6. Chasing The Past

Ella and I have packed and prepared ourselves for the long flight for the last couple of days. Everything happened so fast. Ella returned from the Council with a USB stick with plenty of material on it showing Candance, their father, and even one with her leaving the hospital with a baby.

I'm Liam's beta, and I can't just take off like that, but for once I decide I need to be selfish. I need to do this with Ella. I was ready to tell Liam I would work double as much once I return, but he just asked me if I'm crazy.

"You have never taken a day off," he told me. "You and Ella need to do this."

Annie pretty much tells Ella the same and reassures us we shouldn't worry about how long it takes us. "Just focus on finding Charlie," Annie says.

Liam nods. "Yes, and if you need something, give us a call. The pack is important, but family is too."

In my absence, Aryanna will take over my work, while Dave's mate, Raphael, will help out with guarding the luna.

"This is only the second time I'm flying," Ella says.

"I haven't flown a lot either. Probably three or four times." I take her hand in mine while we sit down in our seats. I booked us first-class tickets. Both Ella and I earn well, and we don't spend much. So, we decided to take this chance to travel as comfortably as possible.

"We are so boring." She chuckles.

"Boring is fine," I tell her, smiling when she pulls me into a kiss.

I look around, noticing a few other couples around us and a few business men and women. For them flying doesn't seem anything new; meanwhile, Ella and I basically cling to each other's hands when the airplane takes off.

This doesn't feel right, Sylvan points out with a frown.

He isn't wrong. To distract myself, I listen to the other people around us. Most of the couples talk about their plans once they arrive and what they want to do together. One man in particular has plenty of romantic dates planned.

It makes me realize I never do anything like that for Ella.

My stomach churns slightly.

Is something wrong? Ella asks me. I could feel something's off through our bond.

No… it's just… I sigh. Ella, do you feel like you are missing out on things?

What do you mean? she asks.

It's just… I work a lot.

So do I. We both love our work and our rank.

I just realized I never really take you out or plan amazing dates for you, I point out.

Ella looks at me with a frown before her gaze wanders to the couple I've been eavesdropping on. My cheeks heat up at the knowledge of how easily she looks through me.

You take me on dates, she says finally. We go to the movies, we have our pub we frequent, and our favorite Italian restaurant.

But would you like me to take you on more exciting dates? On something more special?

She sighs. D, I like how we are. I like that you don't care about fancy places because I don't either. I prefer us frequenting our pub for a beer and fries and playing darts. I like that you like to take me hiking or to a picnic instead of a fancy restaurant. I enjoy just staying at home with you to watch our cringey splatter movies. I can be myself with you.

Goddess, I groan. I'm so stupid, aren't I? I can feel her genuine happiness through the bond whenever we go on our dates. I know she wouldn't be happy if I took her to a fancy restaurant.

No, you aren't. She smiles. I feel insecure too sometimes. I know I'm just Ella; nothing about me is fancy.

But I love just Ella, I tell her.

She smiles at me and entwines our fingers.

And what are you doing when you feel insecure? I ask her.

Oh, I call my friends and go lingerie shopping, she says. We figured, no matter what and how, we always get our mates with lingerie.

In my mind Sylvan almost starts to drool at the thought of our mate going lingerie shopping. And she is right; sometimes she pops up with interesting new stuff. Last time she bought a white lace set that made her look like a little devious angel.

I can't believe you are teasing me while we are sitting in an airplane, and I can't do anything, I complain with a smirk before bending closer to her. "But when we reach our hotel tonight…" I whisper into her ear.

She grins. "Better not forget your promise."

"Florence is amazing!" I turn around to look at everything. It's beautiful, smaller than Paris, the only European city I've visited until now. The buildings, the little cafés… even the streets… everything is so beautiful. "I wish we had time to go sightseeing," I admit. "Maybe next time."

"Yes." Dante squeezes my hand. "Let's find Charlie, and then when we settle everything, we can return one day."

"Charlie was born here," I say. "Maybe he would like to revisit this place one day." I pause. "Goddess, Dante, I was so set on finding Charlie that I forgot to consider what would happen if he didn't want to come with us."

Dante takes a moment to answer. He often thinks properly before replying. I love that about him. "One step after another, Ella," he finally says. "Let's find him first, and then step by step we can decide everything together. I will be there the whole way."

We are about to mess with the life of a child, a teen.

Maybe he has a new family now.

Or maybe he is alone, Nefeli reasons. On top of that, he is technically a rogue! I don't think he lives in a pack.

How do you know?

Intuition and our gift, she says. I am constantly trying to feel him through our bond, and I don't think he is in the safety of a pack.

I sigh. I need to find him. First things first, Dante and I make our way to the hospital. Bernard did a lot of work for us already, and Liam had the Council pull some of their contacts. So, we manage to meet a doctor and a nurse, both of whom were present that night.

"Yes, I'm sure it was her." The nurse looks at Candy's picture and smiles. "She was all alone, and I brought her something to drink before she went into labor. Poor little thing."

My heart aches at her words. "I wish I would have known," I mutter.

"She was a nice girl," the nurse says. "I think she would have been happy to know her sister is looking for her."

I don't have the heart to tell her that Candy isn't alive anymore. "And her child?"

