Chapter 125: An Unheard Summons.

Chapter 125: An Unheard Summons.
Kane POV

"What do you mean?" I stiffened, a flicker of confusion sparking in my mind.

"When I finally came to bed last night—" Her tone was biting, letting us know she'd been up longer than usual. "—I found the place trashed. Sheets torn off, furniture toppled, the room absolutely wrecked. But your father was nowhere to be found." She paused, her eyes narrowing. 

I felt my body stiffen under a knowing stare but held my own, knowing I had to play the game if I wanted to pull this all off. 

"What, Ma?" I gasped, blinking as I looked between her and the men beside me.

"It was absolutely trashed. I can't sense him through the bond, and he's not responding to mindlinks. It's like he dropped off the planet. Then, halfway through the night, the bond snapped back in, but he still wasn't answering, only a pack message from him; otherwise, it was radio silence. So what exactly happened?" Her tone was harsh, bitter even. I exchanged glances with Adam, who quickly averted his gaze. Liam rubbed at the back of his neck. 

"Luna, we—uh," Liam stammered, searching for an excuse or explanation that wouldn't tie us in knots. "We were all dealing with… a situation in Lottie's room. Maybe he was out, or—"

"Oh, is that so?" She raised a brow. Adam stepped in, though his voice was gruff with leftover anger. 

"Look, Luna, honestly, coming back here has hit Charlotte more than she would like to admit, so we spent the night with her calming her down." He lifted his still-sore knuckles and placed them on his lap as if trying to ground himself. "We have no idea what's been going on with Leigh."

"Really?" My mother eyed him, then flicked her attention to Liam, who shrugged innocently. "All of you?" she asked with a suspicious tone that made my mouth dry instantly. 

"No, I was getting Knox cleaned up so he could say goodbye to Charlotte this morning." I groaned with a fake dramatic shrug.

"That's not good enough. He's your father—my mate. I need to know he's alright." She sighed, frustration lining her forehead. I sat back, folding my arms, giving Adam a look that said, 'Family, eh?'. 

"Why don't you tell us what you know?" Adam offered with a scoff. "But I would remind you, your alpha, your mate, is no concern of the sparrow brothers. Our focus is Lottie... The mother of your grandbabies, who, by the way, is fine, thanks for asking." He added harshly, reminding me of why the Sparrow brothers were so feared. Maybe that's what we need more of.

"As is Knox, who arrived home battered and bruised, if you recall." I chimed in. "Have you seen him at all?" I asked, arching a bow and directing my gaze towards her. My mother sucked down a breath, not used to being spoken to like that but also aware she had been out of line. 

"Is she ok?" she finally asked with a deep sigh; I knew she was only asking not to be labelled a bitch; I could tell from the way she bounced on her heels she didn't truly care. About Lottie or her son.

"We haven't seen Leigh..."

"Dad or alpha!" She interrupted. "You are all being a little too forgetful that he is an Alpha. Our Alpha."

"Your Alpha." Liam cut in.

"We haven't seen Leigh, Ma." I continued with a scoff, as if she had forgotten that he might be an Alpha by name, but he hadn't been a very fucking good one of late. Most things had fallen to me. 

"Luna Laura. What happened? Why do you think there is an issue? Could not have just had bad news and trashed the place?" Liam asked, trying to remain diplomatic, but I got it. We were supposed to be on the same page—playing ignorant, acting as though the father's disappearance or the chaos of the pack was a total shock.

"Why are you in training gear, anyway?" Adam coughed into his hand. "I thought you had a meeting with the Luna's this morning, like every Thursday." 

"You didn't get a mindlink from your dad?" Mom's face shifted from frustration to puzzlement as she looked from them to me. Her earlier words burst into my head. She had heard from him during the night. 

Did she know? Was this a trick? 

"A mindlink? No." I replied, cooley, as Adam, Liam, and I exchanged uncertain glances. My back tensed, waiting for her to reply. Had something happened while we were away from the pack in that demonic realm? Or were we the something?

"I didn't get anything," I confirmed, shooting a quick look at Liam, to see him checking his phone for the millionth time this hour.

"He mindlinked the entire pack last night—" She shifted her weight, and her confusion quickly turned to alarm. "Everyone was told we were under attack. Apparently, he's called all able-bodied wolves to gather for training drills. That's why I'm wearing this." She gestured to her exercise clothes. "He didn't share details or reply to my questions or anyone else. Just that we needed to prepare."

My heart hammered. Under attack? Did he mean us? Or had he managed to fuck up more than I thought? Liam's jaw tightened, and Adam's eyes closed as he let out a deep sigh. If the entire pack had been called up, and we missed it… that meant we were in the dark, left out, or the orders never reached us. 

Which meant one of two things: Something had gone very wrong with our father and Astaroth, or I had been deliberately cut off from the pack's mindlink. Neither option boded well.

"Knox." I asked through mindlink. 

"Your timing is shit bro." He growled, the sensation swimming down the bond telling me he was 'entertaining' Charlotte, something that pissed me off further because I was here dealing with adult stuff as always while he was up there... having all the fun.

"Did Father mindlink you to say we were under attack and to come to the training yard?" I asked; the frustration through our bond evaporated as he processed my words. 

"Nope. We are on our way down." His only reply for a moment. I was about to cut off the link when his voice bounced back inside my head. "Might be a while, though... Mumma wolf won't let me help get her dressed, and she can barely get off the damn bed."

"Should we leave her there to rest?" I asked, worried that she might be in danger if she were to come down into the thick of my pack drama. 

"If you think I am leaving her alone ever again..."

"Ok ok... but don't rush her." I smiled and cut the link off, still feeling the stupid grin on my face as I zoned back in on the conversation around me. Tension rippled through the air, overshadowing the comedic scolding from moments earlier. My mother's gaze bored into us, searching for answers we didn't have. The whiskey on the ground felt wasted, and the burning in my chest renewed itself, fueled by dread. My father was 'missing', Not replying to mother... The pack was apparently on high alert, and we'd been left on the sidelines. Were we about to walk into a trap? Or had my father royally screwed up and Astaroth's minions were about to flood our territory.

"Under attack by who?" Adam found his voice first, though it came out in a low growl.

"I was hoping you could tell me that." Mom set her jaw as she crossed her arms like a pouting child. A hush draped over us. I squeezed my fists at my sides, unspent fury curling in my gut. This morning had already begun in chaos—and now we faced a bigger crisis than Connie's manipulations. 

A new wave of frustration threatened to crush me, but all I could do was glare at the empty space behind my mother, the battered door half ajar as if beckoning us back inside to find answers.

"So," I stated, my voice low with rage I could no longer hide, "We'd better figure out what the hell is going on."

"Yes. And fast." Mom nodded. I gave the puddle of whiskey one last regretful glance. No time to regret that waste now. I could practically hear the call to arms reverberating through my bones, even if the mindlink never reached me. My frustration spiked as Rolo serviced.

"He thinks Knox is dead; he thinks you were probably killed by Asatroth. Lottie too. It would be my guess he is preparing for a fight with the…"

"Royals." I replied internally. Steeling my jaw, I squared my shoulders, turning to face my mother. I could see the worry etched around her eyes, the strain in the set of her mouth.

"Alright," I said curtly. "Guess we'll earn our breakfast the old-fashioned way. Let's go."