46. Walker
Chapter 46
Walker
I had failed.
How could I have let this happen?
My omega was a mess, which was understandable, because the monster from her past had her son.
Rune dragged me to the side, away from the police officers and nursery staff.
“What the fuck?” I growled, attempting to yank my arm away. Unfortunately for me, my pack mate was strong.
“You need to calm down right now,” Rune said in a low voice.
“How the fuck can you expect me to be calm?” I growled.
“Trust me, this is tearing me up inside, but Sunny is falling apart, and we need to keep our shit together and get our son back!”
A growl escaped my chest as I looked around the room, my eyes landing on my omega, who was sobbing in Blaze’s arms. It was such a pained sound, it made my alpha lose his ever-loving mind.
Taking a deep breath, I ran a hand over my face. Rune was right. I needed to keep it together, for my pack. Staying calm and collected would get us through this.
“Now, we need to go talk to the officer that just arrived,” Rune told me.
I nodded, taking another deep breath. Even from across the room, the scent of Sunny’s despair was cloying.
“Hi, I’m Walker, head of Pack Landry,” I introduced myself, holding out a hand. “Luka’s father. According to the facility’s CCTV footage, Gregory Frankbert is the one who took our son.”
The officer shook my hand, a grim look on his face.
I could hear Sunny sniffling behind me as Blaze held her. She wore a vacant expression of shock similar to my own.
“I’m Officer Hilton. Look, I’ll be frank with you, Mr. Landry. We received a call from Gregory Frankbert’s lawyer this morning. They made it clear that he is the father of the child and has rights. If he is the biological father, this isn't a kidnapping.”
Isn’t a kidnapping?
Did he seriously have the fucking audacity to say that?
My blood boiled with rage, and I had to restrain myself, otherwise I was going to launch myself at him and make him regret those words.
Calling the police beforehand seemed like just the kind of underhanded tactic Gregory would use. Had he thrown his money around to ensure he got what he wanted?
“Luka is my child, not his.”
Officer Hilton shrugged. “I think this is a civil matter for the family courts and not a police matter.”
I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. “Someone that wasn't permitted to remove a child from a daycare removed a child from the daycare, and you don't think it's a police matter?” I asked, unable to comprehend the level of stupidity coming out of this idiot's mouth.
If it hadn’t been for Rune standing next to me, his hand on my shoulder holding me back, I probably would have launched myself at him.
It would have been worth a night in prison.
“Go home, Mr. Landry. We’ll be in touch once we’ve spoken to Gregory. You’re blowing this way out of proportion. We are looking into it, which is more than we should do at this point, honestly. The Frankberts are a good family, and you should think twice before falsely accusing them of such things.”
I needed to take a step back, or I was going to punch him in his stupid face.
Pacing the kitchen, I wasn’t interested in food, nor did I want to stay still.
Pack law was crystal clear—Luka was ours, and Gregory had no claim whatsoever. Officer Fuck Face was either prejudiced against packs or wanted in with Georgy’s rich-ass family.
Either way, the police assistance looked like it was going to be minimal.
My eyes wandered over to the back door, where several of Luka’s little shoes sat. Even though he was hardly toddling around, Sunny had bought him many pairs.
His backpack hung from a peg. Cocking my head to the side, I looked at the backpack in confusion. “Sunny!” I shouted, unable to look away from the shoes.
“Yes?” She padded into the kitchen. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying, and all her usual color had left her face.
“Why is Luka’s backpack here?” I asked, pointing at the back door.
Sunny looked at the backpack, then to me. “He took his new one. The one you got for him?” She spoke calmly, almost devoid of emotion. It was horrible to see. She had admitted she knew that Gregory wouldn’t hurt Luka, but that didn’t make us feel any better.
Luka was ours, and he needed to be home and in his mother’s arms.
“What do you mean?”
“It was just sitting on the kitchen counter this morning, so I assumed it was for him and sent him to daycare with it.”
Relief, pure, unadulterated relief, washed over me.
“Sunny, you fucking genius!” I shouted in glee, pulling her into my arms and spinning her around.
“W-what,” she stammered, looking at me in confusion as I grinned like a lunatic, and my pack mates trailed into the kitchen, alerted by all the noise.
“The backpack is special. I didn't tell you, because I was planning to give it to you over the next day or two. Sunny, that backpack contains a tracker!” I exclaimed, holding her by the upper arms.
Several emotions flitted across her face. Panic, worry, and hope. “W-what do you mean?”
“It's this online company that makes special backpacks and shoes for kids. You can always track the location of the backpack via your phone! If he took that backpack to daycare today, we can track it!”
“Why didn't you tell us?” Rune asked, his face cautiously optimistic.
“I didn't know he was wearing the backpack. I thought it was still in the box.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “There should be a serial number somewhere in the box that I can put into the app and track where the backpack is.”
“I’ll get it out of the trash!” Blaze said, dashing from the room.
Thank god it wasn’t trash day.
Sunny started to shake. “We’re going to find him,” she whispered.
I nodded. “We are,” I assured her. Now I had a purpose. I knew what to do to get Luka back.
“Should we tell the police?” Rune asked, resting his hands on Sunny’s shoulders, like he was scared to be too far away from her.
I understood that feeling well.
I shook my head. “We’ll call them, but I’m not relying on those fuckers for anything,” I growled.
Blaze came bounding into the room, the colorful cardboard packaging from the backpack in his grasp. He handed it to me, and I started ripping it apart to find the information as the app downloaded on my phone.
Sunny paced the kitchen, muttering to herself, the wait no doubt stressing her to the point of insanity.
Ten minutes.
It took ten minutes to set up the app, but when the map loaded, a little red dot symbolizing the backpack flashed on the screen.
“It’s at the coast, maybe an hour’s drive away?” I said, tilting the screen, trying to figure out the location. “What the hell is out that way?”
Sunny shot up from her seat and pulled the phone from my grasp, her brow furrowing. “I know this place—Gregory’s family has a house out there, but it’s old and has zero staff.”
I nodded. “Let’s go get our son.”
Sunny insisted on coming with us. I didn’t like the idea, but I understood her desire.
“Cher, it’s not safe,” Rune said.
“You’re waiting in the car,” I insisted as we all piled into my SUV.
“Sure thing,” she muttered as she did up her belt.