"I wasn't working that shift," the doctor explains to me. "But I heard that a young woman gave birth and left shortly afterwards. It was a bit of a ruckus because she was supposed to stay at least a day. The weird thing is, she was talking to a man."

"You saw her?" Dante asks.

"I saw a young woman leave with a baby in her arms," he explains. "It could have only been her. Even all those years later, I still remember how she was hugging her child and pulling her jacket over her shoulders. Like she was hiding from something."

"And the man she talked to?" I ask nervously. "Was she afraid of him?"

"No…" The doctor frowns. "I thought he might have been her father. But I can't tell for sure."

Her father? Dante and I exchange a gaze. It's impossible for my dad to have been there, but maybe… maybe she had some help here.

"Oh," the doctor's eyes widen a bit. "I just remembered something. The man… he was wearing a cap. An SOS Children's Village cap. I remember finding it weird because he seemed so familiar with your sister. Then I figured maybe he is just working there."

"SOS Children's Village… that's like an orphanage, isn't it?"

"Yes, our orphanages here are different from the states." The nurse beams now. "Wait, let me give you some folders. If your sister's father or uncle or whoever that man was was working there, you might be able to find him."

This is the first real lead we have. When we leave the hospital, Dante and I head to our hotel. It's a cozy place in the old part of the city. It's not as fancy as a newly built hotel would be, but it has all the charms of being part of the old town. "Do you think the SOS Children's Village guy was there to pick up Charlie?" I ask.

Dante frowns. "I don't think so," he says. This is what I love about him; he can always keep a cool head, and his analytical instincts as the alpha's beta tend to kick in whenever we face a little crisis. "The thing is, your sister tried to keep everything under the radar. No one knew she had a baby, aside from your parents. She knew her life was in danger, and I doubt she would have just handed the child to an orphanage, to an unknown person. Charlie might be in an orphanage, but I doubt it's here where Candy gave birth, and I doubt the man is someone she doesn't know."

"Dad must have known about it," I say. "Maybe he had friends here?"

Dante blinks. "That's not a bad thought, Ella. Maybe your father had a trusted friend somewhere in Italy. Actually, now that you said it, I'm more and more convinced she had to have help."

"Look at us." I smile. "We are a great team."

He hugs me from behind. "You are the second part of my brain," he says. "Of my soul and mind. It's so much easier for me to think when you are around."

I can't help but enjoy how safe I feel in his arms. It took me a long time to allow myself this comfort in a man's embrace, but here we are now. "It's the same for me," I admit. "I've always been fairly analytical, but I like how you challenge my thoughts sometimes."

"So, what's next?" he asks.

"I think I will call Bernard," I say. "Or Prince Eric."

"I can call Prince Eric," he offers.

I raise my brows. "You volunteer? You hate talking on the phone."

"He is always so flirty with you," he mutters.

I laugh. "He is flirty with literally everyone. It's the way he talks. Also, he has a mate and is one hundred percent committed to her."

He smiles. "Alright, you win. I'm still going to volunteer. We are going to be faster that way."

I take pity on him and let him call Eric. My big bad lycan is terrible with making phone calls to strangers, and Bernard is an elder at the Council. It seems Dave and the years I spent in solitude rubbed off on me because I couldn't care less about who I need to talk to. The only people I respect for their rank are my alpha and Luna, as they have proven themselves over and over again to be fantastic people… everyone else is just a normal person.

Dante and I both spend over an hour on the phone. It happens that Eric manages to run facial recognition software on the man who was with Candy. He indeed works for the SOS Children's Villages organization, but not in Italy. He is in England.

"His name is Jason Roberts," Dante tells me once we catch up with each other on our newfound information.

"Bernard had his assistant dig deeper, and it seems like Candy, and he boarded an airplane. They went to London. Not directly, though. They went to other countries first, probably to make it more difficult to track them."

Dante furrows his brows while he skims through his phone. "There are no flights with open seats to London this evening. But I can book something for tomorrow. It's going to be very early, though."

"It doesn't matter," I reassure him. My heart thumps in my chest. Candy had a plan. I just hope it worked out in her favor. I hope she managed to keep her boy safe and that her efforts paid off. And I hope this Jason Roberts was trustworthy and not just another bad apple.

My head starts spinning slightly, and I make sure to grab a glass of water.

"Are you alright?" Dante asks.

I down the glass in one go. "Yes."

"Now who's the one trying to trick the mate bond?" he asks.

I sigh. I hate when he's right, even more so when he uses my own weapons against me. "I'm just worried," I admit. "The closer we get, the more terrified I am. And D, it's not been too difficult to find Charlie. I'm worried someone else might have found him before us."

"We had the help of the Council, though," Dante reasons. "And they had the finances to cut our search short." He pauses. "But I'm worried too. Let's make sure to find the boy fast. I will book those plane tickets for the earliest flight tomorrow."

Something about him sharing my worries feels oddly comforting. It makes me feel less like a nutcase and more validated in my feelings. I take his face between my hands, planting a kiss on his lips. "I will call room service meanwhile," I promise. "And have them bring us something to eat."

Dante smiles. "We clearly speak the same love language."

While I order something to eat for us, Dante manages to secure us two tickets. Tomorrow, 6:30 a.m., we will be on our way to London.

Please, Goddess, let Charlie be safe.