Nodding, Theo pressed the speaker button, then shakily said, “Hello?”
“Theodore! Is it really you?” Heather whispered.
“Mama! It’s me…Theo,” he shouted, tears running down his cheeks. So many years had passed since he’d last heard her voice and he had given up it would ever happen again. But when he was finally rescued from Arald’s and could think about it, he realized he needed to track his parents down if for no other reason than to find out if his parents really cared for him. Now, hearing his mother’s voice again, he knew, deep down in his soul, his parents loved him and never would’ve condemned him to Arald’s. Wiping his tears away, he asked, “Is Daddy there?”
“Hey, son, how are you doing?”
“Daddy? Oh, my gods…I can’t believe it. Are you okay?”
“We’re fine…both of us, thanks to Jackson. What about you?”
“Good…oh my gods, I have so much to tell you…did Ollie tell you I have two mates? I can’t wait until you meet them…oh, and I have a surprise for you.”
Chuckling, Wesley said, “We’re eager to meet your mates too, but it’ll have to wait until we’re cleared.”
“Cleared?” Theo asked, confused. Then, glancing at his mates, he whispered, “What does that mean?”
Ollie spoke up. “Theo, Mac and Ian are running some tests on them just to make sure there aren’t any side effects from being locked up for so long. Sorry to make this short, but it’s time fortheir next test. I just thought it would be good for you and them to talk, even if it was just for a minute.”
“It was…it is,” Theo said.
“Ollie, it’s Norm…how much longer will it be before Theo can see his parents?”
“Ahh…not sure…oops…got to go, bye.” Ollie quickly ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket just as the door to the examination room opened. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Ian enter, followed by Mac and Jackson, noticing how serious they looked. The three of them came to a stop before Wesley and Heather, but before they could speak, Ollie asked, “Did you figure out what drug my aunt and uncle were given?”
“No, not yet,” Ian said. “And frankly, I don’t think we will ever know unless we can get a sample.”
Wesley exchanged a quick glance with Ollie before he asked, “Does that mean we can see Theo now?”
“Not yet,” Jackson said, pulling over the chair in the corner and sitting down. “There are things you need to know about what happened to Theo and his mate Norm after that night. Did your Alpha ever mention a shifter by the name of Arald?”
Heather looked at her husband and shook her head. “I don’t recall him ever saying it.”
Wesley turned to Jackson, “Me neither. All he said was that we had sold Theo.”
“We didn’t do that!” Heather exclaimed vehemently. “He’s our world.”
“What happened to our son?” asked Wesley. “And how did he end up in a wolf pack?”
“Theo was drugged the night of the dinner…”
“By who?” demanded Wesley.
“I don’t know yet, but if it wasn’t you or your wife, then it had to be Norman’s parents or your Alpha,” Jackson said. “And my money’s on your Alpha since he was the one who claimed you sold Theo.”
“He’s a nasty piece of work,” mumbled Wesley. “My brother wanted us to come with him when he left the pack, but we didn’t.”
“Why not?” asked Ollie.
Shrugging, Wesley said, “I thought my brother was exaggerating when he warned us the Alpha was really bad. It turned out he was right.”
“Getting back to that night…do you remember who was there?” asked Jackson.
“No,” Wesley and Heather said in unison.
“According to Theo, Norman’s parents invited you and Theo over for dinner to celebrate their son finding his Fated Mate,” Jackson said. “Does that sound familiar to either of you?”
Shaking his head, Wesley said, “Heather and I have talked about that so many times over the years, but neither of us can remember that evening at all.”