A Mother's Nightmare, A Son's Adventure

VANESSA

The shrill ring of my phone tore me from sleep like a bucket of ice water. I fumbled blindly in the darkness, my heart already racing before I was fully conscious. Middle-of-the-night calls never brought good news.

"Hello?" My voice was hoarse, thick with sleep.

"Vanessa." Roman's voice came through crystal clear, immediately sending my pulse into overdrive. "Don't panic, but I need to tell you something."

Those words—don't panic—had exactly the opposite effect. I sat bolt upright, clutching the phone with white knuckles.

"What happened? Is it Fabian? Is he hurt?" The questions tumbled out in a desperate rush.

"He's fine now." Roman's voice was steady, but I caught the edge of tension underneath. "But there was an incident last night. Two rogues attempted to take him from our campsite."

My blood turned to ice. The room spun. "What do you mean, attempted?"