His Runner

Anger

*Maggie*

I was in the gym throwing blows at a punching bag. There had been many times in my life that I had been angry. But the level I was feeling now was insane. My baby girl was missing, and I felt so helpless! I didn't want to sit here and wait for someone else to fight my battles for me. I needed to get my baby back. I had been punching this bag for who knows how long, but my shoulders and hands were throbbing.

I had thought of everything Cain had done to me. Every time he hit me, starved me, tortured me...raped me. Each one, I hit the bag harder and harder. I was mad at myself for being so weak. I had so many regrets in my life; if it wasn't for Sara, I honestly would have ended my life a long time ago. Sara kept me going, and then Tilly and then Connor. My children were my life, and if I lost one of them, I don't know how I could live with myself.

My swings had become weak, and now I was just flinging my arms at the bag. A strange wailing sound was heard in the gym, and it took me a moment to realize it was me crying. My hands were bloody from punching so hard, but the pain was nothing compared to what my heart was feeling.

Gentle arms wrapped around me, pulling me away from the bag. I knew instantly who it was and melted into his arms. My crying turned to a sob as Theo held me in his arms. He walked us over to a bench and kept me on his lap as he rubbed my back.

"Don't lose hope, baby. Don't let him win before we try everything we possibly can. We will find Sara, and I will bring her back safely. I will do everything in my power, "Theo said with as much conviction as he could.

My crying had slowed down some, and I was beginning to feel exhaustion set in. What a test this would be. We are not King and Queen for 24 hours, and the first thing we need to accomplish is getting my child back. If we start out with something as trivial as this, how will the rest of our lives be?

"I need to get her back. I don't think I can wait much longer. What kind of mother am I to pass out when she needs me the most, and then instead of going out to find her, I let others do it for me. And to top it off, we have mind-blowing sex when I should have been planning a rescue for her! Do you think Sara even knows I love her? What if she thinks I won't come for her? She was so scared before she was taken. What if-"

"Stop! That's enough! Don't do that to yourself. Of course, Sara knows you love her. No one will ever love her more than you, and she knows that. We will find her. Don't let guilt be your friend. We can't change how things happened, but we can change what we will do about here and now," Theo said, pulling me back so he could look at my face.

Dealla: Maggie, nothing would have kept you from mating the other night. That needed to happen. The bond needed to be completed for you and Theo to fully bond with us. Don't blame yourself for that, Maggie. It was just unfortunate timing.

Dex: Angel Mine, we will save the little one. She may not be my pup, but I love her all the same.

Dex's sweet words warmed my heart. He was the best mate for Dealla and I. Dealla explained why I was feeling such a rush last night to mate, but it didn't ease my guilt much.

"Dealla is right. I would not have been able to stop myself last night. Please don't feel guilty about that. What if we need this new power and title in order to save Sara. The Goddess always has a plan, and we must think this is a part of it. Hudson is on his way here, but he is leaving another team there to keep watch just in case they come back. We will figure this out," Theo said and stood us up.

The gym was empty now, and I knew that when I had come in, there were quite a few people here. I wondered if Theo had them all leave, or maybe I scared them away. We slowly walked back to my apartment; it's like Theo knew I needed to be around my kids' smells. I missed them so much, so I made a promise to myself that from now on, I would spend more time with them no matter what was happening.