Surrogate for My Brother-in-law - Chapter 83: Chapter 83
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We spent a tense night in the manor. Leo insisted on staying, to help Ethan protect his people. He sent Johann back to guard his manor just in case.
Ethan and Leo both wanted to stay up on guard. I convinced them to take shifts. They both insisted I go to bed.
I knew I needed to rest, after healing multiple critical patients. I also knew that sleep would be hard to find. All I could think about was Sable, alone with strangers and terrified.
I ended up pacing the halls long after midnight, and found Leo in the front room, taking his turn on watch. I laid down on the couch and he patted his lap. I rested my head there, and he stroked my hair until sleep finally claimed me.
I was woken up early the next day by the arrival of a messenger from Leo’s pack. He stood in front of Leo, panting from exhaustion and nerves, and held out an envelope.
Leo took the envelope from the trembling wolf messenger. He opened it, revealing a note. He read it, and his face went pale.
“Leo?” I asked.
He handed me the envelope. I peered inside, and found a photograph of Sable. The photograph was one of the instant kind. I didn’t know they made cameras like that anymore.
In the photograph, Sable was lying on her blanket with that morning’s newspaper next to her. She was crying, her little face scrunched up in misery. But she was alive.
The photo was proof of life. She was still alive, at least as of the time the picture was taken. She wasn’t injured, just unhappy.
I looked up at Leo. He met my eyes, and handed me the note.
“Alpha Leo,” it read, “You do not know me, but I know you. I know your weaknesses, and I have one of them in my possession. If you want this pup alive, you will come alone to this address. If you do not come to me within twenty four hours, I will assume that you do not care what happens to the pup. In that case it will be disposed of. If you send anyone else, they and the pup will be killed. If you do not come alone, the pup will be killed, and so will anyone you bring with you. Do not test me.”
It was signed, “The Rightful King.”
I looked up from the note to see Leo was already heading out the door.
“Wait!” I shouted. “Where are you going?”
I asked that although I already knew where he was going. I’d read the address on the note. He was going to hand himself over to the new Rogue King in exchange for our daughter.
“He wants me,” Leo said. “I have to go.”
“It’s a trap,” I said. “You know it’s a trap.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Leo snarled. “I will not let him hurt our baby.”
He turned and walked out the door. I chased him, and wrapped myself around his arm. He actually dragged me a few feet before he stopped.
“You can’t go,” I said. “They’ll kill you.”
“I have to go, or they’ll kill Sable!”
“What’s all the shouting out here?” Ethan asked, stumbling down the stairs in sleep pants.
“Got a note, and a photo of Sable. They want me. I’m going,” Leo said.
I handed Ethan the note.
“This is obviously a trap. You get that, right?” Ethan said.
“I know,” Leo said. “I do not care. I am going to get my daughter back!”
“No, you are going to get killed,” Ethan snarled. “And then what? You think they’ll send Sable back all nice and safe after you’re dead?”
“If they have me, they’ll have no reason to keep Sable,” Leo said.
“Exactly,” Ethan said. “They’re only keeping her safe because they know you’ll come after her! They’re not going to send her home, they’ll kill her, too.”
Leo shook his head. “I have to go.”
“I know, I know,” Ethan said, “but you have to go smart.”
“The note says if I take anyone with me, they kill Sable,” Leo said.
“We have time,” I said, although it killed me to point it out. “You can’t just run off to get murdered. We have to have a plan.”
“I can’t just wait around. The longer we wait, the more chances something happens to Sable. She’s medically fragile, remember?”
“I’m her healer,” I growled. “I remember.” I paused. “Also, she’s not as fragile as we pretended in the hospital.”
“What?” Leo gasped.
“I didn’t have time to tell you,” I said. “Sable was fragile, yes, but her main complications were premature birth and separation from her mother.”
“And since she’s with you, that’s not an issue,” Leo breathed.
