Chapter 11: Lost and Found
Fiona’s POV
I stepped away from the noise-the laughter, the splashing, the chaotic joy of pups in full summer mode-and slipped into the quiet shade of the packhouse’s back porch. My fingers itched with nerves as I pulled out my phone, scrolling to Xavien’s contact and hitting dial before I could second-guess myself.
He picked up on the third ring, his voice warm and familiar even through a bit of static. “Hey, babe.”
Just hearing his voice made my shoulders relax. I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been holding myself. “Hey… You’ve been gone a while. I was starting to worry.” My voice came out softer than I intended, a little frayed around the edges.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry.” I heard him exhale like he was rubbing a hand over his face. “Some dumb business partner tried to pull a fast one. Thought he could outsmart a Alpha. He chuckled, low and deep, and I could practically see the lazy smirk on his face. “Handled it, though. Wrapping up now-I’ll be home soon.”
Relief swelled in my chest, pushing out the tightness. “Good. I miss you,” I murmured, barely above a whisper.
His voice shifted, teasing and playful. “Oh? You miss me, huh?” I could hear the grin in every word. “That’s funny, ’cause I’ve been thinking about you too, baby. And when I get back tonight…” His voice dropped, smooth and wicked, “I’m gonna make you scream my name so loud the whole damn territory knows exactly who you belong to.”
My face lit up like a bonfire. I glanced around, making sure no pack moms-or, worse, nosy Elders-were within hearing distance. “Alpha Xavien,” I hissed, giggling despite myself, “stop it.”
“Nope.” He sounded far too smug. “You know I love making you squirm. You’re gonna be begging me, Fiona. You’ll be howling so sweet the moon itself might blush.”
I pressed a hand to my mouth, cheeks burning. “You’re terrible.” I whispered, grinning like a lovesick teenager.
“You love it.” he said, that his voice making my insides flutter. “Just hold on, babe. I’ll be there before you know it.”
We traded a few more sultry words before hanging up, and when I finally slid my phone back into my pocket, my skin still tingled from the heat of his promises. Goddess, that wolf knew how to get under my skin.
I was still smiling as I made my way back to the pool, heart light and full.
But the second I saw Chloe’s face-pale, panicked, her eyes frantically scanning the water-my blood turned to ice.
My smile dropped.
“Chloe?” My voice cracked. She didn’t even turn toward me.
And then I noticed.
No Jamal. No Daniel.
Just the still blue surface of the pool and the distant noise of other kids playing-none of them mine.
I sprinted.
“Chloe!” I shouted, skidding to her side. “Where are the kids?!”
Her eyes finally met mine-glassy, wild, like she’d seen a ghost. “Fiona, I-I just looked away for a second, I swear! They were right there! And now-they’re just-gone!”
My heart stopped.
“What?!” The word came out in a strangled gasp, my wolf surging beneath my skin, claws threatening to punch through. Everything tilted. My stomach dropped. I couldn’t breathe.
Jamal. My baby.
My eyes locked onto the pool, searching-desperate-for a flash of his curls, a sign of movement, anything.
Nothing.
“Jamal! Daniel!” I screamed, voice cracking, raw and ragged. “Where are you?!”
I dropped to my knees at the pool’s edge, digging my hands into the water like I could reach through the surface and just pull him back to me.
Where was he? Where was my son?
My wolf clawed at me, panicked and snarling, ready to shift if it meant I could scent him faster. But there were too many kids, too many smells. too much chlorine.
Tears stung my eyes, and my breath came in sharp bursts. My chest felt like it was caving in. Everything around me blurred-Chloe’s voice, the lifeguards yelling, parents rushing over. It all became a distant hum compared to the roaring in my ears.
The memory of Jamal laughing-just moments ago-his little arms around my neck, his voice calling me “Mama”… it was all crashing down on me at once, like a wave I couldn’t outrun.
This couldn’t be happening.
Not Jamal.
Not my pup.
I dipped my hand into the water again, whispering his name like a prayer, like a spell, like maybe if I said it enough, he’d answer.
“Jamal… please…“
The water rippled, and I felt the unbearable weight of helplessness press down like a mountain on my chest.
Moon Goddess, please… don’t take him from me.
Not my son.
Not my heart.
We tore through the park like wolves chasing a fading scent-fast, frantic, barely breathing. The rides spun. The crowd buzzed. But I couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of my own heart and Chloe shouting beside me.
“Jamal!” I screamed again, my voice cracking, raw from panic. My throat burned from yelling, from crying. I couldn’t tell if the wetness on my face was sweat or tears anymore-probably both. Maybe neither. I didn’t care. I just needed to find my son.
“Daniel!” Chloe’s voice trembled, threaded with rising hysteria. She was waving her arms, shoving through the throng of bodies like a madwoman. Her cheeks were flushed, fear etched across every inch of her face.
The scent of fried food, sunscreen, and sticky-sweet ice cream was overwhelming. It all blurred together into a sickening mess. And the noise? Goddess, the noise. Screaming kids, laughing adults, creaking rides—it was a carnival of chaos, and my wolf was one second from breaking through my skin.
“Jamal! Come to Mummy, please!” My voice shook, barely rising above the madness, a desperate plea that sounded more like a whimper.
My hands wouldn’t stop trembling. My fingers kept twitching, uselessly reaching toward shadows and strangers. I scanned every face, every pup, every dark curl of hair. But Jamal wasn’t there.
