Chapter 15: Never Let Me Go

"Where are you doing?" Eric asked me in a groggy voice as he sat up in bed.

I sighed as I stopped getting dressed and turned to Eric, who was still in bed. I had gone to sleep facing the wall. Then when I woke up a little before noon, I was laying on Eric's chest with his arm around me. I managed to move his dead weight arm and got up to get ready. I put on some light blue bikini underwear and a teal, front zipper bralette. I had stopped there when Eric spoke. Eric had deep red bags under his eyes as he looked at me in confusion.

"You shouldn't be awake, you'll get the bleeds," I asserted while rolling my eyes. "And we talked about this last night. I need to speak with the Dallas pack."

"What for?" Eric asked as he sat up to lean against the headboard. "You didn't say last night."

I put on a pair of jeans that had white flower lace cut outs up the side while I answered him. "I had instructed the Dallas pack to get to know Godric's nest and continue the friendship that he offered." I sat on the bed to put my black suede lace-up knee-high heeled boots and turned to face him. "Things had been going well from what I've heard, and I should have gotten a call when he disappeared. But I didn't. They have a lot to answer for."

"How are you getting there?" he sighed resigned.

I smiled lightly at his concern that I felt coming from him. "Leo called his younger brother to come pick me up and drive me to the pack. He'll drive me to the nest when we're done. I'll be there tonight, so don't worry about it."

"You had better be," he grumbled.

I chuckled at that as I put on a brown leather jacket. Moving around the bed, I pulled out my hair and smiled at him. I sat down facing him, leaning on my arm that I put over his legs. "Just call me when you're leaving the hotel and I'll leave as soon as I can."

Eric nodded before leaning forward and kissing me slowly. I responded to the kiss before my phone chiming broke up apart. "That would be Dante," I whispered. "He said he would text me when he got here. I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight then," he responded as I stood up.

I grabbed my cross-body bag and threw in my phone and key card. I took one last glance to Eric. He still sat in bed staring at me with intense steely blue eyes. I smiled at him before leaving the room.

*Queen of the Wolves*

I made my way through the lobby when I heard Sookie's voice arguing with a male voice. I stopped to see Sookie and one of the bell boys speaking quietly with a woman standing behind them. The bell boy then led the woman past me towards the front desk. I stopped Sookie as she left the room. "What was that about?"

"Oh, Teddy!" she exclaimed surprised, then a wide smile spread across her face. "The bell boy, his name is Barry and he's a telepath, like me. Isn't it great?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's great Sookie. But you should be careful of who you share that information with. It'll be bad is the wrong person knows that."

"I thought you would be happy about this," she pouted with disappointment.

"I am happy Sookie," I said. "But you have to be careful here in Dallas. It's different than in Bon Temps."

I then looked over her shoulder to see Dante waving at me. I waved back and Sookie looked over her shoulder to see who it was. When she looked back to me, she narrowed her eyes. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to see the Dallas pack Sookie," I explained to her. "They didn't call when Godric went missing, and they should have. I need to find out why. I'll be there tonight at the nest for the meeting, so don't worry."

I leaned down and kissed her cheek with a light hug before moving past her toward the front doors. Dante stood there smiling at me. Dante Ransom had short, slicked back, dark brown hair with pale green eyes. At only nineteen, Dante was tall at my height and slightly tan skin from the sun. Even at such a young age, he was a successful realtor, graduating high school and college at a young age.

"Hey there Teddy," he greeted with a wide smile.

"Hey Dan," I replied, smiling wide. "It's good to see you again, despite the circumstances."

"The same to you," he responded as he led me to his silver 2000 GMC truck. Once we were both settled, he drove us towards his family home. "I got all of the pack together as you requested."

"Thank you Dan," I said. "How many of them know that I'm coming?"

"None, so far," he told me. He seemed to shift in his seat, and I narrowed my eyes as his heartbeat revealed that he was nervous.

"Everything okay Dante?" I asked curiously.

Dante seemed to jump a little, not expecting me to ask him about it. "Yeah, everything's okay," he replied. When he glanced at me, I gave him a raised eyebrow and he sighed. "No not really. Willow's missing."

My mouth fell open. "How long as she been missing?"

"Almost a week," he replied nervously.

