Page 11 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
Luna approached slowly, fighting the instinctive urge to rush forward. “Is everything okay?”
Jenny turned, relief evident at having some help. “Lily, Mrs. Reyes can’t find her son, Lucas. He was here just a few minutes ago.”
Mrs. Reyes clutched her purse with white-knuckled fingers, her eyes red-rimmed and frantic. “I’ve looked everywhere I could think of. He’s wearing a green dinosaur T-shirt and blue jeans. Dark hair, about this tall.” She held her hand about three feet from the ground.
“We’ll find him,” Luna assured her, keeping her voice calm. “Kids often get distracted by books and wander off. The library isn’t that big.”
Jenny nodded. “I’ll check the basement and let the other staff know.” She hurried off, leaving Luna with the distraught mother.
“Come with me,” Luna said gently. “We’ll start with the back corners and work our way forward.”
As they searched, Luna discreetly studied the woman. The genuine fear in her eyes stirred something in Luna’s chest. She’d seen too many families torn apart, and had experienced that loss herself when her mother died.
After fifteen minutes of searching with no sign of Lucas, Mrs. Reyes’s composure began to crack. “What if someone took my boy? Oh God, what if—”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Luna said, though her own concerns were growing.
The library wasn’t large enough for a child to remain hidden this long, not with multiple staff members searching.
They returned to Jenny, who shook her head. She had no luck finding him in the basement or staff areas either.
“I should call the police,” Mrs. Reyes said, searching in her bag for her phone.
Luna made a quick decision. “Give me just a minute. There’s one place we haven’t checked thoroughly.”
She guided the worried mother to a bench near the entrance. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Luna headed to the family restroom, and knocked before entering the empty space. She locked the door behind her and leaned against the sink.
This is stupid. You’re supposed to be hiding.
But the image of the mother’s desperate eyes convinced her.
Luna closed her eyes and did her best to focus on the boy, trying to picture a green dinosaur shirt and dark hair. She felt the familiar tingle of magic stir in her veins, a gentle current compared to the huge wave of power she knew she could access if she dared.
In her mind’s eye, a thin silver thread materialized, stretching from where she stood across the library and…outside?
Luna’s eyes snapped open. Her heart sank as she confirmed what the tracking spell had shown her—the boy had left the building. She rushed from the restroom.
“Mrs. Reyes,” she called, hurrying back to the entrance. “I think we should check outside. Has Lucas ever gone to the playground across the street before?”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Yes, we stop there sometimes after story time, but he knows not to go without me—”
“Children don’t always remember rules when excited,” Luna said, already heading for the door. “Let’s check there first before calling the police.”
They crossed the street to the small community playground, where they found a small boy in a green dinosaur shirt attempting to climb the ladder to the slide, oblivious to the panic he’d caused.
“Lucas!” Mrs. Reyes cried, rushing forward. “Oh my God!”
The boy turned, his face lighting up. “Mommy! Look how high I can go!”
Mrs. Reyes scooped him into her arms, alternating between hugging him fiercely and scolding him through tears. Luna relaxed then, smiling as she watched the reunion.
Totally worth it.
She could feel the tracking spell dissipating, the magic returning to her core.
“How did you know?” Mrs. Reyes asked later, holding Lucas’s hand firmly as they prepared to leave the library.
