Filed to story: Claimed By My Fiance's Alpha Brother (Callie & Cameron) Book PDF Free
My mind raced through possibilities. Had the rogues taken a hostage? Was this some kind of trap designed to lure us deeper into the forest? Or was there actually a child lost in the wilderness, helpless and alone in one of the most dangerous areas of our territory?
I gestured for Marcus and two other guards to follow me, but raised my hand for caution. “Weapons ready but not visible,” I commanded. “If this is an ambush, I want to be prepared. If it’s really a child in distress…”
We moved through the dense forest with the silent precision of seasoned hunters, following the sound of sobbing that seemed to echo from deeper in the trees. The scent trails here were confusing -multiple wolves had passed through recently, their fear and aggression hanging in the air like a toxic cloud.
But as we drew closer to the source of the crying, another scent reached me through the chaos of rogue markers and territorial tensions. Familiar. Impossibly familiar.
Vanilla and jasmine. Sweet and pure and absolutely out of place in this wilderness of danger.
Callie’s scent.
My wolf Alex went completely berserk in my mind, pacing and snarling with recognition and desperate confusion. *Why would her scent be here? Why would any trace of our mate be in this gods-forsaken place?*
I held up my hand, signaling the others to lower their weapons as understanding began to dawn. “Stand down,” I commanded quietly. “Whatever this is, it’s not an attack.”
We pushed through the final cluster of pine trees and emerged into a small clearing where fallen logs created natural seating around what had once been a campfire ring. And there, sitting on the mossy ground with his back pressed against a massive oak tree, was a small figure that made my heart stop completely.
Adrian.
Callie’s son was huddled against the tree trunk, his little arms wrapped around his knees as tears streamed down his dirt-stained cheeks. His dark curls were disheveled, leaves and twigs caught in the tangles, and his clothes -a bright blue t-shirt and tiny jeans -were torn and muddy from wandering through the forest.
But even from twenty feet away, even through the grime and fear, those eyes were unmistakable. Deep blue with silver flecks that caught the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy above.
I was already moving before my brain had fully processed what I was seeing, crossing the clearing in long strides that ate up the distance between us. My heart was hammering against my ribs, confusion and shock warring in my chest.
Adrian looked up at my approach, his small face a canvas of misery. Tears had carved clean tracks through the dirt on his cheeks, and his nose was running freely. His lower lip trembled as he tried to stop crying, clearly struggling to be brave despite being absolutely terrified.
Leaves and small twigs were tangled in his dark curls, and I could see scratches on his small arms where branches had caught him. He looked so incredibly small sitting there against that massive oak tree, like a lost doll someone had carelessly discarded.
“Are you my daddy?” he asked in a voice so small and hopeful it shattered something inside my chest.
Cameron’s POV
My wolf Alex was going absolutely feral in my mind, pacing and snarling with protective instincts that didn’t make complete sense but felt as natural as breathing.
What the hell was he doing here? Where was Callie? She was fiercely protective of Adrian, would never willingly leave him alone anywhere, let alone in one of the most dangerous areas of our territory. Something was very, very wrong.
I approached slowly, keeping my movements calm and non-threatening as I took in his condition. I crouched down to his level, careful to keep my expression gentle despite the rage building in my system like a gathering storm. How had he gotten here? Who would bring a four-year-old child to the middle of nowhere and just… leave him?
“I’m not your daddy,” I said softly, shaking my head with genuine regret as I watched his face fall. “But we’ve met before, remember? I’m your mommy’s boss.”
Adrian’s face scrunched up in concentration as he studied my features through his tears. His small hands wiped at his cheeks, leaving muddy streaks across his pale skin. After a moment, recognition flickered in those remarkable blue eyes.
“You’re the tall man,” he said slowly, his voice still shaky but growing slightly stronger. “The one who brought Mommy home that night when she was sleeping.”
“That’s right.” I kept my voice calm and reassuring, the same tone I’d use to approach a frightened animal. “I’m Cameron. Can you tell me how you got here, Adrian? This is a very dangerous place for little boys.”
