Relief

13- Unknown

Unknown's POV

                  He's been staring at her for at least an hour, well her photo that is. It was captured the day he took her on their third date at the fair. They looked so happy. Her smile could melt the iciest of hearts and spread a warmth in you that can keep you comfortable for many winters. He hasn't seen that smile in the flesh for many years now. Her eyes tell a story of light-hearted memories and love-filled moments. Now, he's sure they're still big and beautiful brown pools with pain etched in them. Her hair, a dark shade of black tendrils. He wonders how she looks like now. Still beautiful, he was sure of it.

                He saw two dots of tears drop on the glass of the photograph. He wiped them away and shook his head. 'Why do I do this to myself?' He asks. He might as well be a masochist. Every time he sees her photo, a longing so strong overcomes his heart, it hurts. He can't eat, he can't sleep, and he can't do much of anything without her. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees the pain in her eyes that he caused, and that was the worse part. He failed her as a soul mate in every sense of the word. He was supposed to be her friend, her lover, her everything, but he destroyed all that. All for a moment of weakness and lust.

                 He's waiting for the day to hold her in his arms. He's been tracking her ever since she left. His mistake was betraying her and letting her go in her state. She was pregnant with his child. He didn't know until after she left. He had no right to be angry. She had every right to keep it from him. After all, he was a cheating imbecile, but he will redeem himself, after he finds them. So far, he's had no leads. All these years and no leads, but he wasn't giving up so easily. When it comes to his mate and his child, never.

               A soft knock at the door took him out of his thoughts. He didn't want to see anyone, and then he remembered he was to meet with the private investigator today. But like every other day, he's found nothing. It was so frustrating. Knock, knock. He kissed the photograph and hugged it as if it was going to disappear if he let go.

"Jeez, Rick, quit torturing yourself. It's not healthy," Rick's friend and Beta, Derek said, coming in and shutting the door.

"Did I fucking tell you to come in," Rick snapped.

Derek put his hands up in surrender. "I didn't come here to fight with you, Ricky. I just came here to talk with you."

Rick put the photograph on his desk and stood up to face his friend. "Well unless you're the private investigator, I have nothing to say to you. Now leave."

"That's why I'm here. The P.I. said he was going to be a little late. Said it was personal business."

Rick scoffed. "I pay him to find answers and to locate their whereabouts. Not to tend to personal problems. You know what, forget it. I'll just fire the asshole."

"If you do that, there will be no more P.I.'s, Rick. You've already fired like hundreds of them."

"I don't care, Derek. She's my mate, for fuck sake, and I'll do whatever it takes to find her and my child. Even if I have to fire a million investigators until I find the right one who will do their job."

The door opened. "That won't be necessary, sir," Larry, the P.I., said. "I think I found something."

Rick glared at Larry. "You think, Larry? That's not enough for me."

Larry smiled. "Sorry, sir, for my poor choice of words. I'm positive I found something. I was late because I was too busy making calls. One for permission to enter another alpha's territory, which was granted and the other for a plane ticket."

Rick was confused. "What? Why? Quit smiling like a damn fool, Larry, and tell me. You're testing my patience."

But Larry couldn't help but smile. He's seen how his boss has been suffering day and night, trying to find his mate and child. Well he didn't have to look anymore. "I found them, sir."

Rick was stunned. He couldn't mean... could he? "What?"

"I found your mate and child. They're far up north from here. Hence, the plane ticket. The Alpha was a little hesitant at first but after I explained the circumstances, he sympathized with you, and granted us the entrance."

Rick's heart swelled up. In that moment his wolf sprang to life after many years of being dormant. Without his wolf, and his mate and child gone, very few stood in his pack, but now, he felt stronger than he ever did before. He knew Larry was telling the truth. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be feeling this way. "When is the plane set to leave?"

"Tonight, sir," Larry said.

Rick nodded. "Then what are we doing standing around here for," He smiled. "I have a mate and child to catch up with."

'I promised I would find you and now that I have, I will never let you go.'