Forbidden Mate: Awakening

Henry felt frustrated and his eyebrows furrowed. He said, “Tyler, I understand what you’re saying, but blaming Adrian won’t help us right now. We need to find Lily and Adrian. We can’t accuse Adrian without any proof.”

There was a quiet moment on the other end of the phone as Tyler thought about Henry words. He finally said, in a softer voice, “You’re right. I’m just worried about Lily. We should work together to find them.”

Henry agreed silently, “Okay. Let’s forget our disparities for now and focus on finding them safely. Please, gather the pack warriors and organize a search party.”

As they discussed their plan, Henry couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt. He had trusted Adrian, thinking he could control his wild side, but now his daughter’s safety was at risk. He doubted his own judgment, wondering if he had made a big mistake.

Just as he started feeling overwhelmed, Rebekah came into the room, looking more worried than the day before. She hugged him, offering comfort when he needed it the most. “We’ll find them, my love,” she whispered, trying to reassure him. “We’ll bring them back home.”

Henry sighed, his anxiety slowly dissipating because of her words. He ended the call with Tyler and told himself he was ready to do everything possible to locate his daughter and the werewolf hunter he regretted giving a chance to live.

•••••••••••

That Saturday morning, the air in the grove had hung with despair, as if the missing presence of Lily took up the whole environment. Days had passed, and there was nothing to lead off from. No word from anyone claiming to hold Lily and Adrian hostage and this only made Henry more agitated about his daughter’s whereabouts.

Rebekah and Henry were sitting in the living room, consoling themselves from their worry and fear, when all of a sudden, the door swung open.

They both turned their heads to the direction. Their eyes held in the air as they gazed down the beaten, malnourished-looking and dirty sight of Audrey. She stood there shaking in ominous phrenia and was muttering things to herself.

She immediately slumped to the floor and Henry ordered guards to attend to her and pick her up. She was brought to their front as they both looked to her in shock and for clarity.

Audrey had tears on her face as she was about to tell a story to try to trick Lily’s parents. She had already made up the whole story before getting there and her eyes were red with tears to commence her theatrical performance, “She…oh no…oh gosh…”

“Get a hold of yourself!” Henry exclaimed, “Tell us, what is the problem? Where are your coming from? Why do you look like this?”

But Audrey refused to stop muttering incomprehensible words. That was until Rebekah, as if she had sensed it, proceeded to ask her a prompting question that seemed to trigger her acting and deceptive skills.

Rebekah asked, “What happened to her?”

Confused, Henry exchanged glances with her and Audrey then stopped. Audrey then raised her head to Rebekah. She started, “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I had seen her car parked beside the cliff side and she was with Adrian and two guards…it was in the evening. She… they were having a rest or something. They were talking to each other, lying on the car … I wanted to go up to them, with my friend and my guard, but then we saw them…blood sucking vampires…”

The others in the room couldn’t help but gasp.

“… yes, there was so many. They came from all different sides. From the trees, from behind the rocks, from the caves…everywhere! They were everywhere! One moment I was beside my friend, the other moment she was laying down beside me in her pool of blood.” She regurgitated as she cried.

Henry’s voice seemed choked, “When did this happen?”

“About a week ago. I had lost my phone so I had no way to contact anyone.”

“What about my baby? What about Lily?” Rebekah was anxious.

“She…” Audrey looked away then at Rebekah, in the eyes. “I’m sorry…they had held her and Adrian apart, as if they came especially to get her, and completely…” she covered her mouth as if she wanted to burst into tears while Rebekah was stiff. “I’m sorry….” her voice was breathless.

Henry, looking utterly disheveled, asked Audrey for more details, “Are you sure the vampires wanted to attack her? And how did you manage to get away without getting hurt or bitten?”

Audrey sniffled and wiped her tears, though it was hard to tell if she was really upset or not. She said, “I was right there when the vampires attacked. They did single her out and killed Adrian on the spot. I knew they were out to get her because she was bitten last. I tried to intervene but my guard stopped me and told me to hide… he got bitten afterwards.”

Rebekah couldn’t believe what she was hearing and was filled with sadness. She said with a shaky voice, “But… but Lily is strong, she can protect herself. Are you sure it was our daughter they wanted? Are you sure they were after her?”

Audrey pretended to be heartbroken. Tears continued streaming down her face as she held her chest. “How would I lie or make this up? I saw it with my own eyes! They singled her out!”

Lily’s parents desperately looked around her to see any evidence to confirm the truth. Audrey pulled out a torn piece of clothing stained with blood from her pocket. She said, “This… this belongs to Lily, doesn’t it? After the attack happened, this was the only thing remaining of her I could salvage. Please, believe me!”

Rebekah, her voice filled with emotion, struggled to stay calm. She couldn’t accept the idea that Lily was gone. She insisted, “I can’t… I can’t believe this. I won’t believe this. This… this doesn’t prove anything!”

Audrey’s eyes narrowed, a strange smile appearing on her lips as she noticed the woman’s crumbling facade. “You’re just denying the truth. I understand… Look, she was brutally beaten up, and bitten. When I saw her body, I knew … okay, if you believe she’s alive, then you know that she needs our help.”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“I thought you meant she was dead!” Rebekah shouted at Audrey.

“No.. I…I…I never mentioned that. Well, she did look fatally injured and when I checked she wasn’t breathing…”

“Then why didn’t you save her and bring her with you?!” Rebekah shouted again.

“I…. I…was trying to run…because they were coming.”

“You are selfish and I don’t believe a word you say! My daughter…there’s nothing wrong with her! She is out there and she is safe!”

Lily’s dad hugged his crying wife, and said with a sad voice, “We have to trust Audrey, Bekah. If there’s even a small chance Lily is still alive, we can’t ignore it.”

Audrey moved closer, her eyes shining with a mean satisfaction. “I understand your pain and fear. Let’s gather the pack hunters to form a group to search. We’ll find Lily and bring her back safe.”

“That’s already been done.” Henry said firmly.

Lily’s mom fell into her husband’s arms, crying loudly. “Oh, Lily… my poor baby…”

Audrey’s smile grew wider and her eyes shined with mischief. Lily’s parents didn’t notice. Audrey liked the chaos she had caused, enjoying their pain. She whispered to herself, “Soon, Lily, I’ll get you. Then, the real fun starts.”

Audrey left the room with confident steps, feeling sure of herself. She left behind a family in pieces, fooled and hurt by her calculated trick. They didn’t know the lies that trapped them, ready to ruin their lives and tear them apart.

“And it has just begun.” Audrey whispered to herself as she walked into the health care unit.