“Yeah,” I said. “I was able to use my healing to gradually strengthen her, too. She’s small for her age but that’s all. There shouldn’t be any further complications from what Eva did.”
Leo slumped, and twisted so that he could wrap his arms around me.
“I’m so glad,” he said. “I thought… I know I let her hurt you. But I thought I let her hurt your baby, too. That it was something Sable might have to live with forever.”
“Oh. Oh, Leo, I’m sorry,” I said. “I thought you figured it out when you saw her, how strong she was.”
“I thought it was wishful thinking,” Leo admitted. “You kept her in the hospital so long.”
“I didn’t want to give her back,” I said. “I couldn’t have her taken from me. Again.” I choked on the word.
She had been taken, again. I hadn’t been there to protect her.
“It’s not your fault,” Leo whispered. “I know you think it is, but it’s not. It’s mine.”
“I wasn’t here,” I said. “I should have been here.”
Leo shook his head. “You could have been hurt. Or they might have taken you, too. I’m glad you were out.”
Ethan nodded. “The only reason I’m not tearing myself apart for not being here is that at least you were safe.”
Leo added, “If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I’m the one this new Rogue King wants. He did this to get me.”
“No,” I said. “It’s not your fault.” I paused, and really thought about what I was saying. “And it’s not my fault, or Ethan’s fault, either. It’s his. The Rogue King, or whatever he’s calling himself. He’s the one that couldn’t face you like a proper alpha, and challenge you according to the law. He had to send people to kidnap a helpless baby!”
“She’s right,” Ethan said. “We need to lay the blame where it belongs, and that’s firmly on the Rogues.”
“But what do we do about it?” Leo asked. “You’re asking me not to run off to confront them, but you’re not offering me any better options!”
I tried to think of something, anything, that we could do. I couldn’t go in his place. The note had been very specific about that. Ethan couldn’t go as back up.
“I’m going,” Leo declared after several moments of tense silence.
“Please,” I said, “please, just give me a second to think of a better plan. There has to be a better way.”
“Tessa, I’d give you forever,” Leo said, “but we only have a day.”
Ethan and Leo both wanted to stay up on guard. I convinced them to take shifts. They both insisted I go to bed.
I knew I needed to rest, after healing multiple critical patients. I also knew that sleep would be hard to find. All I could think about was Sable, alone with strangers and terrified.
I ended up pacing the halls long after midnight, and found Leo in the front room, taking his turn on watch. I laid down on the couch and he patted his lap. I rested my head there, and he stroked my hair until sleep finally claimed me.
I was woken up early the next day by the arrival of a messenger from Leo’s pack. He stood in front of Leo, panting from exhaustion and nerves, and held out an envelope.
Leo took the envelope from the trembling wolf messenger. He opened it, revealing a note. He read it, and his face went pale.
“Leo?” I asked.
He handed me the envelope. I peered inside, and found a photograph of Sable. The photograph was one of the instant kind. I didn’t know they made cameras like that anymore.
In the photograph, Sable was lying on her blanket with that morning’s newspaper next to her. She was crying, her little face scrunched up in misery. But she was alive.
The photo was proof of life. She was still alive, at least as of the time the picture was taken. She wasn’t injured, just unhappy.
I looked up at Leo. He met my eyes, and handed me the note.
“Alpha Leo,” it read, “You do not know me, but I know you. I know your weaknesses, and I have one of them in my possession. If you want this pup alive, you will come alone to this address. If you do not come to me within twenty four hours, I will assume that you do not care what happens to the pup. In that case it will be disposed of. If you send anyone else, they and the pup will be killed. If you do not come alone, the pup will be killed, and so will anyone you bring with you. Do not test me.”
It was signed, “The Rightful King.”
I looked up from the note to see Leo was already heading out the door.
“Wait!” I shouted. “Where are you going?”
I asked that although I already knew where he was going. I’d read the address on the note. He was going to hand himself over to the new Rogue King in exchange for our daughter.
“He wants me,” Leo said. “I have to go.”
