"There's your daddy."
André Belcourt looked up from his paperwork to smile at his sister, Yvonne, as she came swirling into his office with his 6-month-old son, Lorenzo, giggling at her action and waving his chubby little arms around. She stopped right in front of his desk, plopped the blond, curly-haired, blue-eyed baby down right on top of his papers.
Lorenzo smiled at the sight of André and held out his arms to be picked up. André gathered him close. He breathed in the sweet scent of him before standing quickly and lifting him above his head, eliciting a squeal of giggles. He lowered him slowly and kissed him on the nose. Tucking him on his hip, he turned smiling blue eyes to Yvonne as she tried to tidy her long golden brown hair.
"What have you been up to today?" he asked as he headed towards the door.
"So much. And at every stop that little imp tried to eat anything he could get in his sticky fingers. Including one of your warrior's tails."
André gave a shout of laughter, causing smiles from the pack members within hearing. "Who?"
"Clark. Unfortunately not one of the wolves that would find it funny. Very high on his dignity is Clark."
"I'll need to remember not to tease him about it then. What's for dinner tonight?" he asked with a smile as they entered the dining hall and headed towards the main table.
"Bœuf bourguignon." Yvonne watched him settle in the Alpha's chair before taking the spot beside him that was hers as the acting Luna of the Bell Moon Pack.
***
Yvonne sighed, watching him feed Lorenzo tiny pieces of his meal. It had been four years since the unjust law that allowed males to claim females who were not their true soulmates had been overturned. She and her brothers had since then looked in vain for their true mates.
Eventually Luc had shrugged and returned to his carefree lifestyle. She hadn't given up hope, but some days where harder than others. André had taken it particularly hard. As an Alpha, there was immense pressure to have a Luna and an heir. But he hadn't been willing to give up the chance that she was out there still. With his peoples' very vocal worry for him, he had been constantly reminded that her presence was missing in his life.
Then his best friend and fellow Alpha had died four months after finding his soulmate. And she, after five months trying to cope without him, came to André, telling him that she needed something to get up for. Something to live for and asked him for a child, telling him his true mate would understand. He resisted her longer than anyone had thought possible. But one night he gave in and Lorenzo was his reward.
What she hadn't seen fit to inform him was that she had no plans to live past the birth. Nor did she. However, her gift had taken the nagging away. And the worry. Everyone had accepted that the Belcourt siblings were of the ill-fated ones not meant to find mates. With him having an heir and Yvonne acting as Luna, the pack had finally left the subject alone.
Yvonne had wanted to scream at them. But instead learned to ignore their pitying looks, like a good Luna should. She hadn't given up hope. She truly believed that the Moon Goddess wouldn't have given them the responsibility of fixing the whole soulmate chaos if she didn't have special ones for them. Yvonne would never credit that she would be that cruel. The Moon Goddess loved her followers. Their true mates were just a tiny bit slow in showing up, that all.
Andrés booming laugh and their younger sister, Celeste's, delighted giggle had the whole pack smiling as Lorenzo tried to feed his father a carrot. Yvonne's eyes soften. Maybe they had to wait for their soulmates, so the Moon Goddess could give them the true gift that was Lorenzo.
***
"André!" Yvonne's soft scream sounded through their mind link and his head shot up in alarm. The word sounded so far away, as if she was almost out of reach, and full of desperation and pain. In an instant he reacted. Sprinting from his office he headed at top speed to her rooms. Calling for Theo, his Beta, to meet him there. He didn't slow down to open her door, just crashed through it. The scene before him was like a kick to the gut. A battle had taken place here, furniture thrown, items broken, and two dead men. The trail of destruction and blood led into the nursery. Bracing himself and hearing Theo's shocked growl, he entered.
Yvonne lay in a pool of widening blood, a silver dagger still lodged in her side. Her eyes were closed and a darkening bruise glowed on her forehead. Lorenzo was nowhere to be seen.
"Yvonne!" He rushed to her and, pulling the dagger free of her flesh, flung it away. Scooping her up, he turned and used his full speed to get to the Pack hospital, mind linking the staff he was coming and what to expect. Then he mentally reached for Theo. "Find Lorenzo and kill the bastards. I'll join you as soon as I can."
"Already on it. See to Yvonne."
***
André burst through the doors and was instantly swarmed. Yvonne was taken away in a rush. André turned to the Wolf in charge of the hospital, meeting the warm brown eyes of the truly huge man. "Everyone with her blood type is already on the way in, Alpha. We're starting the exchange transfusion with the blood we already have on hand." His eyes clouded over for a second. "I've just been informed that there's Cerebral Edema, a slight swelling in her brain, complicated by the silver and wolfbane blocking the healing. They are going to do a ventriculostomy to drain off the poisoned blood and put her into a medically-induced coma. There is nothing you can do here, Alpha." He placed a big hand on André's shoulder. "Go. Lorenzo needs you now."
André nodded. To stay, now that she was in the professional's hands, would be wasting his talents and letting Lorenzo slip further away.
He turned and joined Theo in the hunt.
***
André sat staring at the phone in his hands. It had been three days. And not a trace had been found of Lorenzo or his kidnappers. Yvonne was still undergoing exchange transfusions as the tests kept showing traces of silver and wolfbane in her blood. The doctors wouldn't risk waking her up until she was clean, so any information she might have was still locked in the darkness with her.
André's hand tightened on the phone. He had missed a call from Luc while he was out chasing down another dead end. Luc's voicemail had been laughingly annoyed at the odd silence and trying to hide his deep unease with a half serious joke, he threatened to get on the first plane home.
André pressed call.
Luc picked up in the first ring. "About time. What's happened?"
"Before I tell you, and I'm not going to pretend it's not bad, I need you to listen to what I need from you first. Can you do that?" André closed his eyes in pain.
"Of course."
"I need you to stay and get those treaties signed. It took almost a year before we were able to finalize your travel plans and ensure your safety throughout Africa. That is the final continent. You are so close to being done. We are so close to banning forced mate claiming's everywhere. And who knows what will happen if you stop now. So I need you to finish what we started. No matter what I tell you next."
"I understand. Tell me already."
André tightened his jaw, "Lorenzo has been kidnapped and Yvonne is in a medically-induced coma while the doctors try to remove the silver and wolfbane from her body."
"No!"
"We have found no trace of Lorenzo, it's been three days, and there have been no ransom demands," André gasped, before sobs broke free from his very depths.
"André! No! Goddess! I'm so sorry. Let me come home!"
"I want you home. I need you home. But I need you to do this more. I know what I'm asking. I'm not sure I could do it myself. But I know you can. I trust you to get them signed and then come home. Please, Luc, she'll never forgive us if she wakes up and we left it undone."
"Damn it. I'll get every one of those treaties signed. On my honor. And we'll find Lorenzo. And she'll wake up. I know it, André."
André began taking deep breaths and slowly was able to gain control. "I will find him. Thank you, Luc. I love you, little brother."
"I love you, too. Tell Yvonne I expect her to be awake by the time I get home. I have so much to tell her and gifts." A sob sounded over the line. "Damn it. I've got to go. I have a dinner in an hour. Goodbye."
"Bye," André whispered.
"André?" Celeste stood in the doorway. Her large blue eyes drenched in tears. She looked so much like Yvonne had at that age. He opened his arms and, with a sob, she flew into them. With tears shining in his eyes he held her while she cried.