Hunter, a name that made me relive painful memories. For a long time, Hunter had been my forbidden passion, the father of my children. He was a secret I kept hidden, even from Stacy.
I felt a lump form in my throat, but my response was firm. “My children don't have a father, Officer Moore. I take care of them alone.”
Moore frowned, clearly intrigued. “So, did you opt for in vitro fertilization or something of the sort?”
I sighed, feeling the weight of the lie on my shoulders. “Something like that, yes.”
The officer nodded, making a few more notes in his notepad. He seemed to understand that our situation was complicated and delicate.
“I understand,” he said, then asked, “Do you have any idea where we can start the investigation, or if there's anyone who might have an interest in taking your children?”
I looked into the policeman's eyes, feeling the urgency pulsating within me. “I don't know, Officer Moore. I just want them back. In two days, my children will turn six, and all I want is to have them back. Is there hope, right?”
Officer Moore made some notes in his notepad before looking at me with compassion. “Our investigation is just beginning, Mrs. Silver. So far, there are no signs of violence beyond what happened to Mrs. Stacy. We'll work calmly and precisely to find out what happened.”
My mind was spinning as his words echoed in my ears. Everything was happening too fast, and my anxiety only increased as the minutes passed. I could barely believe that in just two days, my children would turn six. Their birthdays had always been a reason for celebration and joy, but now, they were missing, and my heart was broken.
“I need to find them, Officer Moore,” I murmured, tears welling up in my eyes again. “They're all I have, and I can't lose them. Is there any hope that we'll find them safe?”
Officer Moore's response was thoughtful, his eyes expressing a sincerity I longed to hear. “We'll do our best, Mrs. Silver. We'll investigate calmly, but it's important not to set too high expectations at this time. We'll find your children and bring justice to whoever did this. Count on the police, and if you know anything, please don't hesitate to inform us.”
His words weighed heavily on my heart. I couldn't imagine a life without my children, without the laughter and joy they brought to my existence. But I knew that reality was setting in, and uncertainties loomed, enveloping my heart in darkness.
With a deep sigh, I looked at the photo of my children on the coffee table, promising myself that I would do anything to have them back in my arms and face the unknown with the determination of a mother who would never give up.
***
After Officer Andrew Moore and the other agents left, the house fell silent, but the tension lingering in the air seemed never to have dissipated. Stacy, the nanny who had become a dear part of our lives, was now dead, and my children were missing. The uncertainty of what had happened to them haunted me, leaving a deep void in my chest.
I knew the investigation was ongoing, but I couldn't just wait. I couldn't stand by while my children were in danger. There was something inside me, a beast that had been dormant for a long time, something I had repressed since the birth of the triplets. It was my werewolf nature, and I needed to awaken it.
I decided to do something I hadn't done in six years. I would transform into my wolf form to search for my children. It was an ability I hadn't used in six years since the triplets were born, and I had kept my nature under control all this time to protect them.
I went to the center of the room, where the Blue Moon still shone through the windows, casting an ethereal light over the space. I knew this transformation wasn't easy, especially after so long without using it, but it was the only way to get closer to my children.
I closed my eyes, seeking to connect with my inner wolf, that wild being that was part of me. Concentration was essential.
The first moments were strange and uncertain, like groping in the dark. I focused on memories, memories of when I last transformed, when I left my pack and came to Seattle. I remembered the sensation of my bones elongating, of muscles stiffening, of skin turning into fur, and the uncontrollable fury that came with the transformation.
I took a deep breath, trying to find the beast within me, but something was wrong. My skin didn't prickle, my nails didn't lengthen, and my fangs didn't emerge.
Normally, the sensation of transformation would start to take hold of me, claws would appear, senses would sharpen, and I would feel at one with my wolf. But none of this was happening.
“Wolf,” I whispered, as if calling an old friend. “It's time to awaken.”
My mind couldn't connect with the primal strength I had known since childhood. It simply wasn't there. Desperation began to grow within me.
“Come on, Fierce,” I whispered to myself, trying to find that hidden part of my soul. “You need to do this. Your children need you.”
I tried once more, closing my eyes and delving into the dark depths of my essence. For years, I had always known how to invoke my wolf nature, how to channel the fury and strength it represented.
“What the hell is happening to me?” I whispered to myself, feeling a deep and dark void in the core of my soul. I tried again, but the sense of emptiness persisted.
The transformation should have been a natural act, an extension of who I was as a werewolf. I had never had trouble transforming before, even when it wasn't necessary. But at that moment, when I needed my wolf's strength and instincts more than ever, they eluded me.
“Why aren't you responding?” I whispered, now with tears in my eyes. My wolf, who had always been my strength, seemed to have abandoned me at a time when I needed her most.
I kept trying, fighting the fear that was beginning to creep in. I struggled to evoke the most primitive part of my nature, but nothing happened. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I whispered to myself, as if my own words could bring back my wolf.
“Where are you? What happened to you?”
My voice echoed in the empty room, without an answer. The feeling of helplessness engulfed me, and I felt more vulnerable than ever. My inner wolf had always been a fundamental part of who I was, and its absence left me with an inexplicable void.
But it was as if my inner wolf had disappeared, as if it had been erased. Fear began to seep into my mind. What had happened to me?
I knew my transformation was an act of desperation, an attempt to find my children, but now I was facing an inexplicable block. Frustration mixed with fear, and I felt powerless. My most fundamental ability as a werewolf, my connection to my wild nature, had vanished. And at that moment, I was alone and vulnerable, not knowing how to protect my children or find them.
Tears streamed down my face as
I gazed into the void. The world outside continued to move, indifferent to my pain. What would I do now? How would I find my children without the strength my wolf form provided me?
With a heavy sigh, I rose from the floor and walked to the window. The Blue Moon still shone in the night sky, but its light didn't bring me the same sense of power and comfort as it used to. I looked out at the forest surrounding my home, a place that had always been my refuge, and now I felt a strange distance between me and the world I knew.