45. Sunny
Chapter 45
Sunny
T ime passed quickly as I studied educational theories—my brain was starting to feel like mush, but I couldn’t take a break. I needed to take full advantage of the few hours I got to myself to study.
“Hey, have you even moved?” Walker said as he entered the kitchen, taking in the sight of me still sitting at the kitchen table, books spread out before me.
“You’re home early.” I smiled, stretching my arms to the sky and yawning.
He raised a brow. “Nope, not early. Have you even gotten up to eat or drink today?”
My eyes widened, and I snatched my phone, noting that it was almost four in the afternoon. “Gosh, I got completely distracted,” I muttered, looking at the mass of textbooks and notes.
Walker shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “In that case, shall we go pick up Luka and grab a takeout milkshake and burger on the way home?”
Before I could even vocalize a response, my stomach grumbled loudly, making Walker laugh. “I'll take that as my answer,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist and dragging me to the door.
“Can we get extra fries?” I asked with a giggle as he locked the door.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Is that even a question?”
Luka’s daycare wasn’t far. We lived in a lovely neighbourhood semi near, and I walked there with him usually. The route was picturesque, and we even passed a small duck pond on the way.
“Do you want me to run in and get him?” I asked Walker as we parked.
He gave me a disbelieving look. “Let's go get our son,” he said, sliding out of the car before I could reply.
Hand in hand, we walked into the reception area. The sound of children screaming in the play area outside made me smile. Luka had only attended a few sessions so far, but I had heard positive things about him making friends.
The receptionist came out from the back office and looked surprised when she saw me.
“Mr. and Mrs. Landry, what can I do for you?” she asked with a smile.
“Just picking up Luka.” I smiled. “How has he been today?”
The receptionist’s face fell slightly, and a look of confusion crept into her features. “Luka was picked up a few hours ago by his father. Gosh, I wish I could remember which one it was!”
I turned to Walker. “Did Blaze or Rune pick him up?” I wasn't going to panic, but I felt slightly uneasy. “I would have assumed they would have at least texted if they did.”
Walker shook his head, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. “If Blaze picked him up and took him out for ice cream, I bet he was so excited he forgot to even tell us,” he muttered. “I wouldn't put it past him, even though he's still supposed to be on shift.”
He was speaking to me in a soft, placating tone, but I could hear the tense undertone to his words.
“Hey, did you or Rune pick Luka up from daycare?” Walker said into the phone. I couldn't hear his response, but I knew the minute Walker's face dropped what it was.
“Walker?” I asked, my voice breaking.
Where the fuck was my baby?
Trying to take slow and steady breaths, I ran through all the possibilities. The only people who knew that Luka attended this day care were my pack members and a few members of their firehouse, as well as my brother and his pack. All people I trusted implicitly.
If my brother had decided to kidnap my baby for some quality uncle time, he would have told me. In fact, he would have immediately sent me a photo of him cuddling my son with a bunch of devil-faced emojis before getting him hopped up on sugar and sending him home to me.
My heart was racing so fast, the blood pounding in my ears, that I couldn't make out what Walker was saying into the phone.
It was like my head was underwater.
Hanging up, Walker stalked to the desk, looking the receptionist dead in the eye. “You need to check this entire building. The members of our pack are all attached to the firehouse, and none of us picked him up,” he growled, his voice full of that alpha dominance and unleashed anger I had never heard before but instantly recognized.
“I…uh…” the receptionist stammered, before rushing out of the room.
“Where’s Luka?” I asked shakily, turning to Walker.
He gently gripped my upper arms, leaning down to look me dead in the eye. “We're not going to panic yet. Luka is a toddler—he could have crawled under something for a nap—and we are going to check this place top to bottom.” His voice was measured, controlled.
“She said someone picked him up?”
“Maybe she was confused. Lots of kids go to this daycare.”
He pulled me into his arms, rubbing my back as he tucked my head under his chin.
Even though I wanted to remain calm until we knew what was going on, I couldn't help the fact that my body was quickly descending into a type of terror I had never experienced before.
Where was my son? Since the day he was born, I knew where he was at every moment of the day.
Walker opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when two members of the staff came rushing into the room. Their panicked looks told us all we needed to know.
“Did you let someone who wasn't one of our pack members pick up our son?” Walker asked in a growl.
“H-he was a member of your pack. He was wearing a firefighting shirt…” one of the girls said.
I should have been crying. I was hearing the worst news any mother could hear, but I couldn't cry. My body was going numb, shutting down from the sheer terror.
“Walker,” I gasped, realization dawning on me. “Gregory.”
He looked down at me, his jaw tense. “There’s no way.”
“They said his dad picked him up,” I whispered, my voice coming out broken and disjointed.
Walker, ever the leader, sprang into action, demanding to see CCTV footage from the reception area. He never let go of me.
Five minutes later, we had all the confirmation we needed when we watched Gregory walk into the reception wearing an LAFD T-shirt on the CCTV footage.
Everything I had done to save my son from the monster who had helped me create him… and he was now with him.
How was I going to get him back?
Could I get him back?
An overwhelming feeling of loneliness overtook me, like a part of my soul had been ripped out.
I was too numb to pay attention as Walker shouted at the daycare staff. His voice was livid, the kind of anger you could feel in your bones. Were I not numb and dissociating, I probably would have been terrified by that voice.
Realistically, I knew that Gregory wouldn't hurt Luka. He needed him. Our son was the key to a larger inheritance and continuing his family line.
That didn't mean he was going to take good care of him, though. Gregory's version of love involved drugging me and taking away my birth control.
Warm arms wrapped around me. Instead of the sweet marshmallow scent I expected from Walker, a chocolaty aroma reached my nose.
Blaze.
When had he gotten here?
Blinking, I looked around the room.
The space was now full of several people, including police officers and all my pack mates.
“Sunshine,” Blaze whispered brokenly as I collapsed in his arms, the tears finally coming and refusing to stop.
As he grabbed me and pulled me into his chest, I clung to him, unable to form words. I could only sob as my world crumbled around me.