Ava’s POV
I rushed back to the office, finding it in complete chaos when I arrived. Kyle quickly explained that Liam had been kidnapped.
"Caroline needs you!" Kyle said urgently. "Joseph is bringing the girls over, and Luke will be joining us too."
"Great, Kyle. What else can I do?" I asked, feeling my heart racing with anxiety.
"Things are going to get chaotic here. Look after Caroline, clear all the executives’ schedules. Handle as much as you can so Alpha Draven and Ryan can focus on this situation. Let know if you need help," Kyle instructed as I sat down to start working. "You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?"
"No, I haven’t, Kyle, but I’ll order sothing to eat here later."
"Let’s do better than that. Let’s arrange for food to be available here continuously so nobody has to leave hungry," Kyle suggested, and I thought it was a brilliant idea.
"Sounds good. What do you need to do?" I asked.
"Call the catering service and have them set everything up within the hour," Kyle said before returning to Draven’s office.
I arranged the catering service and inford Kyle. Not long after, Joseph arrived. I hadn’t seen him since Sunday night. My heart betrayed by pounding wildly at the sight of him, that familiar electric current surging through my body once again. Even with our relationship in shambles, his effect on was still terrifyingly powerful.
Alpha Draven and Caroline were locked in a tight embrace, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Though Draven maintained a calm exterior, I could see the tornt inside him. The fear of losing the son he had just found was nearly breaking this powerful Alpha. Little Liam was so adorable, so small, and now he was sowhere unknown, probably terrified.
Kyle ca over to inform us. "To better coordinate the search and rescue efforts, we need to move to Alpha Draven’s pack house. They have better communication equipnt and security asures there."
Looking at the devastated Caroline and equally worried Eleanor, I knew I needed to do sothing as their friend. Simple words of comfort wouldn’t be enough right now.
I quietly moved next to Nina and lowered my voice. "I forgot sothing important at ho that I need to get."
Nina looked at questioningly. "Now? Ava, we should stay with Caroline—"
"I’ll take you ho, Ava." Joseph’s voice suddenly ca from behind . Obviously he’d been keeping an eye on .
"No need." I reflexively refused, my tone much colder than I’d intended.
Joseph’s face imdiately darkened, and that hurt expression made my heart ache. I took a deep breath, trying to soften my tone. "Alpha Draven needs you right now. He just found his child only to have him kidnapped. That fear and pain could make anyone lose their judgnt. He needs his friend’s support."
Joseph stared at for several seconds before finally nodding. "Alright, but be careful. Call imdiately if anything happens."
I hurriedly left the office, with only one thought in my mind—my mother’s spell book must contain sothing that could help find Liam.
Back ho, I rushed to the study and frantically searched through the heavy magic book. My fingers slid quickly over the yellowed pages, looking for anything related to location or tracking spells or rituals. As a witch descendant, these ancient texts should give answers.
But after going through all the sections I could understand, I found nothing. The complex runes and spells seed to offer no direct help for the current situation.
"Damn it!" I closed the book in frustration and turned to search other corners of the study.
The shelves held many other magical tos, which I opened one by one. Most contained information about spirit communication, potion-making, and elental control, but nothing about the tracking spells I needed.
Ti was ticking away, and I grew increasingly anxious. Every minute that passed put little Liam in more danger.
I slumped into a chair, realizing that my current knowledge level wasn’t enough to solve this problem. There was only one option left—call my mom.
I picked up my phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed Odelia’s number.
"Ava?" my mother’s voice ca through. "Shouldn’t you be at work right now?"
"Mom, ergency!" I said urgently. "I need you to co ho right away, it’s really urgent!"
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Odelia’s voice imdiately beca tense.
"I’m fine, but a child is missing, and I need your help. Please, Mom!"
Within minutes, I heard keys jingling at the front door. Odelia burst through, looking frantic with worry.
"What’s going on?" she asked while removing her coat, but when her gaze swept toward the study, she suddenly froze.
The study door was wide open, with several magic books spread open on the desk, and the bookshelves had obviously been disturbed. Odelia’s expression instantly beca complicated.
"Ava..." she slowly walked toward the study. "Have you been secretly studying magic behind my back?"
I nearly lost my mind at her priorities. "Mom! We need to find Liam right now! He’s just a child, and his life could be in danger! Why are you fixating on sothing so irrelevant right now?"
"This is not irrelevant," Odelia looked at seriously, her green eyes filled with emotions I couldn’t read. "Tell the truth, have you been studying magic in secret?"
"Yes, I admit it!" I practically shouted. "So what? Your spell books are sitting right here in the study, not hidden away as so secret. What’s wrong with looking into my own heritage?"
My mother’s expression beca unusually serious. "The problem is that you shouldn’t be able to understand those books at all!"
Her words knocked the wind out of .
I stared at her, dumbfounded. "What do you an? I’m your daughter, Grandma was a witch, and according to what you’ve told about my bloodline, I’m at least one-quarter witch. Even with minimal magical power, being able to understand so basic magical knowledge should be normal, right?"
Odelia’s expression flickered for a mont, as if realizing she’d said too much. She quickly composed herself and waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind that now. You said a child is missing?"
I keenly noticed my mother was changing the subject again. This wasn’t the first ti. Whenever my magical aptitude or family history ca up, she always beca evasive. But now wasn’t the ti to get to the bottom of this—Liam’s safety was more important.
"Yes," I forced myself to focus on the current crisis. "His na is Liam, he’s my friend’s child, and he was kidnapped today. I was looking for tracking or locating spells in the magic books, but I couldn’t find anything suitable."
Odelia nodded, her expression becoming professional. "Tracking spells do exist, but they require so connection to the target. Before I can perform any magic, do you have anything related to this child? Items he’s used, or have you had any contact with him?"
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