Her Daughter

HD ~ Chapter Twelve

I guess my new thing is writing after midnight because it seems like it makes things easier for me. Probably because it's peaceful and no one's awake to disturb me (besides the cat of course.)

Anyway, on we go.

Oh, and for the record, "quietude" is a word. Look it up. You learn new things everyday.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Clarity

"But we're family," I said into the phone with desperation leaking into my voice. "Dana can't help because she's dealing with a rogue problem. You're our last chance."

"I'm sorry, Claire," Natalie said with a small sigh. "I really want to help you save Felicity and fight this war, but my pack doesn't have anything to offer to you. The fire that happened last year wiped out a third of our pack. People are just starting to get back on their feet. Jared and I can't afford to give you what you need and we can't put our pack in a situation that could cause more devastation for them," she explained.

After I spoke with Dana and discovered her issue and the reason why she wouldn't be able to help me, I put all my faith into my sister only to find out that she couldn't help me either. Any hope I had of rescuing my daughter alive was slowly disappearing. I knew Natalie was being reasonable and only protecting her pack like an alpha should, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I had risked my life to save Natalie once and she couldn't help me save my daughter.

Natalie was twenty-eight years old and had a two year old son of her own with her mate. I wanted her to understand how I felt. I wanted her to imagine how she would feel if Owen had been taken from her. Though I knew that if I brought that up, it would only anger her.

Last year, a forest fire had ripped through the GrayCloud pack lands. It took three days to put the fire out and half of their land had been destroyed with a third of the pack either killed or injured in efforts to diminish it. I was certain that if I'd known about the fire in time, then I would've sent aid to my sister's pack. However, I'd only gotten word about the fire the day after it was subdued. Even then, I sent supplies to help them recover.

Now, I needed her help more than ever and she couldn't be here for me.

I took a deep breath and ran a hand over my face. "I was counting on you," I whispered into the phone. "After everything I've done for you, I was praying that you would return the favor. My daughter's life is on the line."

Natalie went silent for a long time. "I know," she said softly. "I owe you a lot. I wouldn't be where I was today without you," she said and inhaled sharply. "But I have my pack to think about and my family. If I hear anything, I'll tell you immediately."

"Yeah okay," I mumbled softly before hanging up the phone. I didn't want to listen anymore. No one was going to help me and I doubted Natalie would find out any information.

I sat behind my desk in silence for a long time after that. I must've been sitting there for hours because the next thing I knew, I heard a short knock on the door before Nick entered the room with a small smile on his face. "Hey," he murmured as he walked over to me and leaned against my desk.

"Neither of them can help us," I whispered back to him. "We're not going to be able to get her back. They're going to kill her." Voicing my thoughts made everything more real. I felt hollow inside and part of me was missing.

Nick sighed softly and grabbed my hand in both of his. "Clarity, we'll get her back. Everything will work out," he tried to reassure me.

I wrenched my hand from his grip and stood up. "How?" I asked him, feeling the anger in my voice. "How are we suppose to rescue her alive? How can we ensure her safety when we can't afford to pay them and fight them at the same time? They're asking me to choose between my daughter and my pack!" I shouted.