”
I stared at him, my patience thinning. “Believe what? Who is she?”
There was a pause before Wilson finally spoke, his voice thick with reluctance. “It’s our mother,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine. “The woman who called you, the one who has Pandora, is our mother.”
For a moment, I didn’t know how to react. His words hit me like a physical blow, and I struggled to wrap my mind around them.
Ms. Edna? Wilson and Ashley’s mother? The woman who had been kind to Pandora at first, but had grown more distant, more bitter as time went on? She was the person behind this?
I shook my head in disbelief. “Are you serious? Why the hell would she do this?”
Ashley’s hand tightened on Wilson’s arm, her eyes full of regret. “Because she’s not well, Rolan,” Ashley said quietly. “She hasn’t been well for a long time. Ever since Zach, her lover, left her, she’s been… unstable. She’s lost everything, her family, her money, her mind. I think she blames Pandora for some of it, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Wilson rubbed his face, clearly torn between loyalty to his mother and the horror of what she’d done. “I recognized her voice, her laugh. I just… I didn’t want to believe it,” he admitted. “But it’s her. And she’s dangerous.”
“I wasn’t sure,” Wilson continued. “And what was I supposed to say? That our mother’s lost her mind and kidnapped your mate? I couldn’t just accuse her without knowing for certain!”
I paced, trying to rein in the rage building in my chest. I wanted to scream, to break something, but I couldn’t afford to lose control. Not when Pandora’s life hung in the balance.
“What does she want?” I asked, my voice low. “What’s her endgame?”
“She wants money,” Ashley said, her voice trembling. “She thinks if she gets enough, she can start over, disappear somewhere. But Rolan, it’s not just about the money. She’s unstable, and she’s… she’s obsessed with making people pay for what she thinks they’ve done to her.”
I clenched my fists, feeling the pressure mounting in my chest. “I don’t care what she wants. All I care about is getting Pandora back, alive and in one piece. After that, I’ll deal with your mother. She’s not walking away from this.”
Wilson and Ashley exchanged a look, and I could see the weight of guilt in their expressions. They loved their mother, but they knew as well as I did that there was no coming back from this.
“I’ll help you,” Wilson said finally, his voice heavy. “Whatever it takes to bring Pandora back safely, I’ll do it.”
Ashley nodded, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “There’s a place,” she whispered. “An old estate on the outskirts of the city. It’s abandoned, but Mom used to go there sometimes, back when she was coming to this pack. It’s secluded. She could be keeping Pandora there.”
I locked eyes with her, my heart hammering in my chest. “Are you sure?”
Ashley nodded. “If she’s hiding somewhere, that’s the place.”
Without another word, I turned on my heel, heading for the door. I didn’t have time to waste. Every second Pandora was with Ms. Edna, she was in danger, and I wouldn’t rest until I had her back.
“Rolan,” Wilson called after me. I stopped but didn’t turn around.
“We’ll go with you,” he said. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
I didn’t respond. My mind was already racing ahead, planning the next move. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t do this without them.