Ian’s POV:
I was pacing back and forth in my bedroom, constantly checking my phone. Amelia sat on our bed in her nightgown, wearing a concerned expression.
It was already past midnight, and Roxanne was nowhere to be seen. After talking to Kyle, I became concerned about her well-being. I suggested to Amelia that we should go back home to see if she had already arrived.
Together, we said our goodbyes, but Kyle decided to stay behind. Although we weren’t happy about it, we let him be and made our way back to our pack. Unfortunately, when we arrived, Roxanne was still nowhere to be found. When we called Felix to check if she had returned after we left, she informed us that Roxanne was still not around.
I felt anxious and worried about her disappearance.
“My love, do you think she was offended by what happened with Larson?” I asked seriously.
I knew that she had a crush on him, despite pretending otherwise.
Seeing him mated to another girl must have made her sad.
“It’s very possible. All these years, we pretended not to notice her feelings for him, even though she claimed to hate him and wanted nothing to do with him. She always looked forward to seeing him, and her gaze often followed his every move. I’m sure it was difficult for her, and she probably wanted to be left alone,” she answered.
“I think the same, but do you think she’s alright?” I asked.
She stood up and moved in front of me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.
“You know your daughter very well, Ian. She’s stubborn and usually does whatever she thinks is right for her. Remember that time we thought she went missing, but she was actually spending the night at Felix’s? And that time we were so worried and couldn’t sleep, but it turned out she had gone to visit Whiteny’s territory without our approval?” she asked.
I remembered clearly how I had scolded her badly and grounded her for a few weeks. She accepted her punishment without arguing or saying anything bad. All she did was apologize and promise to call or text next time. Since then, she usually called me or Amelia whenever she was sleeping over at her aunt and uncle’s places.
“I remember, and speaking of remembering, an unknown number called my cell phone. When I answered, it disconnected. Do you think it’s her?” I asked.
“It could be, but honey, it’s late right now, and I’m sure most pack members at Whitney’s are asleep too. How about we call them tomorrow to see if she’s on that side or not?” she asked.
I leaned in and gently kissed her forehead.
“Okay,” I answered in a whisper.
She pulled back and went to bed, getting under the sheets and laying down.
“By the way, never forget that your daughter is a strong lady. No one can easily bully or harm her. It would take a higher rank greater than an Alpha queen to intimidate her,” she whispered, then yawned.
I turned and walked out of the room, going into my office.
“Axel,” I called as I walked to the whiskey table.
“What is it, Ian?” he asked seriously.
I grabbed the whiskey bottle, took off the lid, and drank a mouthful of the contents.
“I know that Amelia is right and that Roxanne is capable of protecting herself, but deep down, why do I feel anxious and very concerned?” I asked silently, then continued to speak.
“Those days when our little girl went out without telling us where she was going, I wasn’t this anxious at all,” I pointed out.
“Ian, you know that I can feel what you are feeling twice as much, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered, then walked to the desk and sat down in silence.
“The reason I chose not to say a word was that I didn’t want to scare or worry Amelia and Aurora more than they already are. I too feel very worried about our pup, and I feel that we should either go back to Felix’s place and retrace her footsteps in the forest or ask Toni for help in tracking her down. If our little pup really did go anywhere in her wolf form, we would easily find her. But if we don’t find her, we will call everyone to make sure she isn’t or is at their places”He said seriously.
“That’s a good idea,” I answered, then quickly stood up and went back to the bedroom.
Once I was in, I went to the bedside and slowly sat down, looking at Amelia who was fast asleep.
I leaned in and gently kissed her head before standing up again.
“I promise to be back soon,” I whispered, then went to the door.
“Ian,” her voice startled me.
I quickly turned and faced her.
“Yes, babe,” I answered in a nervous tone.
She slowly sat upright and rubbed her eyes with her fingers gently.
“Are you going back to Felix’s place?” she asked huskily.
“Well, not really,” I lied.
“You know that I know when you are lying, don’t you?” she asked.
“Tell her the truth,” Axel ordered seriously.
I scratched the back of my neck a few times, then dropped my hand, feeling defeated.
“I’m going back to her place because I’m very concerned about Roxanne. This is the first time that I feel like this. No matter how much I try to ignore it, I can’t,” I answered honestly.
“Me too,” she said, surprising me.
“Do you feel the same way?” I asked, requesting her to repeat her words.
“Yes, but mostly about Aurora. At first, I thought she was overwhelmed by what was going on, but after returning to our pack, her feelings only grew stronger, and I couldn’t help but worry. I tried to convince myself that Roxanne was fine. That’s why I even decided to go to bed early, even though I couldn’t fall asleep,” she answered. Then, she stood up and went to the wardrobe, pushing it open and grabbing her coat.
“You can’t go out alone, Alpha, and neither can I. We need to inform Nana about everything since I’m sure Neo and Toni are spending the night at Felix’s place” she said.
“Amelia,” I called softly to stop her.
“I am coming with you, Ian!” she said firmly, then turned and faced me with a sad expression on her face.
“She’s my baby too,” she whispered in a cracked voice.
“Okay,” I answered, then slowly moved closer and pulled her into my embrace for comfort.