Chapter 146  Finn Is Found

Third POV

The call ended with a soft click. Dorothy stared at the phone in Asher’s hand, her weathered face creased with disappointment.

“She’s not coming back anytime soon, is she?” Dorothy asked quietly.

Asher slipped the phone into his pocket. He tried to keep his voice reassuring. “Things aren’t as bad as you think, Grandmother. Estelle will come back. She really is just busy with work. The conflict is small.”

Dorothy’s sharp eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “If you were a proper mate, there wouldn’t be conflict at all.”

Asher felt his stomach drop.

“As the current head of this family, it’s your job to maintain peace in the household,” Dorothy continued, her voice growing stern. “You should’ve stood up for your mate when your mother and sister were being unreasonable.”

She turned her glare toward Jessie, emphasizing the word “unreasonable” like a weapon.

Jessie scoffed loudly. “Mother, you heard it yourself. Estelle wanted to leave Moonveil and see the world. The conflict is just an excuse for her to leave.”

Dorothy opened her mouth to argue, but suddenly clutched her chest. Her face went pale as she gasped for air.

“Grandmother!” Asher rushed forward, catching her arm to support her. “Are you alright?”

Dorothy nodded slowly, her breathing evening out. However, her face was still pale. “I’m fine.”

Asher whipped around to face his mother. His eyes blazed with anger. “Can’t you just shut up for a second? Why must you pick a fight wherever you go?”

Jessie’s mouth fell open in shock. “Asher, how dare you speak to me like that? I am your mother!”

“I’m tired of this,” Asher snapped.

He was sick of everything. If it weren’t for Jessie and Ashley, Estelle might’ve never left. They were the straw that broke the camel’s back with their unceasing demands. On top of that, Asher was angry at his mother for using the pack council to force Hazel out. His relationship with Hazel was in shambles because of that. Everything was falling apart because Jessie couldn’t mind her own business.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway. Nigel appeared, moving quickly toward them.

“Alpha Asher, I need to—” Nigel stopped mid-sentence when he saw the tense scene. “Good afternoon, Jessie. Dorothy.”

He nodded respectfully to both women before turning back to Asher. “I need a word with you, Alpha.”

Asher slowly released Dorothy’s arm. “Can you stand?”

“Of course I can stand,” Dorothy replied tartly.

“Why don’t you rest in my bedroom?” Asher suggested, gesturing toward his door. “It’s right here.”

Dorothy looked toward his messy bedroom and sneered. “Your bedroom is in no state for visitors.”

Without another word, she walked down the hall toward one of the guestrooms.

Asher sighed and followed Nigel to a quiet corner, not forgetting to give his mother one last scathing glare before leaving.

“What is it?” Asher asked in a low voice.

“We’ve located Finn,” Nigel said quietly.

Asher’s eyes lit up. “Where is he? Why didn’t you just mindlink me?”

“I tried. You didn’t respond.”

Asher thought back to the phone call with Estelle. He had been completely focused on managing that conversation. “Where is he?”

“Finn was spotted leaving the Moonveil Pack territory,” Nigel reported. “Someone came to fetch him near the borders. The reports say it was a woman with long blonde hair.”

Asher’s blood ran cold. His mind immediately went to Hazel, but he didn’t say her name out loud.

If Hazel had been caught taking Finn, she could be dragged back to face the pack council. They would brand her as an omega slave for breaking the terms of her contract and for kidnapping the Alpha’s son. They wouldn’t care that Finn was technically also her son. She had given up all rights to maintain contact with her mate and child when she signed that paper.

“Thank you for the information,” Asher said quickly.

He pulled out his phone and tried calling Hazel. The call was immediately declined. It didn’t take long for Asher to figure out that his number had been blocked.

“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath.

Asher grabbed his car keys from the side table and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Jessie called after him.

“I have something I need to do,” Asher replied without stopping.

He didn’t offer any more explanation as he left the house.

Asher drove straight to Hazel’s apartment in neutral territory. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as worst-case scenarios ran through his mind.

What if the pack warriors had already found them? What if Hazel was planning to disappear with Finn forever?

He parked outside her building and took the stairs two at a time.

Inside the apartment, Hazel heard the sharp knock on the door. She looked toward the bedroom where Finn was playing quietly.

“Mommy will be with you in just a moment, okay, sweetie?” she called softly. “Stay put.”

Finn nodded and continued arranging his toy cars on the floor.

Hazel walked to the front door and peered through the peephole. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw who was standing outside.

She unlocked the door and opened it slowly.

“Asher?”