chapter 118
Tori's POV:
My grandmother's trembling voice turned my blood to ice.
"What happened? When?" My voice sounded foreign to my own ears, higher and strained with rising panic.
Lucas tensed beside me, his body instantly alert.
His hand moved to my lower back—steady, grounding, a silent promise of support.
"She was playing at the suburban park near the old amusement grounds," Eileen's voice cracked. "Janet stepped away to take a call—just for a minute, she swears. When she turned back, Anna was gone. The police—"
Suddenly, I heard Eileen's voice change, filled with joyful relief.
"Anna!" she exclaimed, her tone transforming from despair to delight.
I could hear muffled voices in the background, then Eileen returned to the phone.
"Tori, Andrew just brought her home! He says he spotted a stranger leading Anna away near the park. She was crying, so he intervened and took the man to the police station before bringing Anna back to us."
I exhaled deeply, my entire body sagging with relief.
"Thank goodness," I whispered, my voice shaky. "Please tell Andrew I'm incredibly grateful. "
After a few more reassurances that Anna was truly safe, I ended the call and turned to Lucas, whose face remained tense with concern.
"Anna is okay," I told him, my voice still unsteady. "Andrew found her with a stranger and intervened. He's brought her home safely."
Lucas's expression softened slightly. He pulled me into his arms, one hand cradling the back of my head.
"You should rest," he murmured against my hair. "It's late."
Too exhausted to argue, I let him guide me back to the bedroom.
The emotional whiplash had left me drained, and I fell asleep almost instantly in Lucas's protective embrace, his warmth a shield against the night's terrors.
The next morning, I was awakened by my phone's insistent ringing.
Groggily reaching for it, I saw Eileen's name on the screen.
"Grandma? Is everything okay with Anna?" I asked immediately, sitting up.
"Anna is fine, dear, but..." her voice shifted. "The police questioned that man Andrew apprehended. Tori, he confessed that Hannah paid him to take Anna."
"I can't believe she would do something so heartless. Anna is just a child! Five years old! And she had the nerve to arrange her kidnapping!"
I held the phone slightly away from my ear as Eileen's rage poured through.
Her normally gentle voice had transformed into something I'd rarely heard before.
After her outburst, her voice broke, and I could hear her crying.
"Tori, she did this to force you to withdraw your lawsuit against that Price girl. She prioritized her stepdaughter over her own flesh and blood. How could I have raised such a heartless creature? What kind of mother does this?"
The pain in her voice mirrored the ache in my chest.
Despite everything Hannah had done to me, hearing my grandmother's distress was almost worse.
"Grandma, please don't cry," I said softly, my own emotions churning. After a pause, I asked the question weighing on my mind: "What do you want to do about this? "
I worried that despite everything, Eileen might hesitate to take legal action against her own daughter. The bonds of motherhood ran deep, even when betrayed.
"We absolutely must hold her accountable," Eileen stated with surprising firmness. "If we don't, who knows what she might do next? For Anna's sake, we can't let this go unpunished!"
...
Alexander's POV:
The ringing of my phone interrupted my concentration.
It was Martha, our housekeeper, her normally composed voice now tight with urgency that immediately set my wolf on edge.
"Mr. Price, there's an emergency. Law enforcers have taken Mrs. Sullivan to the detention center."
My pen snapped between my fingers. "What?"
Twenty minutes later, I was striding through the sterile corridors of the Moonhaven Enforcement Facility. The scent of anxiety and dominance permeated the air.
"Your wife is being held on charges of conspiracy to abduct," explained Malcolm Reed, my attorney.
His voice carried the practiced calm of someone accustomed to delivering bad news to wealthy clients. "She allegedly hired two rogues to capture a little girl named Anna."
"Anna? " My stomach tightened. "Why would Hannah do something so foolish?"
Malcolm's expression remained professionally neutral. "According to the preliminary investigation, it was an attempt to pressure your stepdaughter, Tori Sullivan, into withdrawing her testimony in the Morris case."
I closed my eyes, feeling a headache building.
"This couldn't come at a worse time," I muttered, my face turning livid with anger.
Thanks to Fiona becoming Ethan's mate, our family had enjoyed elevated status in Moonhaven's social circles. Many envied our connection to the powerful Grayson pack.
But now? After Fiona's scandal, I couldn't attend a business gathering without sensing the smirks and hearing the whispered comments. Everyone was speculating whether the Graysons would discard her once she delivered the pup.
And now Hannah was arrested. Our reputation would be in tatters.
"Find a way to get her released immediately," I instructed Malcolm. "I'll call my mother-in-law."
I stepped away for privacy and dialed Eileen.
The conversation went exactly as I expected – her voice cold, her position unyielding. She wanted Hannah to face consequences.
I took a deep drag from my cigarette, exhaling slowly. Time for emotional leverage.
"Mother, did you know that several weeks ago, Hannah miscarried? She almost died on the operating table."
Silence greeted my revelation.
I continued, pressing my advantage. "Her body hasn't been the same since. If you insist on pursuing this case against her, I fear the emotional strain might be too much for her weakened condition."
A heavy silence hung on the line. I could almost see Eileen's internal struggle – her anger at Hannah's actions battling with maternal instinct.
"Fine," she finally conceded, her voice softer than before. "I won't pursue charges from our side. "
I exhaled in relief, thanking her before ending the call. With the victim's family dropping charges, Hannah's release should be straightforward.
Yet three days later, she remained in detention.
"I don't understand," I confronted Malcolm. "They aren't pressing charges. Why is she still being held?"
"Someone with significant influence is applying pressure," he explained carefully. "The enforcement officials are deliberately dragging their feet."
It didn't take a genius to figure out who.
My last resort was calling Tori directly. Her voice was guarded when she answered.
"I had nothing to do with Hannah's detention," she stated before I could fully explain.
"Can't you at least talk to Alpha Lucas? After all, she hasn't had time to do anything yet." I pressed. "Despite everything, she's still your mother."
"I'm sorry, Alexander. This is out of my hands." Her tone was final, making it clear she had no intention of intervening.
That evening, frustration drove me to the bottom of several whiskey glasses at the Silver Moon Lounge. The room spun slightly as I made my way to the exit, colliding with someone in the dimly lit hallway.
"Excuse me," a feminine voice murmured.
I blinked through my alcohol haze, staring at a face that knocked the air from my lungs.
Auburn hair, green eyes, and that small birthmark near her left eyebrow – she could have been my first mate's twin.
"Evelyn?" I whispered, reaching out unsteadily.
The woman tilted her head, a coquettish smile playing on her lips. "You've had too much to drink, handsome. I'm not your Evelyn."