Once Forgotten Twice Loved

by Bryce Evans

  “No. But did you see Ashland Peters down here while you were at work?”

  “Yes, the lady you wanted us to call you about if she wanted anything.”

  “Yes. Did you see her anytime today or last night?”

  “Yes, sir. My shift started at five and I got here early so Molly could leave, but around five this morning, she went jogging, or at least she looked like she was. She had on jogging clothes. I had to go file last night’s paperwork, but I didn’t see her come back through the front door. She may have walked in when I was filing the paperwork. I’m sorry, Alpha. I was trying to get all the things done for the dance and I didn’t pay attention if she came back or not.”

  Larken didn’t want Becky to feel bad because she was only doing her job. “It’s okay, Becky, but if you see her, I need to know right away.”

  Becky frowned as she watched her Alpha’s smile turn into a worried expression. “Alpha, is something wrong? Did Ms. Peters do something wrong?”

  Larken grabbed Becky’s hand and finally told her about finding his mate. “No, Becky, she didn’t do anything wrong. Ashland Peters is Larsen’s mate and mine. We found our mate. But we can’t find her anywhere and we are worried about her.”

  Becky squealed as her Alpha told her that he had found his mate. She jumped up and down, excitedly clapping her hands. “Oh, Alpha, I’m so happy for you and the Sheriff. I didn’t know or I would have called you the moment she went outside. I just thought you wanted us to call if she needed something.”

  Larken grabbed her hands, smiling. “Just help us find her, Becky.” Larken was growing impatient, worried about Ash.

  Becky nodded. “You can count on me, Alpha.” She picked up the phone and started calling different stations in the lodge, asking if they had seen Ashland Peters.

  Larken turned around and looked at Nash. “Go and check the dining room. Check everywhere. Call security to check the grounds for her.” Nash nodded and ran out of the room. Nash was getting worried too because he knew Ash wouldn’t just leave without telling him. She knew he would worry about her.

  Nash contacted Larken telling him that nobody had seen her. Nash ran back to the reception desk to find Larsen on the phone with his Deputies.

  “We need to check the trail where she was jogging. She may have fallen down the mountain and was knocked out.” Larken didn’t even wait for Nash or Larsen. He ran out the door of the lodge.

  Larsen and Nash followed Larken up the trail. The higher up they ran the more nervous they became. Something was wrong. They could feel it. Larsen stopped and looked over into the wooded area. He titled his head in the air, trying to catch the scent of his mate. Larsen walked further into the wood line, scanning for something. Larsen turned around and started stripping his clothes off. Then he called his wolf to the surface and changed. Larsen started sniffing the ground where a tree was broken. He smelled up and down the tree. Then he ran further into the woods and stopped. He was sniffing something on the ground. Larken ran over to Larsen and knelt down. Nash came and stood next to Larsen who was growling. Larken held up a dart.

  “It’s a tranquilizer dart,” Larken muttered angrily. Larsen turned around, sniffing the ground further. He continued to sniff until he came to a clearing where one could clearly see where a vehicle had been parked. He turned around and howled into the air. The forest got deathly quiet and Larken and Nash both turned and howled into the air. Their mate had been taken and they were letting everyone know it.

  Reece Ramsey was about to walk into the lodge when he heard the howling. He knew something was wrong. He stood at the edge of the porch looking out into the woods. Jonas and Pelton ran out the door running toward the trail that led to the woods. People were coming out of the doors and from around the lodge, running up the trail. Reece jumped down from the porch and followed Jonas.

  Stopping dead in his tracks when he got to Larken, Reece turned around and scented the air. He smelled his sister’s scent. Reece knew that it couldn’t be her. His father killed his sister, Ronica Ramsey, along with her mate, Josh Peters, a long time ago.

  Larken turned and looked at Reece. His mouth was clenched and his hands were fisted at his side. His stare was one of a person in pain. Larken could barely speak when he gave out the orders to his pack.