But the moment I asked the question, Adrian’s entire demeanor shifted. His small mouth clamped shut, his shoulders hunching forward defensively as his eyes darted away from mine.
“I can’t tell,” he whispered, his voice so quiet I had to lean closer to hear him. “She said I can’t tell anyone, or bad things will happen to Mommy.”
The rage in my chest intensified, burning like acid in my veins. Someone had threatened this child, used his love for his mother as a weapon to ensure his silence.
“Listen to me very carefully,” I said, making sure to catch and hold his gaze. “This place isn’t safe. There are dangerous wolves out here -rogues who might hurt you. I need to get you somewhere safe, and then we can find your mommy together. Can you trust me to do that?”
Adrian studied my face with an intensity that seemed far too mature for his age. His blue eyes searched mine, looking for something.
Finally, his lower lip trembled, and fresh tears spilled down his dirt-stained cheeks. “You won’t leave me here too, will you?” he whispered, his voice breaking with barely contained sobs.
“I won’t leave you,” I promised, extending my hand toward him with the same careful gentleness I’d use with an injured wolf pup. “I’ll take you somewhere safe and help you find your mommy.”
After a long moment of hesitation, Adrian reached out and placed his tiny hand in mine. His fingers were cold and slightly sticky with dried tears, dirt smudged under his small nails from his journey through the forest.
I scooped him up into my arms, noting how light he felt -too light, like he hadn’t been eating enough lately. He immediately wrapped his small arms around my neck and buried his face against my shoulder, his little body shaking with exhaustion and relief.
“It’s okay,” I murmured, one hand stroking his tangled curls as I stood. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
“Marcus,” I called to my beta, who was standing guard at the edge of the clearing with the other pack members. “We’re heading back immediately. Increase patrols in this sector and put out an alert -someone dumped a child in rogue territory.”
The drive back toward civilization was tense, every shadow between the trees potentially hiding threats that could endanger the precious cargo in my arms. Adrian had fallen asleep within minutes of getting into the jeep, his small body finally relaxing now that he was safe and warm.
By the time we reached the city limits, Adrian was stirring, blinking up at me with sleepy confusion that quickly gave way to shy curiosity.
“Mr. Cameron?” he said softly, his voice still thick with sleep as he rubbed his eyes with small fists. “Are we going to find Mommy now?”
“We’re going to call her right now,” I assured him, though my attempts to reach Callie had gone straight to voicemail every single time. Where was she? Why wasn’t she answering her phone when her son was missing? The possibilities that ran through my mind made my blood run cold.
“Can you tell me a story?” Adrian asked suddenly, settling more comfortably against my chest as if he belonged there. “I like stories about wolves.”
So I found myself telling him tales as we drove through the early evening traffic -stories of brave wolves protecting their families, of adventures in moonlit forests, of pack bonds that could never be broken. Adrian listened with rapt attention, occasionally interrupting with questions.
“Do all wolves have special eyes like yours?” he asked at one point, studying my face with the intense concentration only children could manage.
“Some do,” I replied carefully, “It runs in certain families.”
“I have special eyes too,” Adrian announced proudly, his earlier trauma temporarily forgotten in the excitement of sharing this important information. “Mommy says they’re beautiful, like gemstones. And sometimes they look different in the moonlight, like they’re glowing.”
“That sounds very special indeed.”
“Mommy has pretty eyes too, but they’re green like emeralds,” Adrian continued. “She says I got my eyes from my daddy, whoever he is. Do you think my daddy has eyes like mine?”
“I think,” I said carefully, my voice rougher than intended, “that your daddy would be very proud to have a son with such beautiful eyes.”
Adrian beamed at the compliment, then settled back against my chest with a contented sigh. “I hope I meet him someday. I want to ask him lots of questions.”
By the time Marcus pulled up to the Nightshadow Industries building, Adrian was telling me about his favorite subject in school and demonstrating how well he could tie his shoes.
