Setting his dinner down, he lowered his head, drinking deeply of the clear liquid. After he had his fill, he turned to his dinner, tearing the meat off the bones with his powerful jaws and teeth. He could feel the renewed energy pour into his wolf as it feasted on the rabbit. Sated with food and water, Colton curled up in the thick underbrush surrounding the trees, falling asleep.
~/~/~/~/~
Cody woke up at sunset. Slate was still sleeping. He chuffed, pleased he’d found the small cave where Colton had spent the previous night. He spotted it after tracking his brother to the stream. Slate ran along the east bank while he took the west, looking for signs that could tell them where Colton had left the water. They ran for miles and when he spied what looked like a cave, he woofed and Slate joined him. Up the mountain they went, slowly taking time to look for disturbed ground, stones oranything out of place. Then he saw the small cave. Inside, the ground was covered with paw prints of a wolf who’d been there recently.
They stayed there and slept. He could track at night, especially in these treeless mountains where bright moonlight, along with his wolf vision, made it easy for him to see the signs of Colton’s trail. Cody left the cave to find something for them to eat. They had no food nor was there any at the shack. So, hunting it was, if they were to eat.
He meandered around outside, sniffing the air and ground but couldn’t find scents that could lead him to a meal. Instead, he searched the ground, looking for the path Colton took after he left the cave. It didn’t take long before he found it. His brother ran north. Cody chuffed again, heading back to the cave to rouse Slate so they could continue.
Throughout the night, Cody and Slate tracked Colton. They figured they were about twelve hours behind him which meant they were sleeping while Colton was running and vice versa. At this rate, they would only fall further behind him. They decided not to rest at sunrise but to continue on hoping to close the gap.
Then Cody found the boulder where Colton had rested but soon lost his trail again. The sun was rising and he hoped they’d find the direction his brother had taken before too long. It was going to be a scorcher today. His gut and wolf were telling him Colton was close but it felt like miles whenever he lost the trail and frustration began to wear him down.
Slate had shifted and now spoke, “Look, I know this is a bitch but since we can’t find where he went, let’s look for water and food. We’ll need both before long, especially with the sun coming up.” Then he shifted back.
Cody thought about Slate’s suggestions before nodding his agreement. He looked over the landscape, trying to spot a river or stream but found only a small copse of trees. Huffing to Slate, Cody headed towards the only spot of green in an otherwise orange-red landscape
~/~/~/~/~
Colton woke slowly, stretching and flexing his muscles. It was now the third day he’d been missing. Last night he was able to find his bearings by looking at the stars.Cody and Carson will be laughing when I tell them how I found my location.That long-ago summer, in the brothers’ secret club, the triplets—he, Cody and Carson—had spent the summer learning astronomy. Night after night, the three of them would sneak out of their bedroom and onto the roof, star-gazing. An old wolf in the pack taught them how to use only their hands and the stars to find out where on earth they were.
And that knowledge paid off last night when Colton figured he was about 30 miles south of his apartment. He should be able to make it back today. Rising, he took a long drink before setting off. It was still dark, but he wanted to run in the coolness of the night and early morning before the air thickened with heat. He left his sanctuary, heading north. Reaching the top of a small mountain, Colton saw he had several more to cross. These must be the foothills to the mountains behind him and he attacked them with eagerness finding them far easier to climb.So close to home!His wolf was full of energy as the miles flew beneath his paws.
~/~/~/~/~
Cody picked up his brother’s trail on the way to the copse of trees. It was easier now since the rock had turned to dirt and grass. Following the paw prints clearly visible on the ground Cody and Slate made better time. Finallyreaching the trees, they smelled the water and headed for it. Cody saw the carcass of the rabbit first and nudged Slate. They sniffed and pawed the bones finding nothing left to eat—clearly the work of a wolf.
They continued on to the pond, drinking their fill. After flopping down on the grassy bank, Cody sniffed the air as did Slate. Food was a priority if they weren’t going to stop to rest. He picked up no edible scents but suddenly Slate bounded into the brush surrounding the trees. Following him, Cody smelled the deer he was stalking. Falling back, he circled around to the other side of their prey, waiting for Slate’s huge Dire wolf to make his move. In a split second, Slate pounced on the deer and snapped its neck. Then, dragging their meal to the clearing, the two wolves ripped into their repast.
Cody found his brother’s tracks leading out of the trees but before following them, he shifted and said, “Colton knows where he is and he’s headed back to the settlement. I want Steel to head towards us. That way, either we or Steel will meet up with Colton. Also tell him my brother is in his wolf form.”
Slate shifted and called in the instructions to Steel. After filling their water bottles, he put them, along with his phone, back into the small pack and shifted. Ducking his head through the strap, he chuffed at Cody to start, falling in behind him, keeping up with the fast pace his companion set.
Cody was now in the foothills of the mountains, relieved that they were easier for the two tired wolves to climb. He was in awe of his brother because Colton had done everything right—hiding his tracks in the river, finding a cave to sleep in, resting during the heat of the day and finding prey to eat. Colton should make it through this ordeal with little or no side effects.Thank the gods forthat. Jackson will be so relieved. And so will my soon-to-be nephew.
~/~/~/~/~
As Colton reached the top of the next-to-last foothill, he could see a person in the distance. Narrowing his eyes, his wolf vision brought a man into focus. Suddenly his wolf whined. It was Steel. He would know that long hair and body shape anywhere. Colton shifted, standing up, waving his arms, hoping to attract his brother-in-law’s attention. Jumping up and down and yelling Steel’s name, Colton never looked down.
In a split second, when his feet should have landed firmly on solid ground, he found himself hurtling downward, swallowed up by a hole. Thirty feet down his body flew, crashing at the bottom, smashing his head on the rocks. Colton felt intense pain racking his body. Before passing out he looked up. Two blue circles that looked like eyes stared back.
Chapter 16
“I saw him!” Ian shouted. “He was just over there.”
“Where?” Steel asked.
“See where I’m pointing? I saw him jumping and waving before he disappeared. Where did he go?” Ian was frantic with worry. Colton, his mate, the one he never wanted and now couldn’t imagine living without, was gone.
“Show me where.”
Ian set off running up the foothill, not bothering to see if Steel was following.Where is my mate? Why isn’t he waving?Ian knew Colton saw them—well at least Steel…so what happened?Ian’s wolf forced a shift mid stride.Fuck!In his wolf form he understood Colton was injured. His wolf ran as if the hounds of hell were chasing him. A quick glance to his side and Ian saw a Dire Wolf running with him. Steel had shifted. Up and down one foothill and again and again before Ian found the spot he last saw Colton. Stopping, his wolf sniffed the ground, looking for his mate’s scent.
Steel shifted. “Ian, Colton has an anti-scent spell on him. You won’t be able to smell him. Please shift so I can ask you some questions.”
Ian tried to shift, but his wolf wouldn’t allow it. Again and again Ian struggled to shift, but couldn’t. His wolf sat down, keening about his mate and Ian was helpless.
Steel knew Ian’s wolf wasn’t allowing him to regain his human form, so he did the only thing he could think of. “SHIFT NOW!” Steel’s Alpha voice commanded.