  “Our mate has been taken. I don’t have time to explain to you what is going on except that your Alpha needs your help now. Her name is Ashland Peters and if you will see Becky at the front desk, she will have a copy of her driver’s license so you will know what she looks like.” Larken couldn’t breathe. He leaned over, with his hands on his knees, gasping for air. Larsen had changed back and was putting on his clothes. He walked over and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

  “We need every wolf questioned at the lodge. Somebody had to have seen someone they didn’t realize wasn’t a guest here or a vehicle that didn’t look right. Anything. Go back to the lodge and Becky will print a picture of her driver’s license. Take it with you.” Nobody questioned Larsen as he finished for his brother. They could see the pain he was in. When the Alpha was in pain so was the pack. Larsen was pacing.

  Reece had received a call from Larken, wanting him to come to the lodge so he could introduce him to his mate. Reece and Larken were friends, but he never expected the Alpha would call him just to introduce him to his mate. He knew something was up because Larken was too secretive with his conversation. Larken didn’t even give his mate’s name. He said he would explain everything when he got to the lodge.

  In the past, Larken had called on Reece and his Clan to help locate a Rogue wolf who continued to come in and out of his territory, stealing from the pack. Reece and his Second caught up with the wolf while Larken was tracking him out of his area. The wolf made a fatal mistake by coming into his area after being told never to come back. Larken never interfered with the punishment Reece and his Clan gave to the Rogue after he was caught. Reece knew that whatever Larken needed was important so he agreed to meet with Larken and his mate the following morning for breakfast.

  Reece walked up to Larken and put his hand on his shoulder. “What can I do to help?”

  Larken couldn’t think clearly. “We need to get back to the lodge and regroup.”

  Reece walked around the area, sniffing the air, then turned and followed his friends down the mountain.

  ***

  Lex stomped into the small room he had all the girls locked in. Johnny Mann walked in behind Lex, smirking, when he saw that Kammy and Kerra were awake. Lex walked over to the bed that Ash was laying on. She was still passed out. He had to hit her with two darts in order to take her down. It would take a while for the drug to wear off. Reaching down, he pulled her face toward him. “You were right, Johnny. She is a beauty. I can’t wait for her to wake up so she can meet her new mate and Alpha.”

  The girls huddled into a corner, holding on to each other as they continued to watch the man who called himself their new Alpha, examine the woman on the bed. Kammy and Kerra watched Johnny, who stared back at them.

  Johnny walked over to where Kammy was sitting in the corner. He bent down in front of Kammy, smiling. “Just think, you will soon be my mate, Kammy. You thought I wasn’t good enough before. Well, thank your lucky stars that I even want you because you really aren’t good enough for my kin and me.

  Kammy raised her chin and narrowed her eyes as she stared at Johnny. “You’re a terrible person, Johnny. You always have been. You just don’t get it do you, Johnny? It’s not that I thought you weren’t good enough for me. It was because you are a mean and evil person,” Kammy yelled.

  Johnny reached out and slapped her across the face, sending her flying backwards into the wall. “You bitch. I’ll teach you how to treat your mate. Your uncle isn’t here now. You will belong to me and do exactly what I say. I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes you are mine.”

  Kammy was crying, holding her face as Kerra tried to console her. Johnny walked back to where Lex was sitting on t
he bed as Lex felt Ash’s hair and face.

  Lex never took his eyes off Ash as he spoke to Johnny. “Remember what I told you, Johnny. We will all mate together when the moon is full tonight. We’re going back to the old ways where we take what is ours. Leave the girl alone until tomorrow. Then you can teach her how to be a mate.”