“Can I see where Mommy works?” Adrian asked as we rode the elevator to the executive floor, his small hands pressed against the glass walls as he watched the city lights spread out beneath us.
“Of course,” I said, carrying him down the marble corridor toward my office. “She has a very important job here. She helps me with everything.”
I pulled out my phone and tried Callie’s number again, my heart sinking as it went straight to voicemail once more. Her voice echoed through the speaker, professional and warm: *You’ve reached Callie Knight. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.*
“Callie,” I said after the beep, trying to keep my voice calm for Adrian’s sake, “it’s Cameron. Adrian is safe -he’s with me. Please call back immediately. There’s been a situation that needs your urgent attention.”
Callie’s POV
The drive back to Silver Moon Harbor felt like racing through a nightmare where the road kept stretching longer with each mile, no matter how hard I pressed the accelerator. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles had gone white, and I could taste copper in my mouth from where I’d bitten my lip hard enough to draw blood.
My phone had gone completely black after that final call with Ophelia, the screen cracked and unresponsive no matter how frantically I pressed the power button. Now it was nothing but a useless piece of plastic and metal, cutting me off from any updates about Adrian’s situation.
“Please,” I whispered to any god who might be listening, pressing the dead phone against my chest like a talisman. “Please let him be safe. I’ll do anything. Just let my baby be okay.”
The moment I reached the school parking lot, I was out of the car and running toward the building on legs that felt like jelly. My high heels clicked frantically against the asphalt as I raced toward the main entrance, my heart hammering so hard against my ribs I thought it might burst.
The front doors were locked -of course they were locked, school had ended hours ago. I pounded on the glass with both fists, not caring that I probably looked like a madwoman, until a janitor finally appeared from somewhere in the depths of the building.
“Ma’am, school’s been closed for -“
“My son!” I gasped, pressing my face against the glass. “Someone took my son! I need to speak with his teacher, with anyone who was here, please!”
The janitor’s expression softened as he took in my obvious distress. He unlocked the door and stepped aside to let me in. “What’s your boy’s name? I can try calling Mrs. Henderson at home.”
“Adrian Knight,” I said, my voice breaking on his name. “He’s in Mrs. Henderson’s class. Someone picked him up who wasn’t supposed to.”
Mrs. Henderson arrived within twenty minutes. She found me sitting in the hallway outside her classroom, my head in my hands as I tried to keep breathing through the panic attacks that kept washing over me in waves.
“Callie? Oh dear, what’s happened?”
I looked up at her through eyes that felt swollen from crying. “Someone took Adrian. You let someone take my son.”
Her face went pale. “The woman said she was his aunt. She had identification -her last name was Knight, same as yours. She said you’d had an emergency at work and had asked her to pick him up.”
“What did she look like?” I managed to ask, though I already suspected I knew the answer.
“Blonde hair, maybe late twenties? Well-dressed, very polite. She seemed to know details about you and Adrian…” Mrs. Henderson trailed off, guilt flooding her features as understanding dawned. “Oh God. Oh, Callie, I’m so sorry. I thought she was legitimate.”
Valerie. Of course it was Valerie.
“Mrs. Henderson,” I said urgently, turning to the teacher who was still standing nearby with guilt written across her kind face. “I need to borrow your phone. Mine was damaged, and I need to call someone who might know where Adrian is.”
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely manage to remove my SIM card from the broken device and insert it into Mrs. Henderson’s phone.
The moment the phone connected to the network, I dialed Valerie’s number from memory. My blood turned to ice as the phone began to ring, each tone echoing in the empty hallway like a countdown to disaster.
She answered on the second ring.
“Where is my son?” I didn’t bother with greetings or pleasantries. “Valerie, I swear to God, if you’ve hurt him -“
“Oh, hello there, sister dear!” Valerie’s voice bubbled through the speaker with sickening cheerfulness, like she was calling to chat about the weather instead of committing kidnapping. “My, my, you sound upset. Is something wrong?”
