Chapter 16

Sonja was terrified.

Who wouldn’t be in that situation? Her sister had gone missing, and there was no way for her to help track Jordan down. She was worried about her sister’s life, and with Jude and Lennox going about tracking her down, she knew that there was a good chance that Father and Son would find her. At least, Sonja hoped so.

Jordan was upset before she disappeared. She was supposed to shift after she mated with Jude, and yet she was still trapped in her human body. Jude warned that it was the Kodiak’s that made the attack and Sonja believed it. With the way his face was cut up, she couldn’t assume that Jude would have had that done to him by any who served under his father.

And somehow, Sonja knew that the Kodiak’s were powerful. More powerful than she or Jordan were ever let on to believe. They demonstrated fierce power in slaughtering their family as children, and by Jude’s explanation, it was more than one that had gotten him.

At least Sonja knew that Jordan wasn’t taken without a fight.

“Where are they?” Sonja paced up and down. The Warren’s were meant to come through that day to give the word on what their plan to get Jordan was. She was Jude’s mate, and they were meant to spend their lives together, so they had to get on that quickly to start their future.

“Just relax, child. They’ll be here soon,” Mamma Sable was sitting in the room with Sonja. They were both scared, they wanted to know what was happening to Jordan and they wanted their family to be united again.

“I can’t relax. Can you relax with Jordan missing? Jesus.” Sonja asked. Mamma Sable looked her over, shaking head in warning. They might have been going through a relatively tough time, but that didn’t mean the old woman would let Sonja lose all her senses and respect.

“I’m sorry, Mamma. I shouldn’t lash out at you because I’m worried about Jordan. It’s just; I don’t know what I’d do if she wasn’t around anymore, you know? She’s all I’ve got, apart from you.” Sonja apologized, averting her eyes. The pair went quiet after that, waiting for the alpha and his son to get to the house.

* *

“What are we going to do about Jordan?” Jude asked, his concern evident.

“We’re going to get her back, and you’re going to breed with her as planned. Nothing’s going to change just because someone took her away. Trust me, son. This is what’s right for the pack.” Lennox replied. The pair were driving down the road, nearing Mamma Sable’s home, but they needed to discuss what was going to happen before they entered.

“Yes, I know that father, but how are we going to get her back? There’s a hell of a lot more to this problem than we might see at the moment and if we don’t get her back home soon, there’s going to be devastation among your ranks. Sonja’s not going to be able to keep quiet and accept that we’re working on it forever.” Looking down the street, Jude saw the eyes of a deer in the darkness. He wanted to hunt it and rip it to shreds, releasing his frustrations on it.

He would do that soon, but for now, he needed to get through another awkward encounter with Sable and Sonja.

“Jude, listen when I speak. Everything will be fine; we’re assembling our crew now, and we’re going to be fine. Just relax and do what I say. You’re going to put Sonja’s mind at ease. Be charming, explain what happened and that the Kodiak’s have kidnapped her. She won’t have any reason to think anything is peculiar by this, as long as you just make sure that you’re convincing.” Lennox replied, his eyes catching the very same deer, and like father, like son, he too wanted to rip the beast to shreds.

“I understand father, and it will be done. Are you going to be there or is it just going to be the two of us?” Jude asked.

“Just you. I’ve got business to deal with regarding Sable and her curse. I need to be sure it’s airtight before we continue.” Lennox finished, and the car went silent. They drove down the long and winding roads.

“Do we have confirmation that she’s even still alive?” Jude asked as they drove through the gate to Mamma Sables home.

“Are you deaf, boy? Why would she be anything but alive?” Lennox spat, “They wouldn’t capture her to kill her, not with what we did. Where’s your head?” He reprimanded his son.

“I just wanted to make sure that everything is above board. We want this bloodline to continue, and that’s not going to happen if anything happens to the girls. I’m sure that she’s fine and all, but I might have a son or daughter kicking around in Jordan’s belly from our mating, and that could be problematic for her.” Jude replied.

