Page 23 of Taken By the Wolf Daddy

“What?” Ed demanded in shock. “What do you mean?”

I sighed heavily before I continued. “She’s my ex, and she says that she’s here for me, but I don’t know. It’s a coincidence, isn’t it?”

A murmur spread around the room and guilt flooded me. If this was Ophelia, then the deaths were on my hands too. She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. She wouldn’t be doing any of this.

Finally, James spoke up, his voice tinged with gravity, silencing everyone else. “I found something,” he announced from Daniel’s computer, his eyes locked on to the screen. “It’s not good.”

“What have you found?” I demanded anxiously.

My heart sank as James spoke out, revealing the chilling details of Ophelia’s recent history. “Six months ago,” James began, his voice carrying a somber tone, “her pack, the Moonshadow Clan, was ruthlessly slaughtered by human hunters. It was a brutal massacre, leaving no survivors except for one member who managed to escape, though badly wounded.”

The room was filled with hushed murmurs and uneasy glances as we absorbed this grim information. The Moonshadow Clan was a famous pack from New York, and their sudden annihilation sent shockwaves through our tight-knit community. Especially with Ophelia here.

James continued, his words heavy with implication, “What’s most unsettling is that the survivor reported that Ophelia had fled the scene even before the attack occurred. It was as if she had known what was coming, as if she had betrayed her own pack.”

A heavy silence hung in the room, the implications of Ophelia’s actions sinking in. The betrayal of one’s own kind was a grave offense, one that was met with universal condemnation among our kind. It was a kin slaying, a betrayal of our most sacred principles.

I exchanged glances with my fellow clan members, our expressions a mixture of disbelief and concern. Ophelia’s actions raised countless questions and cast a dark shadow over her motivations. Was she responsible for the deaths of her own pack members? Had she willingly led the Hunters to them?

The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken questions and fears. We were faced with a traitor in our midst, and the urgency of our mission had intensified. Ophelia was not only a rogue wolf; she was a dangerous enigma with a past tainted by betrayal and death. It was becoming increasingly clear that she had become unhinged, and that the deaths were more than likely her. I hated that, but it was time to embrace the truth before anyone else was murdered.

“We need to find her,” I declared, my voice resolute. “We can’t allow her to continue this path of destruction.”

The members of our pack and our allies nodded in agreement, their determination mirrored in their eyes. Everyone started to plan, to track down this woman, as Octavio pulled me to one side. “Your ex?” he asked in confusion. “That must be really hard.”

“We were together a long time ago, a very long time ago, and I didn’t understand why she was back, but it seems like it’s for this, not me.”

“You don’t think she just wants you back?” Octavio cocked his head to one side. “And what about you? I need to know where your feelings lie.”

“Not with her,” I immediately shot back, needing to let him know that I wasn’t about to betray anyone. “I’m… kind of with someone else.”

“Marie.”

I stared at him in shock. “How do you know?”

“You know, Jesse,” Octavio began, his eyes steady, with a small smile playing on his lips, “I can see that you care for Marie. It’s obvious. You two would make a good match. She makes you light up in a way I haven’t seen before. You’re different around her… softer. You smile more. I think she’s taken root in your heart, which is something you should really explore. Life is too short to not be with the person who makes you smile.”

I nodded, my thoughts drifting to Marie and the undeniable attraction that had blossomed between us. But as I considered the path ahead, I knew that there were complications we needed to address. “You’re right, Octavio,” I replied, my voice tinged with uncertainty. “But there’s the matter of Mike, her father. I don’t know how he’d react to us being together.”

Octavio leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. “You should talk to him, Jesse. It’s better to have that conversation sooner rather than later. It might be a difficult one, but it’s necessary if you want to pursue a future with Marie. If you want to be happy. If this has taught us anything, it’s that life is too short.”

I knew Octavio was right, but the thought of confronting Mike, my best friend, and revealing my feelings for his daughter was a daunting prospect. Still, I understood that our circumstances were far from ordinary, and our lives were intertwined in ways that couldn’t be ignored. We were going to have to talk to him eventually. I just wasn’t sure when. He seemed to suspect anyway, but he’d told me to keep far away. But I couldn’t, and I wanted to make him understand that.

After our conversation, we set out to resume our search for Ophelia, determined to bring her to justice. The woods were vast and unforgiving, and finding her elusive tracks proved to be a challenging task. As we combed through the wilderness, our senses on high alert, frustration began to settle in. There was no sign of her, and it felt as though we were chasing shadows.

Hours turned into a seemingly endless pursuit, and the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the forest into darkness. We regrouped, our spirits weighed down by the fruitless search.

“I can’t believe we haven’t found anything,” James muttered, his frustration evident.

I shared his sentiments, but I couldn’t afford to lose hope. “We’ll keep looking,” I assured them, my determination unwavering. “We can’t let her escape justice. This isn’t right. What she’s doing isn’t right. And if I know Ophelia, it won’t be long until she’s back, ready to cause more trouble. We just need to be ready for her. That’s all.”

THIRTEEN

MARIE

The morning sun streamed through the windows as I entered my father’s home, Belle happily bouncing alongside me. I had spent the night at Jesse’s place, and now I wanted to make sure that my father was doing alright. As much as we’d had our differences lately, I still cared deeply for him. I also didn’t want him to pick up on the fact that anything had changed. I didn’t want him to know anything about Jesse and me until we were ready to tell him. Because I supposed we were going to have to tell him eventually. Especially now.

“Morning, Dad,” I greeted him with a warm smile, hoping to ease the lingering tension that seemed to hang in the air.

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