Almost the same amount of time as Godric. That couldn't be a coincidence. If someone took Willow, it could be the same people that took Godric. They could have found out about us, which put us all in danger. But one thing was bothering me.

"Why wasn't I informed?" I asked seriously as Dante pulled into the driveway of the house.

Dante put his truck in park as he sighed. "My parents think that she's having a rebellious phase, and that she'll be back. They are being the acting Alphas for the time being."

I stared at him a moment. The fact that his parents were running the pack in her absence was unsettling. "What do you think?"

"I think that something's coming?" he admitted honestly. "It's unlike Willow to just disappear. I overheard her having an argument with out parents before she went missing. I'm not sure what it was about, but she was furious with them."

Something didn't add up and there was a feeling that I wasn't gonna like it. But, I might not get my answers until we find Godric. I nodded at him before getting out of the truck. Dante followed before leading me into the house. I could hear everyone in the very spacious living room. Dante led me through the house, and I heard his parents voices demand what he was doing.

I came around and leaned against the doorway to observe since they didn't realize that I was there. Nixon Ransom was a young-looking man with a broad build and large muscles. His short, curly, dark brown hair was slicked back against his head and his light blue eyes showed anger. He was tan from being out in the sun, just like his wife Zoey.

Zoey Ransom was a beautiful woman with shoulder blade length red-brown straight hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. They both had been young when they found they were mates and started having kids, so they looked relatively young. The Ransom family had always been the Alphas of the Dallas pack. Nixon was the former Alpha before his only daughter, Willow, took over. Zoey's displeased voice brought me back to the conversation.

"What were you doing calling the pack here?" she demanded with a scowl. "We are the acting Alphas. You should have come through us first."

"I was asked to," Dante defended himself.

"As your mother said, we're the Alphas," Nixon cut in, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "You shouldn't be listening to someone else. Who asked you to call the entire pack?"

"I did," I declared, announcing my presence. The moment they saw me, their eyes widened in shock and what I assumed was horror. The wolves around them immediately went down to one knee and the rest of the room did as well as they saw me.

"Your Majesty," Nixon whispered as he and Zoey bowed as well.

Normally, I hated to be referred to by my title or Majesty. However, with this pack, I felt that it was necessary. There were only a few wolves in the Dallas pack that didn't have to address me as such. Nixon and Zoey weren't a part of that.

"I asked for the whole pack to be here in order to get the full story," I explained to them as I pushed of the wall and walked towards them. "It has come to my attention that Godric has gone missing, and I didn't receive a call about that." I watched Nixon exchanged a glance with his wife as I circled them, although they kept their heads down. "I know that I gave clear instructions to continue the friendship that I have with Godric. So, I'll only ask this one time: Why didn't I get a call from you about Godric?"

"We have been preoccupied," Nixon explained. "We also didn't want to burden you any with the problems here in Dallas. You have more than enough to think about."

I stopped next to him as I scoffed. "You think that the disappearance of the Alpha of Dallas doesn't concern me?"

He and Zoey flinched at the tone of my voice. "That's not what he meant, Your Majesty," Zoey tried to defend her husband. "We simply didn't want to bother you when Willow is just going through a rebellious stage."

I narrowed my eyes at them and moved to stand in front of them. "And what makes you think that she is going through a rebellious stage? The fact that she left? Or that she didn't tell anyone? I know that the two of you didn't approve of the meetings that she was having with Godric."

Even though their heads were slightly bowed, I could see the scowl on their faces. "Willow has found her mate, and yet she kept having more and more meetings with Godric."

Willow found a mate? That was news to me, but it made more sense. And if they didn't know who the mate was, she could be with them. However, something didn't make sense. No matter what argument or disagreement Willow was having with her parents, she would not neglect her duty as Alpha. She still would have called me to tell me that Godric was missing.

"Do you know who her mate is?" I asked, trying to get more information.

They both shook their heads, and I looked to Dante to see that he was surprised by this information as well. When he saw me look at him, Dante shook his head as well. Dante wouldn't lie to me, but I had a feeling his parents were. I nodded and turned back to Nixon and Zoey. "Let's make something very clear. I don't care what has happened between anyone in a pack. You report when someone has gone missing or something has happened with our allies. That is your duty as Alphas. Nixon, I expect you to know this."