  Johnny looked over at Kammy, smiling. He had an evil smile that only the devil could have. He is as crazy as his cousin is, Kerra thought. Kerra knew that Johnny was evil the first time he tried flirting with Kammy. Every time he asked her to go out with him, Kammy would try to be nice, but she always declined. The expression on his face was always pure madness when she turned him down. She knew he would do something terrible one day to someone. Uncle Jonas had to talk with Johnny when he continued to torture their friend, Mackey. He was a small wolf who was special needs. As soon as Johnny found out he was special, he started the relentless torture of the small wolf. Always tracking him when they would have their pack runs. Johnny would find Mackey and tackle him to the ground, biting him all over his body. Then he would threaten to hurt Mackey worse if he told someone. Kerra followed downwind on one of the runs to see what was going on with Mackey. He would always come back with blood all over him. He had tried rubbing the blood off before he got back in front of everyone. Kerra had seen firsthand Johnny’s madness. He liked torturing Mackey. Kerra told her Uncle Jonas, who went off on Johnny. He followed Mackey through the woods and made sure nobody messed with Mackey anymore. When Johnny found out that he couldn’t hurt Mackey anymore, he would always find someone else. He was a cruel person and now Kammy and she were trapped with Johnny as their abductor.

  ***

  Reece couldn’t stop thinking about the scent he smelled in the woods. He knew it was his sister’s scent but knew that wasn’t possible either. Was it possible for someone else to have her scent? Was he losing his mind?

  Reece rode the elevator with Larken and Larsen. He had been downstairs in the meeting rooms before. He felt bad for the Wilder brothers. He didn’t know what he would do if his mate was taken. Well, he was living with the fact that Lilly Wilder was his mate, but she wouldn’t accept it. The elevator stopped and they walked into the meeting room. When Reece sniffed the air, his fangs released. He turned in a circle, looking for his sister. Larken and Larsen both backed away from Reece not knowing what was going on. “Where is my sister?”

  “Reece, your sister is dead. What is wrong with you?” Larken asked as he narrowed his eyes at his friend.

  “I smell her scent. It’s all in this room. I smelled it outside where your mate was taken, too.”

  Larken and Larsen looked at each other, speaking to each other with telepathy. ‘What is he talking about? His sister is dead, right?’ asked Larsen.

  “My sister’s scent is everywhere in here.”

  “The only female who has been down here is our mate, Ashland Peters,” Larsen said as he watched Reece.

  “Peters?” Reece just realized that her last name was Peters.

  “Yes, she is a detective in New York. That is why we called you. She was found wandering the streets in Atlanta, Georgia, when she was six years old. She never knew who her parents were. She is part Vampire and something else, but she doesn’t know what she is nor do we. We thought you could help us with that.”

  Reece’s fangs receded as he walked closer to Larken. “Peters was the last name of my sister’s mate. Josh Peters. Ronica was pregnant when she ran. I thought the baby died with her.” Reece muttered as he sat down on the couch. He put his face in his hands.

  “It couldn’t be. How old is your mate?” Reece asked.

  “She is twenty-nine years old. She was six years old when they found her wandering the streets. Ash didn’t remember anything before the day they found her.”

  “Do you have a picture of your mate?”

  “Only her driver’s license picture.”

  “May I see it?” Reece stood and walked toward Larken.

  Larken got on the phone and asked the front desk to bring a copy of her driver’s license picture.

  “Do you think she is your sister’s daughter?” Larsen asked.

  “If it is true and she is my niece, I can help you find her.” Reece paced the floor, waiting for the picture.

  The door opened and Nash came in with the picture. Reece walked over and asked to see the picture. Nash looked at Larken, who nodded. Reece looked at the picture and gasped. He had to reach down and hold on to the chair before he fell.

  “It’s her. She looks just like Ronica.”

  “What is he talking about, Alpha?” Nash asked.

  “His sister, Ronica, and her mate were killed by his father. He said they were an abomination to their race. Reece thought Ronica’s child was killed, too. He says that Ash is Ronica’s child.”

  Nash sat down across from Reece. “Ash is my best friend. We grew up together in the orphanage in Atlanta and in New York. If you are sure she is your sister’s daughter, I will be happy, but if you are only assuming then I would ask you not to say anything to Ash about it until you are sure. Ash has had a lot of tragedy in her life and this would kill her if it turned out not to be true.”

  Reece looked up at Larken. “Is he for real?”

  “Yes he is. There is a lot you don’t know about my mate’s childhood. It wasn’t a happy time.” Larken looked down at the picture of Ash as he touched her face.