“Problematic for her? You speak as though you’ve actually developed feelings for her, Jude. She’s just a mating tool, don’t forget that. We went to the family when they were young, and they would have nothing to do with us, so we will not have anything more to do with them apart from continuing this line. That’s where Noah found his fault, he was too soft, but you are the rock that will continue our line, and I will not have you talking bullshit while we’re trying to get everything rolling. I’ve got too much on my mind to have your liberal blabbering weighing on me too, okay?” Lennox near shouted, but fell silent as Mamma Sable and Sonja came out onto their porch to meet with them.

“Understood, father.” Jude finished, opening the door.

“Sonja, Sable, it’s good to see you again. I’m sorry to hear about what happened with Jordan. I’ve got a lot to discuss with you, Sable, can we step inside?” Lennox asked.

“Of course, Alpha. Let’s leave the kids to talk.” Mamma Sable replied. Jude, in the meantime, walked from where he stood towards Sonja, wrapping his arms around her. Not a word was said, only he held her, and she broke into tears in his strong arms.

She let it out, her make up staining Jude’s white hoodie while she cried, but he knew that this must have been a tough time, and though he knew that this was just for the mating, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness for the girl who had lost her sister.

“Come, let’s go inside,” After a short while of crying, Sonja said, “I’m sorry.” She concluded, taking Jude’s hand and stepping into the house. The door creaked open and whatever Lennox was saying to Mamma Sable came to a halt until the pair were already making their way to Sonja’s room to talk.

“I know this must be hard for you, Sonja, but we’re doing everything we can to get Jordan back,” Jude said.

Sonja rubbed the scars that were left by the Kodiak who attacked him and nodded her head.

“It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to bring her back. You don’t have to worry about that, she’s my mate, and I need to bring her back. Alpha Lennox and I have discussed it, and he’s going to assemble a team of people to come with me so that we can sort out whatever problems there are in the Kodiak pack and bring Jordan back. You can trust me, Sonja.” Jude finished.

“I do trust you, Jude,” Sonja said, sitting back on her bed, “I’m just so scared. What if they’re hurting her? What if they’ve killed her like they did the others fourteen years ago? What if I’m next?” She muttered, knowing that this should have been the least of her priorities but she was afraid and it was something that dawned on her.

The possibility they’d be back was there, and she wasn’t strong enough to face it.

“You don’t have to worry, Sonja, we’re not going to let anything happen to you. Just stay around here and don’t leave Mamma Sable’s side, she’ll protect you, and we both know she can. That old witch has some strength in her yet,” Jude tried to calm Sonja down, sitting beside her and taking her hand in his. He just needed her to believe him now, and everything would go back to normal.

“I get it. You’re going to bring my sister back. Just keep me in the loop, alright? I think I deserve at least that.” Sonja pulled her hand from Jude’s. He was Jordan’s mate, and it felt wrong even doing that with him. They were still strangers at the end of the day, just because Jordan and he mated, didn’t mean she really had any connection to him other than that. She didn’t even know why she led him upstairs, why she broke down into his arms or why she thought he’d be the person to confide in. If anything, it should have been Alpha Lennox that she spoke to. But he was off doing something with Mamma Sable.

Something?

That was the wrong thought. She knew it was definitely with regards to Jordan, so it was probably better that they were off doing that than having to deal with Sonja’s muttered sobbing and attempts to get answers about how they’re going to bring Jordan back.

That’s probably exactly why Jude was up here with her now instead of Alpha Lennox.

“You can rest assured, Sonja; I’m going to bring my mate back. And we’re going to have the most beautiful children, and you’re going to be their aunt, and everything will be all right. Just trust me and Alpha Lennox. Nothing can go wrong if you put trust in us.”

And Sonja wanted to believe this, and she wanted to be certain that everything was going to be okay. Sonja wanted to know that all this would pass and in the end, everything would go back to normal— that she would find her mate, and on her twenty-first birthday, she would turn into her wolf. She wanted to be fine, and she wanted to know that this world still provided some hope to those who lived in it.

But even though she wanted such profound and beautiful things, she knew that she would probably never get them.