I could see Nixon close his eyes with a frown at my words. "Now, on to the next matter," I moved on and they both raised their heads in confusion. "I know for a fact that neither of you are Willow's second-in-command. As such, neither of you are the acting Alpha of this pack. That would be Dante."

Dante looked at me in shock and confusion. "Your Majesty?"

I smiled at him. "The last talk I had with Willow was when she made you her second-in-command. She would not have done so if she didn't think you could handle it. You'll be fine. As acting Alpha, you may choose your second to help you."

Dante thought about it for a moment and then glanced around the room, looking for someone. When he found them, he pointed to them and waved them forward. "Danica Salvatori," he declared as a blonde woman came forward.

Danica had shoulder blade length, wavy, pale blonde hair and curious silver-blue eyes. She stood at an average height with a very obvious athletic build and a light tan. I remembered her when I had spoken to Willow. If I remembered correctly, she had been Willow's enforcer. The enforcer of the pack was the one to make sure that things got done and defend the Alpha. Felix and Bryson were my enforcers for my pack. Felix for the legal side of things and Bryson to make sure that my decisions were followed at our meetings.

"Very well," I agreed, then turned back to Nixon and Zoey, who were still kneeling on the ground. "You may stand." As they did, I fixed them with a glare. "You two are a part of the council, not the Alphas. Are we clear?"

"Yes my Queen," they said together.

I nodded and my phone started ringing in my purse. As I took it out, I noticed that the sun had set already. I opened my phone and hit the green button, already knowing who it was. "Good morning," I greeted, turning around and walking a few steps for privacy.

"We're leaving the hotel now, Theodora," Eric's voice came through the speaker as he chuckled. I smiled involuntarily at hearing his voice and making him laugh. "I do hope that you are done with your business."

"I'm just finishing up Eric," I told him. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I look forward to seeing you," he said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"You just saw me this afternoon when you were supposed to be resting," I countered with a roll of my eyes.

"I always look forward to seeing you," he admitted in a quiet voice. "You are mostly of what I think about. When I'll see you again, what you're doing during the day and night."

I could feel a blush creep up my cheeks, and I tried to suppress it by clearing my throat. "Well, I'll see you soon."

I hung up and put my phone away, turning back to the others. "Dante, I have somewhere else to be. If you could drive me there, that would be appreciated."

He nodded his head and walked towards me. "Of course, my Queen."

I looked back at Nixon and Zoey with narrowed eyes. "Do not forget what I have said."

They nodded back with hesitation, and I turned back around to follow Dante out of the house. We got back in his truck and after he started it up, we were heading back down the road.

*Queen of the Wolves*

We pulled up to Godric's house and Dante parked in the driveway. He had been here many times with Willow for meetings, so he knew where it was. He was quiet the whole way and I was curious as to what he wanted to say. Once we were parked, he turned to me with a deep breath. "I think that Godric is her mate," he revealed to me.

I looked at him in surprise. "Do you think that you're parents know?"

He nodded. "I had overheard a little bit of their argument, and I heard Godric's name quite a bit. I think that they were trying to sever the bond."

"That's quite an accusation Dante," I warned. "They are your parents and to sever a mate bond is a serious offence. Do you have anything to back it up with?"

"Not at this point," he admitted. "But I believe that they would try to do it. I don't want to think like that, they're my parents. However, I have to go with my gut and do the right thing. They've changed recently and I feel like I don't know them anymore."

I smiled at him and placed a hand on his arm. "Even if they have changed, they raised honest children. Willow had always been very open with her decisions and Leo has always been honest with me. Now, here you are, being honest about your feelings in order to do the right thing. Thank you Dante. You'll make a great Alpha."

He smile shyly at me but nodded in thanks. I nodded back and got out of the truck. I walked right into the house and froze as I stopped inside the door. Willow's scent of a lake in the forest was there, I could smell it. So, she had been at Godric's the whole time. 'Maybe Dante was right,' I thought, then I called out to Sookie. 'Hey Sook, where are you?'

'In the living room,' she responded with annoyance in her thoughts.

I rose an eyebrow at that. 'Everything okay?"

'It's just these two vampires,' she explained. 'Isabel and Stan. They just keep arguing with each other.'