  “I’m positive that Ash is my sister’s child. You said she was part something else, right?”

  “Yes, she is strong, extremely stronger than most. She can jump farther than anyone I have ever seen.” Reece sat listening to Nash, but when Nash told him about her ability to jump farther than anyone, he started smiling.

  “The reason Ash can jump farther than anyone is because her father was a tiger shifter. He was always jumping up into trees and across things,” said Reece.

  Nash smiled when Reece told him about Ash’s father. “Then I’m happy that she will have family. She has always wanted to know about her family. I couldn’t be happier. Ash deserves to be happy.”

  Larken couldn’t help being sad, listening to Reece talk about Ash’s family. She should be here with us when she finds this out.

  Pelton and Jonas came barreling into the room. “Larken, they took my nieces, too. Mrs. Melton said that it was Johnny Mann who was at the door with some man. They shot her with a tranquilizer gun. The guard at the front gate said that Johnny was driving a white van and said he was going to pick his mom up because her car had broken down. He is a pack member so the guard didn’t check out the van. He believed Johnny.” Jonas paced as he gave the information out.

  “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch. I mean kill him dead. I know he didn’t act alone. He isn’t smart enough. He has been sniffing around my oldest niece, Kammy, for a while now. She won’t give him the time of day, which worries me now. He is cruel like Lex was. I tried to teach him the right way, but you can’t teach trash like him. They are evil people.

  “I should have informed the pack that I believed it was Lex Mann and to keep an eye on Johnny. I allowed this to happen. They just drove in and left with my nieces. I made it so easy for them. Dammit.” Jonas turned around and started pacing the floor.

  Larken could tell that Jonas was drowning in guilt and he needed to do something to ease his pain. “Jonas, you didn’t know it was him. I should have kept my mate safe and I allowed her to go jogging unattended. We all feel guilty, but now is the time for us to come together and find them.

  “Do you think, Jonas, the man on the list, Lex Mann, helped him?” Reece asked as he placed his hand on Jonas’s shoulder.

  Jonas stopped and stared at the ground. “Yeah, I do.”

  “Okay, where would Johnny go?” Reece asked.

  Pelton turned around quickly and got his laptop out of his bag. “Jonas, do you have Johnny’s telephone number?” Jonas smiled and took out his cell phone. He gave the number to Pelton, who typed it into his compu
ter. Pelton worked with the FBI on profiling and finding missing children so he had the gadgets to trace phones.

  Larken and Larsen came and stood behind Pelton, watching what he was doing. “What are those dots, Pelton?” Larken asked.

  “Those are the towers his phone has hit in the past five hours. Every time he goes near a tower, his phone will ping it. Now let’s see where these towers are located,” answered Pelton.

  Jonas watched as Google Earth came up on the screen allowing Jonas and the others to actually see where the towers were located. Reece and Nash had joined, watching Pelton try to locate Ash and the girls.

  “Okay, this is Interstate 5 here and his phone is pinging off each of them. You see his phone pinged on the tower the pack put up here. See, Jonas?” asked Pelton.

  Jonas looked down at the computer and recognized the area. He had contracted with a cell company and a cell tower was put up on the Glenndale Pack land. Johnny’s phone was pinging the tower when he went on pack land and took his nieces.

  “Okay, I see it,” Jonas said.

  “It looks like the last time his phone pinged a tower was a couple hours ago and it looks like it hit the tower on Interstate 5. I really think we need to look in that area. We need to check to see if we can find any land that Lex Mann would have bought in that area. We have to hurry, guys.”

  Larsen was already on the phone with one of his Deputies at the office.

  “He will call me back when he finds something. Don’t you think we need to head in that direction? That way we won’t be far from the area if he calls,” Larsen asked.

  Pelton could tell that Larken, Larsen, and Nash were starting to get agitated.

  “We can go to the edge of our pack land and wait. It’s off Interstate 5, so we won’t be far,” Jonas added.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ash rubbed her eyes as she tried to open them. She was so groggy, trying to remember why her eyes wouldn’t focus. Ash felt a hand caress her cheek.