Chapter 26 - Nile

We had just finished our sweep of the western border of Pinedale when I saw the sun rise over the tree line to the east.

"Still nothing?" I asked Killian when he came over to check on me.

"No, alpha. There's still no sign of Diana," he said. "A lot of the men are reaching the end of their ability to keep searching. Do you think we should take a break?"

I looked around at the wolves from the three packs and realized how right he was. Exhaustion was drawn plainly on everyone's faces, and I was sure I looked no better.

"You're probably right. Let me talk to the other alphas, but we can pick this up after everyone has had a chance to rest," I said.

Alpha Lex and Alpha Jasper walked toward me, repeating what Killian had said.

"Let's head back to town," I said. "I'm not sure I have enough mental acuity to convince Diana to return home even if we did find her."

We walked slowly back toward town, but before we reached the city limit, Lex's phone rang.

"Grace, what's wrong?" he asked, eyes full of concern.

Her voice on the other end of the line was unintelligible, but her tone sounded frantic. Grace had always been one of the most level-headed lunas I had ever met. Her fear stoked my own, and I waited with bated breath for Lex to relay her message to the rest of us.

"I'll tell him. No, stay with the packs. Get everyone to the community center, and I'll call you when we find something. I love you, too," he said, ending the call.

"Why does everyone need to go to the community center?" I asked.

Lex sighed. "Violet called Grace when she got home," he said.

"Is she hurt?" I asked, frantic at the thought that something had happened to her right when I sent her away. I should have gone with her.

Lex shook his head, but his expression wasn't comforting. "Penelope is gone. Someone knocked out the babysitter and took her," he said. "Violet went looking for her—to the north, Grace said."

I felt the blood drain from my face, and the world tipped on its side. I knelt to prevent myself from falling, putting my hands into the dew-covered grass at my feet. This couldn't be happening. The entire pack was exhausted from looking for Diana all night. How could I ask them to continue searching now?

"We'll find her, Nile," Lex said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

His reassurance bolstered me, and I got back to my feet with a newfound determination to face the wolves who had already given so much to my family.

"My daughter has been taken. Luna Violet has a head start on the search. Anyone who is willing and able to help would be most welcome. I'm heading north," I said, pointing toward my mate's last known location.

To my surprise, the entire group followed me immediately and without question. My heart was torn between pride at our packs' ability to stick together in times of trouble and my fear for my family's safety.

At the thought of Penny and Violet alone and in trouble, I urged my legs to go faster.

"Where to, Nile?" Jasper asked when we reached the eastern forest.

"We're going to need our wolves for this," I said.

I transformed into Wick, and he began smelling the air and ground around me, searching for Violet's scent.

There, he said.

He wasted no time, immediately launching forward to follow the trail that my mate had taken. With the other wolves behind us, we careened through the trees. It didn't take me long to realize that Violet was headed toward the cabins where Jasper and his Dark Moon Pack had lived.

I glanced at Jasper running next to me and saw in his wolf's eyes that he knew where we were going as well.

From up ahead, I heard a high-pitched scream.

Violet.

I pushed myself even faster than before, not realizing that Wick was even capable of running at such speed. The trees blurred around us, and in a minute, we came into view of the cabin camp.

Violet was sitting awkwardly on the ground between the two rows of buildings, looking at the back of what used to be Jasper's house. I pulled to a stop next to her and transformed so I could talk to her.

"Vi, I'm here," I said, kneeling next to her. "What happened?"

I leaned out to unhook her leg from the rope that held it secure.

"No, wait!" she said, trying to stop my hands.

I let out a hiss of pain and pulled my hand away from the burning sensation.

"It's a silver rope," Jasper said, coming to a stop beside us. "I thought I destroyed it all when we left."

"I made some improvements on your design," a voice announced proudly.

I hadn't noticed Diana standing there until she spoke. It took me less than a second to understand what had happened.

"Where is Penny?" I demanded, striding toward her.

"She's inside," Diana replied. "You might want to stop moving. You never know what kind of traps you'll run into out here in the woods."

I paused, glancing around at the trees and ground. I didn't see anything, but that didn't mean there was nothing that could hurt me. There was no telling how long Diana had been working on this twisted plan.

The door to the cabin opened, and Penny stepped outside.

"Daddy!" she yelled.

Tears were streaming down her face as she looked between me, Violet, and Diana.

"You're going to be okay, baby," I assured her.

"Of course she will," Diana insisted, grabbing her granddaughter by the arm. "She's coming with me."

"I want my daddy!" Penny cried, louder than before.

"Don't be stupid, child," Diana said.

I saw her twist Penny's arm and try to pull her closer to her side. Diana had never shown malice to Penny before, but she wasn't acting like herself.

"Diana, you need to let her go," I said calmly. In her current state, I couldn't be sure that she wouldn't do something rash if she thought it would hurt me or Violet.

"Penny is mine ," Diana seethed. "You don't deserve her."