I rolled my eyes at that. Stan had always been confrontational, even with me. Isabel was usually levelheaded, but she hated Stan and how he would try to be a cowboy. They always ended up in an argument when I lived here. I made my way to the living room when I heard Eric's voice yelling at Isabel and Stan.

"You're completely incompetent!" he yelled. "What's happened to Godric that he surrounds himself with clowns?"

"We invited you as a courtesy," Isabel informed Eric as she walked towards him. I walked into the opening to the living room to see Isabel glaring at Eric. "It does not matter if you can help or not. This is not your territory. You have no voice here."

My wolf and I didn't like how she was speaking to him, so I let out a warning growl. Everyone but Eric jumped and turned to me. "I guess it's a good thing that Eric employed me then," I growled. "I do have a voice here and I would watch how you speak to him."

"Theodora," Isabel greeted in a shocked whisper. "What a surprise to see you."

"Isabel," I greeted blandly. "It wouldn't be a surprise if you had called me yourself. But instead, I have to hear of Godric's disappearance from someone else."

"We shouldn't have to," Stan grumbled.

My eyes snapped to him, my anger making my eyes glow. "Stan," I deadpanned. "I would say it's good to see you, but then I'd be lying."

Stan snarled at me, but Eric stepped up next to me using his vampire speed. Stan backed down with a huff and Eric looked down at me. "What took you so long?"

I simply stared back at him. "The pack home is not as close as you think it is Eric. It took a few minutes get here."

"Theodora," Isabel interrupted, and we both turned to her. "We assumed that the pack or Willow would call you."

I frowned at her. "Well, you know what happens when you assume Isabel." She let out a light huff but looked scolded. "While we're on the subject of Willow, where is she? I smelled her scent when I came in."

"She's in Godric's room," Isabel said in confusion. "Has been since he disappeared."

I growled quietly to myself before raising my voice. "Willow Ransom! I know you can hear me! Get down here right now!"

"You didn't know she was here?" Isabel asked.

"No," I said. "Her pack thinks she's disappeared like Godric."

"Your Majesty," a tired small voice called from behind me. I turned around, ready to yell, but instead my mouth fell open at the sight of Willow.

Her usually vibrant wavy chocolate brown hair hung flat and dull in color. The usual spark in her ice blue eyes was gone. Her normally tan skin looked pale and cold. All around, she looked awful and in pain. There were tear tracks on her cheeks that led to puffy, bloodshot eyes. She certainly didn't look like her nickname, the Iron Will of the Wolves.

"Willow," I whispered as Sookie let out a quiet gasp. "What happened to you?"

"Godric," she choked, and her eyes welled with tears. She took a deep breath to keep them at bay and to steady herself. But her voice still cracked. "He's missing."

It then clicked for me. Dante was right. The state that she's in with him gone. Staying in his room for a week without telling anyone. It all made sense. Godric was her mate, and without him, she was a mess.

"Oh, Willow," I uttered in sympathy. I walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. She immediately clung to me and buried her head into my shoulder. I could feel ta few tears on my skin, but I didn't care. One of my Alphas was needing support, and I would give it to her.

When we pulled back, Willow whipped her eyes with her sleeve. It was then that I realized she was wearing some of Godric's clothes. She was about average height for a woman, and close in height to Godric, so they fit her. "I'm sorry for not calling," she whimpered.

"Shh," I hushed her, stroking her hair. "I understand now." I then turned to Isabel. "Willow will stay here until we find Godric. Have the humans fix her food and make sure she gets rest." Willow went to argue, but I held up my hand to silence her. I stared at Isabel who nodded in consent.

I nodded back before turning back to Eric. "I'll be right back."

He nodded to me, and I then led Willow back to Godric's room. Once there, I instructed her to get in the bed. She complied, getting under the covers. I sat down on the edge of the bed in front of her. "Willow," I said to get her attention as she looked at the covers. When she met my eyes, I continued. "Godric is your mate."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded in confirmation anyway. I sighed this was going to be hard. "Dante said you had an argument with your parents. What was it about?"

Willow took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I haven't told Godric yet," she said quietly. "My parents were arguing that I shouldn't be seeing Godric when I should be looking for a mate. Something about them already being mated by my age. I let it slip that he was my mate and they got pissed about that. They want me to get married to a wolf and keep the bloodline by having pups. Not be mated to a vampire far older than I."