The park stretched out like a damn maze. Rides spun in loops. Balloons bobbed in the air. Walkways twisted in all directions. My head spun with
Then-hope.
I saw him.
A little boy with tight curls, just like Jamal’s. Same size. Same stride.
My heart exploded in my chest. I ran. Fast. Faster than I’d run in years. My legs burned. My wolf howled yes, yes, that’s him. I lunged forward and grabbed his shoulders. “Jamal!” I cried, spinning him around, my voice breaking.
It wasn’t him.
My breath left me all at once.
His eyes were the wrong color. His nose was all wrong. Not my boy.
“Hands off my kid, lady!” a woman snapped, storming toward us with a face full of fury. She yanked her son back and shoved me-hard. I stumbled, almost fell.
1-I’m sorry.”I gasped, my voice barely a whisper. I couldn’t even look at her. My hands were shaking again, too numb to steady myself.
I backed away, my eyes stinging. Goddess, I was falling apart. Right there in the middle of the path, surrounded by humans and wolves and all these smiling, safe children–and mine was nowhere.
1 fumbled for my phone. My fingers were slick, clumsy. I could barely hit the right buttons. I called Xavien. Please pick up. Please, please pick
Voicemail.
I stared at the screen, my stomach sinking like a stone.
Phone off.
“Fuck!” I hissed, curling my lip in frustration.
I forced a breath into my lungs. Then another. My legs felt like lead. My body ached from running, from searching, from not knowing.
It was time to go to the enforcers. The human police wouldn’t help-not in a supernatural zone like ours. But the Pack Enforcer Unit? They’d move fast. That was our only hope.
I turned to find Chloe, determined to drag us both to the nearest PEU outpost-when I heard it.
“Mummy! Mummy! I’m here! I’m coming!”
My head snapped around.
My heart leapt so fast I thought I might pass out.
And then-there he was.
Jamal. My Jamal.
Tearing through the crowd in his little sneakers, face lit up like a full moon. Big grin, curls bouncing, eyes sparkling with joy like nothing had happened at all.
Iran.
No hesitation. No thoughts. Just instinct.
I reached him seconds later and dropped to my knees, sweeping him into my arms with all the strength I had left. “Oh, my baby,” I sobbed, holding him so tight I felt his heartbeat against mine.
He giggled, wrapping his arms around my neck. “Stop, Mummy!” he laughed, squirming a little. “Why are you crying? I just went to get a balloon!”
I kissed his cheeks, his forehead, his nose-anywhere I could reach. “Don’t ever do that again,” I whispered through tears. “You scared me so bad. Jamal. I thought… I thought…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence..
He looked at me with those big eyes of his, suddenly serious. “I’m sorry for making you cry, Mummy.”
His tiny hand reached up and wiped at my face, brushing away my tears with such tenderness it broke me all over again.
I cupped his warm cheeks in my hands and stared into his face, still sobbing, still smiling. “You just made Mummy really, really worried. That’s all. But I’m fine now, sweetheart. You’re here. You’re safe.”
And for the first time in what felt like forever… I could finally breathe again.
Just when my pulse had finally started to slow and the ground stopped spinning beneath my feet, Chloe let out a little gasp beside me.
“Daniel!”
I turned just in time to see her pup barreling toward us-sweaty, red-faced.
“I’m sorry, Mummy,” he said in this soft, shaky voice. “I didn’t mean to make you worried.”
Chloe dropped to her knees. “It’s okay, sweetie,” she murmured, pulling him into a hug so tight I could hear the kid’s ribs creak. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
I gave them a second, trying not to cry again. My wolf was still on edge, pacing behind my ribs like she wasn’t convinced everything was alright. I couldn’t blame her. The bond between a mother and her pup wasn’t just emotional-it was primal. Bone-deep. And when that bond got stretched thin, it took time to calm the storm.
Just as I started rubbing circles into my temples to case the pounding in my head, Jamal tugged at my shirt with his sticky fingers.
“Mummy! Before I forget,” he said, eyes wide, “a kind man helped us hear your voice in the big crowd!”
My heart skipped a beat. “What kind man?” I asked, crouching down to his level, brushing the damp curls off his forehead. “Where is he? I want to thank him for helping you… and for wiping my tears.”
Jamal turned and pointed toward a tall figure a little ways off. At first, all I could see was sunlight-blinding, golden, pouring over this guy like the Moon Goddess herself had put a spotlight on him. My wolf stirred, alert. Curious. Very interested.
I squinted through the glare, and my breath… just stopped.
No.
No way.
But there he was.
Solid. Real. Standing there like he’d just stepped out of a dream-or maybe one of my nightmares.
Alpha Dorian.
I blinked. Once. Twice. The image didn’t disappear. My wolf didn’t back off either. If anything, she perked up and pressed closer to the surface, sniffing the air, tail twitching.
I pinched my arm hard. It stung like hell. He was still there.
He looked older. Rougher. Like he’d been through a few storms and walked out of them without a scratch-just a deeper scowl and a tighter jaw. And still, there was that same pull in my gut. That damned Alpha presence that could bend a room without saying a word.
Then he spoke, and my heart did that awful, traitorous flutter thing.
“Hello, Fiona. It’s been a while.”
My mouth dropped open. Words got tangled in my throat. My mind scrambled to form a thought that made sense, but nothing came out except:
“Dorian?”
I barely recognized my own voice.
It sounded like I was speaking through water. Or dreams. Or both.
Because how the hell was he here?
