131\u2013They Are Missing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slapped my forehead and ended the call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I guessed Baxter noticed. He let the kids play with the other children while he joined me on the bench.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried calling him, but his wife picked up,\u201d I said to Baxter, tapping my phone on my empty palm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, Kaylee is a bit of a control freak. But can you blame her?\u201d he remarked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, I know she forced him into this marriage by refusing to step back, but he was genuinely happy with her. They were planning a family, even though the contract said if he didn\u2019t give a hair, he could move on. And it\u2019s not just that he wanted to create a hair with her. Madeline, he suddenly changed when you came back,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, inhaling sharply and releasing it slowly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know anything about their relationship? I mean, aside from the contract?\u201d I asked Baxter, tapping my fingernails against my phone screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly do you want to know?\u201d he replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Graham stepped out of the room earlier, I noticed bruises on him. Does that happen often?\u201d I murmured, keeping my focus on the kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were mingling easily with the other children, laughing and chasing one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I never stayed close enough to see them regularly,\u201d he admitted, and I nodded while pressing my teeth into the inside of my cheek. (1\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I will tell you this,\u201d he continued, \u201cwhenever I did run into him, and he had argued with his wife, he would have marks like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made the truth settle in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she hurts him?\u201d I whispered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baxter lifted one shoulder at first, then gave a slow, reluctant nod.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve witnessed,\u201d he confessed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s horrible,\u201d I breathed, sympathy washing over me. Poor Graham. First his father, and now his wife too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The phone in my hand rang again. I realized Graham had probably snatched it back from his wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s calling,\u201d I said to Baxter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen take the call and tell him why you are calling,\u201d he suggested, leaning back with his arms stretched across the bench.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello,\u201d I answered, waiting for Graham to finally speak on the other end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called me,\u201d he replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI did,\u201d I said, steadying my breath. \u201cWhy are you doing this? Don\u2019t you understand that this request of yours is going to cost me so much?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should you worry?\u201d he countered. \u201cOnce you become my wife, my mate, no one will question you. My father is the leader of the council. He will be your father\u2013in\u2013law. You will be powerful enough to silence everyone. Even if they learn about your wolf, they will not dare to speak.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sounded as if he had never met his own father, defending him without hesitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I switched the phone to speaker so Baxter could hear the nonsense he was spilling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham, do you truly trust your father? You know he despises me. What makes you think he will not take my children away and push me out of your life?\u201d I tried a different angle, hoping he would stop believing every word his father fed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I know is that he is the only one promising me your company,\u201d Graham insisted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could respond, Baxter grabbed the phone from my hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what exactly are you planning, huh? Running tests on Gina to prove the kids are yours? And you think I will let you take them from her?\u201d Baxter yelled in frustration, the veins on his temples showing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham let out an irritated grunt on the other end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is what\u2019s going on? You\u2019re siding with her, trying to push her toward you? Is that it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He kept circling the same accusation, completely unwilling to admit that his father had fed him lies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a problem and want a child so badly, then request a DNA test for Bodhi,\u201d he snapped. \u201cBecause once you do that, they will all be separated. So if you are such a good person and not an asshole like me, then shut up. Let me have Madeline and the children.\u201d 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
His cruelty stunned me. I barely recognized him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly and lifted my head, glancing toward the playground. Panic surged through me when I realized none of my children were in sight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBaxter- the kids\u2013 the kids are gone,\u201d I whispered, my voice breaking with terror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, what is going on?\u201d Graham must have sensed the panic in my voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took the phone from Baxter but hesitated to hang up, my nerves were too agitated to think properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We scrambled up from the bench, both of us ready to search for the kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou head that way, I\u2019ll check the other side,\u201d Baxter instructed, gesturing toward opposite paths.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hurried toward the slides where I had last seen them, but the area was completely empty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you seen the three kids you were playing with earlier. Where did they go?\u201d I asked the group of children they had been laughing with before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey went that way,\u201d one of the kids replied, pointing toward the deeper stretch of the woods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath got caught in my throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The warriors weren\u2019t even watching the area. That had to be how my children slipped past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBaxter!\u201d I shouted, catching his attention. \u201cThey went that direction!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shock on his face mirrored mine. My children were disciplined, careful, and never wandered off on their own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
He approached the kids I had questioned and crouched slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWere they with anyone?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The children shook their heads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, the three of them went together,\u201d a girl answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at Baxter, and from the expression he gave back, he could see how terrified I was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright. Come on,\u201d he murmured, giving my back a gentle pat before tears could spill.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We headed into the woods, moving quickly as every second mattered. Five minutes in, dread twisted in my stomach. Something was wrong. They would never roam this far without a reason and exactly why would they? 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
131\u2013They Are Missing\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 I slapped my forehead and ended the call.\u00a0 I guessed Baxter noticed. He let the kids […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19332,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19127\/revisions\/19332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}