"So, they knew he was your mate when he disappeared?" I asked to confirm.

She nodded. "I had asked him for a private meeting, and I was going to tell him, but he never showed. When I got there, my parents were there and told me that he left. When I went looking for him, he hadn't returned here. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find him."

Willow then turned sheepish. "We are already mated," she told me in a quiet voice.

I looked at her in shock. "Willow—"

She cut me off with a desperate look before I could scold her. "I know. I know. But my wolf was demanding it, and I wanted him so badly. I wasn't even going to do it, but he offered me his blood for protection and so he could always find me. Then we slept together, and I wanted him to bite me. It all happened so fast."

As she was speaking, I thought about Eric. After I took his blood, I had been having dreams about him every night. That's also why I was scared to sleep with him. He would be satisfied and move on, while I would be mated to him.

I leaned over and placed my hand on hers. She looked up at me with worry in her ice blue eyes. "We will find him Willow," I declared. "I promise you. We will." She nodded and I could only pat her hand. "I'll let you get some rest. Godric wouldn't want you to be like this."

Willow sighed but laid down anyway. I covered her before walking to the door. When I opened the door, I glanced behind me to see Willow fast asleep. Her chest slowly rising and falling. I smiled softly before leaving the room. I saw Eric walking up the stairs, a look of anger on his face with his eyes a stormy blue.

"Hey," I whispered with furrowed eyebrows. "Everything okay?"

"They are complete idiots," he seethed. "All they do is argue with each other when Godric could be in danger."

Eric stood a few steps below me, so I was taller than him, and I put my hands on his cheeks so he would look at me. "We will find him Eric," I declared. "I won't stop until we do."

Eric's stormy eyes stared at me silently. Eventually, the storm gave was to that ocean blue that I had come to love. His mouth moved into a half smile. I smiled at him before letting him go. "Let's end their argument and come up with a plan."

I took his hand and he let me pull him back down the stairs. When we walked back into the living room, Stan and Isabel were still arguing with each other. I rolled my eyes when Sookie looked to me with a bored expression. Eric, on the other hand, just got angrier. I could feel it coming off of him in waves. He suddenly picked up a vase and threw it into the wall with an enraged yell.

The shattering of the vase stopped the argument, and Eric turned to them with a thunderous expression. "Godric has protected you, made you rich, and you stand here spitting and scratching like infants!"

"Don't any of you care that there's a traitor in your midst?" Bill cut in before they could start to argue again.

"No," Stan drawled.

"Impossible," Isabel denied.

"Someone tried to kidnap me and Teddy from the airport," Sookie explained in anger. I had told her on the flight over that most of the newer vampires know me as Asena and to call me that while we were in the nest, just not at the meeting. I'm glad that she listened for once to me.

"You were the only ones that knew they were coming," Bill reminded them.

Eric stepped up behind me. "Explain."

"Unless it was you," they echoed each other.

I sighed as Sookie apparently had had enough. "Look, if y'all argue any more, I'm either gonna fall asleep or start screaming, so this is what we're gonna do: Asena and I will infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun."

Bill's head snapped around to look at her in shock. "Absolutely not."

"Let her speak," Eric commanded as Stan groaned.

"Since Bill glamoured the kidnapper, no one there knows who we are," Sookie explained. "We'll pretend that we wanna join the church and check out all their thoughts."

"No," Bill declared. "During the day, none of us can help you."

"That's what I'll be there for," I told him.

"No," Eric shot down. "You will not be going."

"That's not up to you," I growled at him. "I can protect both of us from humans."

Stan growled and walked over to his hat on the coffee table. "Waste of time, when we could drink them all," he growled as he put on his cowboy hat. "I want no part of this."

Stan then left the room, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I had always felt uncomfortable around Stan. We turned back to Isabel, who looked apologetic. "There's no easier way to find out if they're involved."

"If it leads us to Godric, we'll do it," Eric declared. "The decision is made."

Bill did not look happy and turned to Eric. "A few words."

Eric walked towards Bill who took them over to the fireplace. Isabel walked over, and I turned to Sookie. "I need some air. I'll be outside when the boys are ready to go."

She nodded and I walked outside to take a deep breath of the cool night air. I had to think about everything that I found out today. I needed to get myself together and figure out what I am going to do.