Page 29 of Taken By the Wolf Daddy

I rolled my eyes. She was doing whatever she could to play with me. This was far beyond anything I had expected. “Ophelia, please, let Marie go. I can get you help, but you have to release her.”

She hesitated, and for a moment, I dared to hope. But then her voice, laced with anguish, filled the silence. “I need you to come to me, Jesse. Alone. If you bring anyone else, I can’t guarantee Marie’s safety. I want you, and you alone.”

Desperation welled up within me as I weighed my options. I couldn’t risk Marie’s life by involving others, but I also couldn’t walk into the lion’s den unarmed. “I’ll come, Ophelia, but you have to promise me that you won’t hurt Marie. She’s innocent in all of this and you know it. Whatever you think is going on, isn’t.”

Ophelia’s tone grew colder, her grip on reality slipping further. “I promise nothing, Jesse. But you’ll see that it’s all for the best. We’ll finally be together like we were meant to be.”

The line went dead, leaving me with a hollow feeling in my chest. I knew I had to go alone, confront Ophelia, and find a way to save Marie. The forest seemed to close in around me, every tree and shadow a potential threat. But there was no turning back now. I had to face the darkness that awaited me and hope that I could bring Marie home safely.

“What the hell is going on?” the voice beside me demanded. I knew he deserved answers, and despite my desperation to reach Marie, I couldn’t leave him in the dark.

“Mike,” I began, my voice tense but determined, “Ophelia’s taken Marie. She’s got her somewhere in these woods, and I have to go find her. I swear I’ll bring her back safe.”

“Right. Well, I will come too so we can put an end to this…”

“You can’t,” I interjected quickly. “Ophelia said I have to come alone. But don’t worry, I will keep Marie safe. I’ll make sure she’s okay, you know I will.”

Mike’s eyes were a storm of emotions–fear, anger, and helplessness–but he nodded slowly, his voice trembling as he responded, “You better, Jesse. She’s my daughter, and I won’t forgive you if anything happens to her.”

I swallowed hard, understanding the gravity of the situation. “I know, Mike. I won’t let anything happen to her. But I need you to trust me right now.”

His gaze bore into mine, searching for reassurance. “Just bring her back, Jesse. I will wait at home for you there to care for her whatever she needs.

Without another word, I turned and raced deeper into the woods, the dense foliage swallowing me whole. I could sense my pack watching from a distance, ready to intervene if necessary. I would be able to talk to them in my wolf form, but I remained human even though it put me at a slight disadvantage. I didn’t want to find Ophelia as a wolf and thereby showing her I was ready for a fight. My idea was to try and keep this calm to keep this from getting more out of hand than it already was.

Every step I took deeper into the forest filled me with a growing sense of dread. The trees whispered secrets I couldn’t decipher, and the shadows seemed to dance with malevolent intent. Time was slipping away, and I needed to reach Marie before Ophelia’s madness could harm her. Before Ophelia could carry out whatever her terrible plan was.

If Ophelia really had turned her pack over to hunters and just let them all die in New York, then there was no telling what she would do here. The thought gnawed at me as I ran. Her actions had shown a callous disregard for her own pack members, and it was clear that she was capable of betraying those closest to her.

As much as I wanted to confront her and demand answers, I couldn’t afford to let my emotions get the best of me. Marie’s safety was paramount, and I needed to focus on finding her. Ophelia seemed to revel in the power she held over me, taunting me with cryptic hints and threats.

My phone buzzed in my pocket–a message from Big Ed, who was tracking my every move from a safe distance. He had spotted Ophelia’s scent and provided me with a rough direction. It was a small lifeline in the chaos of the forest. Thank God he knew where I was and what I was doing. I felt much better about having him on standby, even if I didn’t want to bring anyone else into this mess. Things were bad enough.

I navigated the treacherous terrain, my senses on high alert. The moon had risen high overhead, casting an eerie glow on the wilderness. I could feel Ophelia’s presence drawing closer, like a predator closing in on its prey. Only I wouldn’t be her prey, and nor would Marie. The quicker I made Ophelia aware of that, the better.

Chapter 17 (Marie):

My head throbbed as consciousness slowly returned. It took me a few moments to recall anything that had happened, I couldn’t work out right away why I wasn’t in my bed, but eventually, I recalled the confrontation that happened right outside my home. Ophelia. She harmed me, didn’t she? She hurt me and knocked me out and now… Well, I found myself bound to a tree in the depths of the forest. Panic surged through me as I tried to move, but the ropes dug into my wrists, holding me firmly in place. My eyes darted around, trying to make sense of my surroundings.

And then I saw her–Ophelia, her face twisted by madness, hovering menacingly in front of me. She wore a deranged smile, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling light.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Ophelia?” I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. “Taking a hostage on a mountainside patrolled by wolves? You’ve lost it!”

Ophelia’s laughter echoed through the dense forest, sending shivers down my spine. “Oh, Marie, you don’t understand. This isn’t about the wolves. It’s about us, Jesse and me. And now, you’re a part of it. I mean, you made yourself a part of it, didn’t you?”

My heart sank as I realized the depth of Ophelia’s delusion. She believed that I was somehow involved in her twisted fantasy with Jesse. But I had to keep her talking, keep her distracted until help arrived. If help was coming. Help had to be coming, right?

“Ophelia, please, we can find help for you,” I pleaded, my voice laced with desperation. “Jesse wants to help you, too. Just let me go, and we can figure this out together.”

Ophelia’s expression shifted from manic delight to a twisted kind of rage. “No, no, no! You don’t understand! I want him all to myself and he won’t just give himself over to me. He won’t do it, and I think you are the reason he won’t.”

“I… I’m nothing.”

“Liar.” She got right up in my face, so her spittle started to cover me as she talked. “Don’t try and pretend to me that there isn’t something going on with you and Jesse. I know there is. I’ve seen you, I’ve seen the pair of you. I know.”

My heart hammered nervously. How the hell was I going to get out of this?

As Ophelia rambled on about her and Jesse, and how they were destined to be together, I couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of unease. Her words were filled with a distorted sense of reality, and it was clear that reason wouldn’t reach her. She was trapped in her own madness, and I was her captive audience.

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