Chapter 86
DEREK
Something was wrong.
Aiden hadn’t come down the slide.
I was already halfway to the base of the water slide when the thought hit me like a punch to the gut. My eyes scanned the splash pool–half a dozen children flailing joyfully in the turquoise water–but none of them were mine.
No copper curls. No green swim trunks. No grin wide enough to split the sky.
I glanced up the stairs. A line of kids waited their turn, inching forward beneath the shaded metal awning, water glistening on their skin. But Aiden wasn’t there either.
My chest tightened.
He wasn’t at the top. He wasn’t at the bottom. He wasn’t on the slide. The rational part of me tried to slow my thoughts–he probably just ducked off to the bathroom, or saw something shiny at the snack stand.
But I knew better. I knew my son.
And something in the air had shifted.
I spun in place, turning toward the edge of the pool deck, searching for lifeguards, for employees in polo shirts, for anything or anyone who could help me track down a missing six–year–old shifter.
The crowd pressed in around me. The hiss of water jets. The screech of children laughing. The slosh of the lazy river. I caught glimpses of sunhats, sandals, oversized sunglasses. But no Aiden.
“Aiden!” I called, my voice loud but swallowed by the noise. “AIDEN!”
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My hands curled into fists, claws threatening to break through my skin. I forced them back. No one needed to see a Luna shift into wolf form at a human waterpark.
I turned again, panic rising in my throat—
“Elena!”
I whirled.
Pierce stood near the towel return, a bright white linen shirt draped casually over his shoulders, sunglasses perched on his forehead. He looked like he belonged in a damn travel brochure–tanned, relaxed, confident. But I barely registered any of that.
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“You came!” he said, striding toward me, arms open as if we were old friends. “Welcome! I
was just about to head over–my grandson’s dying to meet Aiden. He’s just over—”
“I can’t find Aiden,” I said, breathless. “He’s missing. He was on the slide–he didn’t come
down. I don’t know where he went.”
The words tumbled out like water over rocks.
Pierce’s expression changed instantly. Not fear–he was too composed for that—but a
perfect mask of concern.
“Missing?” he echoed, brows knitting. “Are you
sure?”
“Yes!” My voice cracked. “He’s not at the top, he’s not at the bottom, I’ve looked
everywhere-”
He reached out, gently touching my arm. “Then we’ll find him. Don’t worry. These parks have cameras, lifeguards. He couldn’t have gone far.”
I pulled away, eyes darting back to the crowd. Couldn’t have gone far? That’s exactly what people said right before something awful happened.
Pierce started walking, beckoning for me to follow. “Let’s check the snack bar and the
changing area. If nothing else, I can alert security.”
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I hesitated.
There was something too calm about him. Too…controlled.
Why hadn’t he shown any real surprise? Any sense of urgency?
But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Aiden was gone.
We scoured the changing cabanas. No sign.
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The splash pad. Nothing. Pierce asked a lifeguard, who shook her head. I was already halfway to the front gate to call the damn police when Pierce suddenly pointed toward the lazy river.
“There!” he said, voice sharp. “Is that him?”
I turned.
And my knees almost gave out.
There he was.
Floating on a bright blue inflatable tube, laughing with another boy–older, lankier, with shaggy brown hair and too–big swim goggles. Aiden was splashing water at him, giggling like this was the best day of his life.
“Aiden!” I shouted, running toward the edge of the river.
He looked up, startled. “Hi, Mom!”
The relief flooding through me wasn’t enough to keep the hysteria out of my voice. “Get out of the water. Now.”
“But-”
“Now!”
He and his new friend scrambled to the river’s exit, dragging their tubes behind them like deflated balloons. I knelt down and grabbed him by the shoulders.
Chapter 86
“You scared the hell out of me,” I whispered. “I thought—”
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“I just went with Chase!” Aiden said, pointing to the other boy. “I was gonna float by and tell you I got off the water slide. The lazy river goes right by where you were sitting! I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I always mind if you disappear without telling me.” My voice was shaking.
Aiden looked sheepish. “Sorry.”
I hugged him hard, pressing my face into his damp curls.
Behind me, Pierce chuckled softly. “Well, I guess no harm done. Just a boy with too much energy and a new friend.”
I stood, brushing my hair out of my face.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “I was two seconds away from calling in the damn military. I
never would’ve found him without
you.”
He smiled. “It was my pleasure to help.”
There was something serpentine in the curve of his lips. Something too pleased. But again, I pushed the thought away.
“I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day,” I said. “Thank you for the invitation here, but we’re going back to the hotel. Come on, Aiden”
“Aw, Mom-‘
“Now.”
He sighed but obeyed, sulkily dragging his towel behind him.
I gathered up our belongings.
As we turned to leave, Pierce called after me. “You know,” he said, walking a few steps closer, “I have a villa back at the resort. Private. Gated. Very secure. It even has its own pool
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and waterslide. My grandson has been using it but would love a playmate.”
I paused.
He smiled again, hands sliding into his pockets. “You and Aiden are welcome to join us. No lines. No crowds. The boys can play to their hearts‘ content.”
The smart thing would have been to decline.
The safe thing.
But I looked down at Aiden, who was still kicking his toes in the puddles as we walked. He’d been so bored lately. And maybe Pierce wasn’t so bad. He’d helped me, hadn’t he?
I smiled tightly. “We’ll think about it.”
“Excellent,” he said with a slight bow. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
We walked in silence for a moment. Then I felt Aiden tug at my hand, his voice small. “Can we go? To the villa?”
I looked at him.
His shoulders were slumped, his curls dripping, and for the first time since we’d arrived, he looked tired. Not just physically, but mentally. All the excitement of a vacation, or a trip with his mom, leaching away and leaving behind nothing but disappointment.
“I was just trying to make a friend,” he said softly. “And the slide at the villa sounds really
cool.”
My heart twisted. This poor only child, who was content to play by himself at home, for years kept out of public through no fault of his own.
I sighed, brushing a damp curl off his forehead. “All right,” I said. “We’ll go.”
His face lit up, all sunshine and hope again.
And somewhere, deep down, I ignored the warning bells still echoing in the back of my
Chapter 86
mind.
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