I circled around to Diana's other side, watching for traps as I went. The closer I moved to her, the tighter she held onto my daughter. I could see her fingers digging into Penny's arm, causing bruises to blossom.

"Nile, you know what we have to do," Jasper said, eyes narrowed at the woman.

I did. Diana's eyes bounced around as she tried to find an escape for herself and Penny. As soon as she realized there wasn't one… I dreaded to think what she would decide to do.

"Diana, this is your last chance," I warned her. "Let Penny go, and we can talk."

"I will never let her go. I would rather die," she replied.

She thrust Penny into the cabin behind her, closing the door to prevent her from escaping. Penny's screams of terror and pain echoed through the trees, and I felt my blood curdle at the sound. I moved to shift into my wolf form when an even louder scream came from Violet.

At the sound of Penny's distress, Violet had braved the pain of the silver rope, pulling it off her leg and tossing it on the ground toward Diana. She panted heavily at the exertion and strode toward Diana.

"Do not touch my daughter," Violet snarled. "Ever again."

"She's not your daughter," Diana hissed back.

"She is," Violet argued. "I have loved and cared for that child since the moment I met her. I have tucked her into bed at night, fed her, read to her, played with her, and taught her. I have listened to her when she needed me. What have you done?"

Diana sputtered, taking a step away from the cabin and toward Violet. Her rage at my mate was causing her to lose focus, and I could see that was Violet's plan.

"Penny is happier with me than she has ever been with you, and you know it," Violet said quietly.

Diana moved a few more steps away from the door, which cracked open as Penny peeked outside. I put my hand up to my daughter, hoping she would understand that she needed to wait a moment longer. Diana was still too close.

"And you know what she calls me now?" Violet asked, stepping toward Diana once more.

"It doesn't matter what she calls you, you bitch," Diana snarled. "I'll kill you for destroying my family."

Diana launched herself toward Violet, but I was faster. I tackled her to the ground while Penny ran from the cabin and straight into her mother's arms.

"Jasper, kick that rope over here, would you?" I asked, struggling to subdue Diana's violent convulsions and snarls.

Jasper had found a pair of gloves, which he put on before grabbing the rope and bringing it over to where we tussled on the ground. Together, we restrained Diana and waited for the fight to leave her.

"It's okay, Pen," Violet murmured into our daughter's ear while she stroked her hair. "I'm right here. No one's going to hurt you, I swear."

"Is she hurt?" I asked Violet, not daring to take my eyes off of Diana.

"Nothing that a little time won't fix," she replied.

Diana's fervor for violence died down before long, and I saw the defeat in her eyes. I pitied her for all she had lost, but I couldn't have her near my family anymore.

"You've taken everything from me," she said quietly. "Just kill me and get it over with."

"You won't die today, Diana. Not by my hands," I told her.

She looked up at me quickly, suspicion written on her face.

"I know you don't believe me, but I cared for your daughter very much," I explained. "Because of that, I won't kill her mother. For Jana's sake, you will live."

"What do you want us to do with her?" Alpha Lex asked.

I stared down at the woman, hoping I would never see her again.

"Diana Pinedale, you are hereby stripped of the Pinedale name and banished from the pack for your crimes against my family. If you ever return, the penalty will be death," I told her.

Directing my attention to Lex and Jasper, I gave instructions for where to leave her.

"I need to get Penny and Violet back home," I explained. "Can you handle that for me?"

"It would be my pleasure," Jasper replied.

I had a feeling Jasper wouldn't be gentle when he transported Diana to her new home far away from here, but I couldn't say that I was upset about it.

***

It had been the longest day the three of us had ever had. By the time we got home, it was early in the afternoon, but it felt like nighttime. None of us had gotten any sleep the night before, and we were all ready to give in to our exhaustion. But first, we needed to take care of Penny.

I had carried her back home, but Violet took over when we reached the front door. She picked her up lovingly, Penny resting her head on Violet's shoulder while she was carried upstairs to her room.

She had never been seriously hurt before and wasn't old enough for her first werewolf transformation, so I didn't know how quickly she would heal from the injuries given to her by Diana. Her arm had been covered in scratches and purple bruises when we had left the forest, so Violet and I were both surprised that she was completely unscathed by the time we got home.

"Let's get you into bed, sweetie," Violet said.

She put Penny into her bed and pulled the covers up. While we were gone, someone—most likely April—had come over to clean up the mess from Diana's home invasion. The smell of fabric softener filled the bedroom, showing that even the sheets and blankets had been washed and dried in our absence.

Violet and I sat on the bed next to Penny as she closed her eyes.

"I can stay with her while you get some rest," I whispered to Violet.

I was hesitant to leave her alone in case she was nervous about Diana coming back to kidnap her again.

"You don't need to stay, Daddy," Penny murmured without opening her eyes.

"Are you sure, baby?" Violet asked. "We can both stay with you as long as you need us."

"I'm sure. I know you and Daddy will always take care of me, Mom," she said.

Violet smiled tearfully at Penny's confidence in our love of her.

"Always," she promised.