Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 48

They gather up a few things and pack up. Leilani goes up to investigate Rosalie's room but everything has already been gone through before. It is hard to tell what it would have been like originally.

It is nightfall before they end up back at the hotel sitting around the coffee table on the ground. They look blankly at the lack of information on the pile of paper that might as well go in the recycling bin. They only gathered up some things to make alpha Baxter feel better about the last four weeks that he has spent, but there is nothing of any relevance or helpfulness in the pile at all.

Leilani gathers up the pile and puts it on the kitchen counter.

"Okay let's forget all of this stuff that came before and act like we are the first ones on the scene and no one else has been before us. Start from the start, because that is pretty much where we're starting from anyway" Arlo frowns slightly.

"You do know that after four weeks it is unlikely that she will be alive?"

The group can only nod solemnly. With a kidnapping, a ransom should have been asked for by now. Any sort of contact should have been made, but there is nothing. Leilani says.

"Even if she is dead, Alpha Baxter and his family need closure so they can start to heal. I heard the Luna crying when I went up to Rosalie's room and it broke my heart. No family should have to go through that. Even if we cannot bring Rosalie home safely, we need to find out who did this, justice needs to be served."

The boys are revved up and ready to face the impossible task after Leilani's speech. Of course, she is right.

They order some food and relax for the night, taking the night to recharge before they get stuck in, as sometimes they will just go without a single break. There is no point going out in the pitch black to look. There are no scent trails to go cold. They are completely wiped off the face of the earth already, so whether they start tonight or tomorrow makes no difference. Apart from the fact that Rosalie is gone for a bit longer.

But there is nothing that they can accomplish in the dark. They need light on the situation, so even if they start now, they will have to do the same things in the morning.

Leilani just lays down on the bed when a message pops up from Connor.

Connor: 'Are you free?'

Leilani: 'Just about to go to sleep'

A request for a video call comes through and Leilani answers. In the stormy pack, Connor grins when he sees her beautiful face on the screen.

"Have you missed me?"

"Maybe"

"I will take that as a yes"

"I'm starting to feel like you only hear what you want to hear"

"Maybe I do because what I just heard was 'Ohh Connor you are so handsome! I missed you so much that I want to rush straight back into your arms and never let you go""

Leilani laughs at his terrible impression of her coupled with his kissy face and fluttering eyelashes. Who would think such a masculine and chiseled face could look so cute with a few choice expressions?

"I didn't know my voice was so squeaky and I had no idea I was such a bimbo. And for the record, you would have made the most beautiful girl"

Connor pouts his lips, giving her a few more eyelash flutters before laughing. Leilani continues.

"Come to think of it, that was word for word what I said"

The bed compresses on either side of Leilani and two faces come into view at Connor's end. Madden says.

"Are we too late for the phone s*x part of this phone call?"

Connor rolls his eyes.

"Well, you two have totally killed my mood now"

Leilani laughs, looking at Connor and his relaxed face, her heart beats wildly in her chest at his trust in her. Even though she considers the five boys brothers, it is hard for others to understand the dynamic between the group, so the fact that Connor sits there calmly instead of flying into a jealous rage wraps her heart in sweetness. Of course, she understands that it is strange, she understands how hard it must be to watch her be so close to men that are not blood related. But these five boys are a big part of her life and she is not willing to distance herself from them. A man that she chooses as a mate needs to accept them.

Connor looks like he might tick that box, if it would be possible to have this life and have Connor?

Wouldn't that be the dream?

Leilani gets up and moves to the bathroom to get some privacy, suddenly feeling shy as she stares at the handsome man. She closes the lid of the toilet and sits down. "Connor, I do miss you"

Connor, who is sitting in his study, stares at the beauty on the screen that is so clear that he feels like he could reach out and touch her.

"Baby, I missed you already. I know it hasn't even been twenty-four hours, but I do. I just wanted to tell you that you can call me at any time, day or night, and babe, if you need me at all, just let me know, I want you to stay safe, I want you to return to me just as perfectly as you left" Leilani smiles at the screen, her heart is pounding and her palms feel sweaty.

"I will Connor, this one might be a little more difficult than first estimate, but I will be back for the ball no matter what"

Connor can only nod, he opens his mouth but no words come out. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but at the moment he feels the absence is rather excruciating. But he puts on a brave face. "Okay babe, keep me up-to-date and make sure you call me"

He pauses blowing a kiss to the screen.

"Goodnight Leilani"

Leilani can only smile sadly, keeping up a soft smile as she kisses the screen in an attempt to hide her feelings. Wishing that he was in front of her, wishing she could feel his warm arms wrapped around her. "Goodnight Connor"

Leilani hangs up the phone and walks back into the room, climbing in beside Madden and Arlo.

"Do you think it is possible in our circumstances to keep a love that isn't our fated mate?"

"I don't know Lani, I wouldn't dare say that it would be easy, but you have to decide whether Connor is worth it or not, whether he is worth the effort. If he is, you have to do everything to make it work" Leilani can only nod as she drifts off to sleep. Connor is worth it. If anyone is worth it in this world, it is Connor. If love is possible in her life, she would be crazy to ever let it go.

In four locations, the occupants are waking up at the crack of dawn. Connor wakes in his bed impressed that a phone call from Leilani was enough for him to sleep for six hours. Gabriel wakes up leaning on a bar, his handsome face sitting in a pile of vomit as the cleaner tidies up the venue around him. Maggie drags herself out of bed to start the long process of making herself perfect.

In the hotel, six bodies lay on the ground, pushing up in synchronicity.

"Three hundred"

All of them jump up cheering. In the confined space in the human world, they train the only way they can. Leilani runs into one of the two bathrooms laughing. No matter what, they always have a big competition about who gets to use the bathroom first and Leilani rarely wins, as the boys team up against her, because teasing Leilani is what they do to keep the atmosphere happy at all times.

Leilani showers and dresses in a pastel blue sundress paired with a pair of white sneakers, her hair tied in a simple ponytail, she looks angelic. Levi whoops when she emerges.

"Look at our college girl"

Rosalie was last seen on the grounds of her college. So, logically, that is their starting point. They cannot all go onto campus together as they would just draw too much attention, so Madden and Leilani will be entering together as they are the two that could nearly pass as relatives, so they will enter as perspective new students and somehow get themselves into the security room. Hudson will be using his computer from the outside. Levi is in charge of locker search and classrooms and Arlo with his devilish good looks, will be in charge of questioning students in a subtle way. They won't even know they have been questioned by the time he has finished with them.

Mostly they will be relying on Hudson and his hacking. It is a skill that not many in the werewolf world value, but to the group it has been invaluable and has got them out of trouble many times before.

Six fresh-faced, cleanly dressed college students hide all their strength behind friendly smiles.

"Lets go"