The Beta's Broken Mate (Book 3 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 45

Ragnar watched Cora's face as she looked over the photos of the dead rogues Alpha Trent had sent. He could tell when she spotted her abuser by the way she stiffened. She was sitting on Elijah's lap and he kept her calm while she looked over each photo. Elijah hadn't liked this idea at all, but Cora had insisted.

Daniel and Caleb were also in the office, waiting quietly. They'd both read over the email already and looked through the photos. Ragnar still had Matthew with him, and the little pup had been passed around as he reached for both Daniel and Caleb.

Cora glanced up at them. "Austin isn't in any of these photos. However, I do recognize some of them." She turned the laptop around. "This is Corey Burke." She clicked to the next photo. " Joey Ridgewell." And another. "And Ace Burrows. They're all members of my pack, all warriors. I never actually saw any of them when they were holding me captive, though."

"Someone was missing from those photos, weren't they?" Ragnar asked her quietly.

She looked up at him, a haunted look on her eyes. "Yes. The one who... he's not in these photos."

"Sounds like we've got at least two people missing.. if Austin is involved. Ragnar, send a message to Trent and let him know we're on our way and to keep those bodies on ice. I'll link Mike to get the plane ready. Let's meet out front in thirty," Daniel said.

"Alpha?" Cora suddenly spoke up.

"Cora, you're my Gamma Female now. You can call me Daniel." He smiled at her.

"That's going to take some getting used to. Even Alpha Robert's Luna called him Alpha." Cora sighed. She was glad Regal Eclipse was the way they were. Elijah had told her it was because they had all known each other for so long and mutually respected each other. Titles were used in public, but not in private. "I'd like to go to Texas with you." She felt Elijah stiffen and looked at him. "I'm fully involved in this whether I want to be or not. I can help."

"I know, and I'm not going to stop you. I don't like it, but I'll get over it," Elijah said to her. He hated the idea, especially knowing her main tormentor was still on the loose.

"I'd appreciate it Cora. Pack enough for a few days, but we're going to try to get back as quickly as possible.." Daniel said.

Everyone left the office to head to their respective apartments

Ragnar quickly shot off a text to Alpha Trent, letting him know they were coming and promising an updated ETA when they were closer. "Alright Buddy, let's go find your mom."

Ragnar headed up to Caleb and Charlotte's apartment and stepped inside. He knocked on Talia's door. Talia?

I'm so sorry. A friend called and I lost track of time. I'm in the shower. Just come in.

He opened the door and stepped into her room. Once inside, he could hear the running water. He sat down in the rocker to wait for her. He looked at Matthew. "You need some more toys," he told him.

Matthew grabbed his beard and Ragnar laughed. "Let me guess, you'll be sporting one of these when you're old enough?"

He looked up as Talia walked in wrapped in a towel. "I am so sorry. It was one of my childhoods friends. I haven't spoken to her in forever."

"It's alright," he said, his gaze wandering over her.

Talia grabbed something out of a drawer, then disappeared back into the bathroom. She came back out a moment later wearing just a black lace bra and black thong. He sucked in a breath.

'Why do we have to go to Texas?' Rollo asked.

She pulled out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and stood, holding the shirt in front of her.

"Stop." Ragnar said.

Talia lowered the shirt and saw his dark gaze on her. She wet her lips. "What's wrong?"

"I'm making memories to take with me to Texas," he said with a smirk.

Talia smiled and dropped the shirt. She walked slowly across the room to him stopping a few feet away, then slowly turned around.

His gaze burned over every inch of her skin, memorizing it. He couldn't wait to explore it all with his lips. He sighed. "Will you come back with me while I pack a bag? I want to give you something."

"Of course." She walked back over to her clothes and pulled them on. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"I don't know but Daniel wants to make this trip as quick as possible, so hopefully not long at all," Ragnar stood as she finished pulling on her shorts and buttoning them.

They left her apartment and went down to his own. He walked over to a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out something, then turned to her. "Here's a key to my apartment. You can feel free to start moving stuff in whenever you'd like."

She took it from him and smiled. "Okay."

He took her down the hall and stopped at the room before his own and opened the door. "Are you okay with this being Matthew's room?"

Talia poked her head in and looked around. "Yes. This will be perfect for him."

He walked into his own room, then turned to hand her Matthew. "I gotta pack a bag. I'm supposed to be downstairs in ten minutes."

Talia followed him into his closet and looked around. It was a huge square room, with racks along two walls, a bunch of drawers and shelving along the back wall, and a huge mirror in the front.

"You can use that rack over there," Ragnar told her, pointing to the empty one. "And any empty shelves or drawers you can find." He grabbed a bag off the floor and started pulling clothes off of the hangers. "If there isn't enough room, we'll figure something out."

"I have a lot of lingerie," Talia told him.

He froze then looked up at her. "You'll have to prove it to me later."

She laughed. "Who's all going?"

"Daniel, Caleb, Charlotte, and Cora." He zipped up his bag.

"Cora is going?" Talia asked.

"Yeah. She asked if she could since she knows her pack is probably involved. She confirmed that three of the rogues that were killed were in her pack." Ragnar zipped his bag shut and slung it over his shoulder. "Who's keeping Matthew while you work?"

"Brianna and maybe Jenna," Talia answered.

"You could also ask Charity too," Ragnar turned back to her. "She could use the practice."

Charity was Daniel's sister and was three months pregnant. Talia smiled and shook her head. "I don't really know her that well."

"That's because she and Tyler are always locked away humping each other," Ragnar told her matter-of-factly.

Talia giggled.

Ragnar stopped in front of her. "I'll call you as soon as I can, and you know you can always text me." He kissed Matthew on the head. "Bye little man."

Talia reached up and pulled him down to her, then kissed him deeply. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," he said, cupping her cheek. "When this mess is cleaned up, I'm getting some time off."

"Okay," she said softly.

Ragnar kissed her forehead again and rubbed his thumb across her cheek then left the room.

Talia watched him go and sighed. She hated for him to leave, but knew it was just part of who he was. She glanced around his room, knowing this would be her own soon.

"Talia?" She looked up to see Ragnar walk back in. He crossed the room to her and slammed his lips down on hers, kissing her like a starving man. He pulled back after a moment. "If you want to change anything, go ahead. This is your place too." Then he turned around and left.