Chapter 17 ~ She Had a Kid!
Kendrick’s POV ~
Everyone was seated at the dining room table. I told Derek to tell us what he knows and I would decide whether to look for that crazy bitch or not. Bella pinched me…
He begins “Amber fought with the Alpha because she wanted to come back here… on the premise of joining the warriors.. and he..well, everyone…knew that was a lie. She would never train. So, he called her on it. She had overheard a conversation involving you finding your mate, and she screamed..pitched fits.. slapped walls.. Doc had to sedate her. Doc said she would sleep all night..so we went to bed. Next morning, she was gone..left a note. Said ‘going to get Kendrick back after I kill his mate’ so I ran straight after her. Tracking her all the way fifty miles east of here.. then nothing.. no scent..no sign.. just nothing.. like she disappeared. Lost her scent right before coming here.”
I stood and said “Jaxson, ready a team and gear up. We are hunting. Baby, you going or stay here and relax?” Raising an eyebrow at me.. she smirks “meet you by the door in five minutes! I need my gear” and she shot out of the room.
Jax laughs “There’s your answer!” I just watched the open door, smiling. My girl is something else! Making my way to the door, with Derek behind me, she was true to her word.. flying down the steps, buckling her katana vest and harness.
I look at Derek.. “You had best be sure everything you’ve told us is true. I have no problem leaving your body out there for scavengers to feast on!” Bella grinned “If she’s disappeared…just poofed.. then a witch is involved. And I will be able to read the signature.”
I help her into the truck, and we hit the road. The sun has set and it’s that hard time of day that makes everything look shadowy. It will be fine by the time we get to where we’re going.. I ask Bella if we should call her brother. She grins and nods “But, not until we see if witchcraft is involved. I may need Aunt Helena.. she’s high priestess..and will be able to locate the user. I’m not great at that yet. I can locate an inkpen.. Oh I located a cat, once. But it wasn’t what I was looking for… Nevermind! I might need Helena.. and leave it there.”
I pull her into my lap, laughing. “One day, you are going to have to tell me some of your stories” She said “I will tell you Alex’s. I humiliate myself on a daily.. you’ll witness plenty of stories about me!” She giggles.. and it’s the most adorable sound in the universe!
When we had gotten close to where Amber disappeared.. I got out with Derek.. shifting into Brutus. He shifted into Gandalf and we started scenting the area. I picked up the scent of another wolf… it didn’t smell rogue, but it didn’t smell right, either. I called Bella over, knowing she won’t shift.. but she scented anyway. Walking away from the scent, I came upon the place Amber could no longer be smelled.
Bella walked in a large circle, moving in smaller and smaller ones, until she stood in the center… “This is where she was taken from. I smell the shadow man… and I smell a witch! The scent doesn’t make sense to me.. because it isn’t supposed to exist anymore. We need Alexander and Helena, Now!”
I had already dialed Alex, as soon as she said she smelled the shadow man! I told him what was going on.. and what his sister thought..and he immediately jumped into action, saying he will see us in about a half hour. So, now.. we wait..
Alexander pulls up, with Baron and Helena.. Bella grabs my hand, and we walk over to walk them over where the magic signature is. Bella looks at Alex.. “Can you smell that? It is the shadow man.. isn’t it?!” He shifts and immediately scents.. when he hits where the smell is strongest.. Idris growls loudly and pounces back at Bella..with her whispering she’s okay.
Helena did the same circle down, when she reached the spot where she could read whoever it was that used magic.. she gasped. Bella said “Yeah, Aunt Helena.. imagine my surprise when I found the signature of a dead woman! Care to enilghten us? Why is Adelaide’s magic signature here!!?”
I went livid! “WHAT? Are you telling me a dead witch did this? What the fuck is wrong with you people!? Protecting her, my ass. Lying by omission is still lying. You know that, right? You and your whole family have put Bella in danger by omission!! Your right, baby! There is no such things as coincidences. And we are getting answers!”
Helena said “I have to talk to my sister! And your mom will be back tomorrow evening. We will run this down! There has to be a logical explanation” And I said “Right! Because everything that’s happening makes sense… right? Logical! There is nothing logical about this!”
Alexander said “Aunt Helena.. we will all meet in the conference room at seven tomorrow evening! We had better get answers! This keeping things away from us, has endangered Bella! No more! I will call Granddad right now. I want to update him, anyway!”
All of us went over to where the scent disappears.. Bella onserves “She didn’t open a portal. She teleported… which means they aren’t far away. We need to get some drones up… have them check in a fifty mile perimeter, from right here… They’re holed up somewhere not too far from here. Look for a centrally localized area.. close to both packs…and the university!”
Jaxson said he would arrange that right now. Kendrick reminded him they needed the infrared cameras. Baron tells him “We will get ours in the air, too. We will cover more ground in a joint effort! This bastard has ducked and dodged enough! None of this makes sense….Seriously, a dead fucking witch?….and we are flying blind! It’s crazy!”
Bella shrugs saying “Unless we are told the complete truth as my parents know it.. It’s going to take a lot of research and investigation to figure it out! It makes absolutely no sense.. that a dead witch pops up nearly eighteen years after her death was witnessed! Unless… Oh My Goddess! Helena!!! Did that bitch of a witch have kids? You said that Alpha Rogue…or whatever.. was her mate! Does she have a daughter? Or a son? Either way… that has to be the answer! She had a kid!”