Page 129 of Claimed

“What can I do?” I ask, turning to Eloise but she’s got her eyes on the door because supplies are coming in.

Arcana Falls men are carrying in cases of water and boxes of the miscellaneous supplies Cat sent.

Eloise gives me a look that’s a mixture of hopeful and doubting. “Luke said as much when he came in and said your mate and some of his people are here to help. Where’s your brother? What happened when they came to rescue you?”

“Wyatt’s not been in touch?” Grey asks.

Eloise shakes her head with disgust. “He hasn’t. Since he locked us in and told us if anyone else runs off, we’re dead we’ve just been trying to get by until he came back, but…” Her face nearly crumples, and I see what she’s been dealing with.

She pulls herself together. Eloise has four kids, three of which I see in the corner with the other kids and young teens of the pack, huddled and looking afraid. But absent is Jennifer, Eloise’s oldest daughter. And though there are teen boys here, there aren’t any girls over the age of fifteen or sixteen. I’m about to ask about that when I hear the thump of boxes being dropped.

“Who wants a granola bar and some juice?” Linc calls out, opening a cardboard box while looking in the direction of the kids.

“Everyone?” I call out, “This is Lincoln. And Greyson here is my mate.” I grab his hand and squeeze. “Fated mates are real. He and his pack members from Arcana Falls are here to help. Okay? You can trust them. I promise you, you can. Do you all trust me? If you trust me, please believe me here. They’re here to help.”

Luke is suddenly beside me. “Stacy tells the truth. You all know her; know she’s never deceived us.”

“Thanks, Lukey,” I say under my breath.

Little Lara, Martha’s five-year-old pops up to standing.

“Me!” she squeals excitedly. “I want a granola bar and juice. Do you have apple juice?”

“We’ve got apple and orange,” Linc tells her. “Juice isn’t cold but we’re getting some ice brought in. You want it even if it’s warm?”

“Yes, please!” Lara replies excitedly and other kids start to shuffle and move closer as Lara watches Linc separate some juice boxes from the case.

“Larry said Wyatt took Halla?” I ask Eloise.

Eloise gives me a dire look before nodding.

“And where are Addy, Misty, Caroline, Ellie, and Jennifer? And a few of the other girls are missing?”

She shakes her head. “The prettiest young women without kids were sent off just before he left. Don’t know where, but I have a suspicion.”

“What’s that?” Grey asks.

Eloise winces and Luke offers, “Whore house” before she has a chance to say.

Eloise looks at me and I gulp, seeing this is her thought, too. Misty just turned sixteen. Jennifer is seventeen, I think. Oh no. I’m going to throw up.

Eloise’s expression is hard and so is the mood among the other women. They all know this to be true.

Luke keeps talking, “I just talked to Georgie. He overheard Wyatt talking about it to Floyd. Wyatt said he’d get two thousand dollars and some guns up front if he sent a dozen over. He was using it to finance the mission we went on.”

“He got the guns but only a few of them had actual ammo in them,” Luke adds.

“Anyone here know where he took the girls?” Grey asks.

“Floyd’s over there,” Luke points to the group of men in the corner being watched over by two betas and Jared.

My eyes pan across the space even as I push away the pain of knowing where Addy, Misty, Caroline, Jenny and the others are. Floyd was in my father’s inner circle. I know Wyatt sometimes talks strategy with him. And with Wyatt not being here, Floyd would technically be in charge.

“Any sign of Malachi?” I try. “He was at Arcana Falls but he disappeared after Jimmy got killed.”

“Mal came back after that,” Eloise says. “Said he saw an Arcana Falls alpha rip Jim apart.”

Luke is looking at the ground. And I want to hug him. He must be feeling so conflicted right now between loyalty to his brother and survival.

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