Page 51 of Impregnated By the Alpha

“Let’s get back out there and bring her home,” I said, rubbing her arms encouragingly.

We continued our search, making our way south and then west before heading back north to Pinedale. By the time Pinedale was back in sight, we hadn’t seen any signs of Diana, and my worry for Violet was growing by the minute. It was nearing dawn, and although Violet assured me that she felt fine, I could see the exhaustion on her face.

“Violet,” I said in a low voice when the search party took a break just outside of town. “I know you want to be strong and help me right now, but I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“More of what?” she asked.

“Watching you exhaust yourself,” I said, cupping her face with my hand as I rubbed a thumb across her cheek. “Can you please do me a favor and get some sleep?”

“It has been a long night,” she acquiesced. “I’ll go home and rest so you can focus on finding Diana. It will be better for Penny if one of us is there when she wakes up.”

Chapter 25 - Violet

After running all night through the forests as Lavender, it felt strange to walk home through the streets of Pinedale in my human form. The exhaustion, coupled with the odd feeling of moving on two legs, made me feel like a ghost—the absence of anyone in the street only solidified that feeling.

I unlocked the front door quietly so I wouldn’t wake up Penny or her babysitter, Jane, slipping quietly down the hallway toward the stairs. I peeked into the living room, expecting to see Jane napping on the couch. I furrowed my brow when I saw that the blanket was still made on the armrest and decided to check upstairs.

Penny didn’t usually fall asleep without me or Nile putting her to bed. I wondered if Jane had decided to sleep on her trundle bed to help her rest easier.

As much as my aching body wanted to stop on the second floor and fall into my own bed, I pushed myself up the next flight of stairs to Penny’s room.

The door was open, so I stuck my head in to make sure they were both sleeping. The trundle had been pulled out from under Penny’s bed, but both beds were empty. Blankets lie in a tangled mass on the floor, indicating a struggle.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, erasing the exhaustion from my body as I jumped into action.

“Jane! Penny!” I shouted as I flipped the light switch on and dashed into the room.

I yanked the blankets off the ground, revealing Jane’s unmoving form on the floor. She was lying face down, and herarms and legs were bent at an angle, showing she had most likely been attacked from behind.

“Shit,” I muttered, checking her for a pulse. A steady beat came from her wrist, and I let out a sigh of relief that she was still alive.

“Jane,” I said gently, trying to wake her. “It’s Violet. Jane, can you hear me?”

She let out a painful groan and rolled onto her side slowly.

“Easy, easy,” I said, helping her into a more comfortable position. “You’re going to be okay. Can you tell me what happened?”

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, taking in her surroundings briefly. She sat up, and I helped lean her back against the foot of Penny’s bedframe.

“I was coming upstairs to check on Penny,” Jane said in confusion as she held onto the side of her head. “She was crying. I was standing there, and she pointed at her closet. But before I could turn around, something hit me. I don’t remember anything else. Is Penny okay?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Stay right there and don’t move. You probably have a concussion. I’m going to have someone come and take you to the doctor.”

Jane nodded and then winced at the pain from moving her head. I wanted to stay and make sure she was safe, but I needed to find Penny first.

I rushed through the house, checking every room and shouting her name while I searched for her. When I finished my sweep, I dialed Grace’s number. She and April had stayed behind to take charge of the packs in their mates’ absence.

“Grace, it’s me,” I said without preamble. “Penny is missing, and Jane needs a doctor at our house right away. The rest of the search party is still out looking for Diana.”

“Oh, goddess,” Grace cursed. “I’ll send a doctor right away and alert the rest of the packs. What do you need?”

“This is the second disappearance from the Pinedale pack in less than twenty-four hours. I need you to get a head count of the entire pack and make sure no one else is in danger,” I said.

“Done,” she replied. “If there are any intruders still in town, we’ll find them. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find Penny,” I said simply.

There was a beat of silence on the line while Grace processed what I’d said. “Violet,” she began tentatively. “There’s only one of you, and you have no idea where to look for her. We don’t even know who could have taken her yet.”

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