“It’s a trap,” I said. “You know it’s a trap.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Leo snarled. “I will not let him hurt our baby.”
He turned and walked out the door. I chased him, and wrapped myself around his arm. He actually dragged me a few feet before he stopped.
“You can’t go,” I said. “They’ll kill you.”
“I have to go, or they’ll kill Sable!”
“What’s all the shouting out here?” Ethan asked, stumbling down the stairs in sleep pants.
“Got a note, and a photo of Sable. They want me. I’m going,” Leo said.
I handed Ethan the note.
“This is obviously a trap. You get that, right?” Ethan said.
“I know,” Leo said. “I do not care. I am going to get my daughter back!”
“No, you are going to get killed,” Ethan snarled. “And then what? You think they’ll send Sable back all nice and safe after you’re dead?”
“If they have me, they’ll have no reason to keep Sable,” Leo said.
“Exactly,” Ethan said. “They’re only keeping her safe because they know you’ll come after her! They’re not going to send her home, they’ll kill her, too.”
Leo shook his head. “I have to go.”
“I know, I know,” Ethan said, “but you have to go smart.”
“The note says if I take anyone with me, they kill Sable,” Leo said.
“We have time,” I said, although it killed me to point it out. “You can’t just run off to get murdered. We have to have a plan.”
“I can’t just wait around. The longer we wait, the more chances something happens to Sable. She’s medically fragile, remember?”
“I’m her healer,” I growled. “I remember.” I paused. “Also, she’s not as fragile as we pretended in the hospital.”
“What?” Leo gasped.
“I didn’t have time to tell you,” I said. “Sable was fragile, yes, but her main complications were premature birth and separation from her mother.”
“And since she’s with you, that’s not an issue,” Leo breathed.
“Yeah,” I said. “I was able to use my healing to gradually strengthen her, too. She’s small for her age but that’s all. There shouldn’t be any further complications from what Eva did.”
Leo slumped, and twisted so that he could wrap his arms around me.
“I’m so glad,” he said. “I thought… I know I let her hurt you. But I thought I let her hurt your baby, too. That it was something Sable might have to live with forever.”
“Oh. Oh, Leo, I’m sorry,” I said. “I thought you figured it out when you saw her, how strong she was.”
“I thought it was wishful thinking,” Leo admitted. “You kept her in the hospital so long.”
“I didn’t want to give her back,” I said. “I couldn’t have her taken from me. Again.” I choked on the word.
She had been taken, again. I hadn’t been there to protect her.
“It’s not your fault,” Leo whispered. “I know you think it is, but it’s not. It’s mine.”
“I wasn’t here,” I said. “I should have been here.”
Leo shook his head. “You could have been hurt. Or they might have taken you, too. I’m glad you were out.”
Ethan nodded. “The only reason I’m not tearing myself apart for not being here is that at least you were safe.”
Leo added, “If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I’m the one this new Rogue King wants. He did this to get me.”
“No,” I said. “It’s not your fault.” I paused, and really thought about what I was saying. “And it’s not my fault, or Ethan’s fault, either. It’s his. The Rogue King, or whatever he’s calling himself. He’s the one that couldn’t face you like a proper alpha, and challenge you according to the law. He had to send people to kidnap a helpless baby!”
“She’s right,” Ethan said. “We need to lay the blame where it belongs, and that’s firmly on the Rogues.”
“But what do we do about it?” Leo asked. “You’re asking me not to run off to confront them, but you’re not offering me any better options!”
I tried to think of something, anything, that we could do. I couldn’t go in his place. The note had been very specific about that. Ethan couldn’t go as back up.
“I’m going,” Leo declared after several moments of tense silence.
“Please,” I said, “please, just give me a second to think of a better plan. There has to be a better way.”
“Tessa, I’d give you forever,” Leo said, “but we only have a day.”
End of Surrogate for My Brother-in-law Chapter 83. Continue reading Chapter 84 or return to Surrogate for My Brother-in-law book page.