Chapter 24
Alexander
Alexander had suggested they park near cabin six. It’s the quickest route to their first stop. He hopes that Liam is right about the picture map. He’s not sure how to follow a bunch of pictures, but he’ll give anything a try. They’re not getting much information any other way. At least not until William gives him a call back.
They pulled down a small maintenance road not far from cabin six. Liam has his satchel with him like always. They were able to put shorts, a phone, and photos inside. Everything else they left inside the truck. Even the keys stayed with the truck. Keys jingled too much when you were running on all fours. After shifting, Logan picked up the satchel with his teeth so Liam could slip it over his head.
Hearing something in the distance, everyone stop to listen. With the mountains so close together, it funnels sounds. A scream echoed through the trees. Then he heard it like it came from feet away, Jessica screamed out for Michael. Alexander’s first thought is that Michael ran off again. Alexander bolted in that direction, not waiting to explain to anyone. They can come with him or continue without him. All he knows is that his family needs him.
The screaming continued along with cries, and sobbing. He must be coming closer to them since he can hear Madison’s cries. Not even looking behind him, he pushed on. He knows the others are following, he can hear them running behind him.
Alexander came to a steep slope, he stopped, and listened. He could hear a constant cry. Pinpointing the location, he narrowed his eyes. On the trail behind he can see movement through the trees. Knowing it’s them down at the bottom he took off down the slope, sliding a couple feet but managing to catch his footing.
Jessica and Madison are running down the trail just behind a thin patch of trees. Michael is nowhere in sight. Jessica wouldn’t have let him get too far so he must be around here. He can tell Jessica is panicking. She must have heard him coming because she turned in his direction. She no longer looks panicked, to him she looks pissed.
“Alexander, where is he?” Jessica yelled at him before he even stepped onto the trail. “Damn it! Bring him back right now! I’m not playing your fucking wolf games.”
Alexander had no idea what she was talking about. That is until he made it onto the trail. He stopped dead in his tracks, taking every scent in. There’s a shifter here, and it’s not Michael. At least not Michael alone. This scent belongs to an adult male shifter.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. Alexander went over to Jessica. She doesn’t appear to be injured. He licked Madison’s face to let her know she is safe, and she wrapped her arms around him giving him a tight squeeze. Now that he knows the girls are okay he needs to find Michael.
Caleb pulled some shorts out of Liam’s bag. Alexander isn’t going to stick around. He dashed up the trail following the scent of Michael’s fear. Even though the adult shifter’s scent is mixed with it, fear is the strongest scent. Some of the pack followed him, and a few stayed behind. He is grateful for the help but this just became his fight. This is his family they are messing with.
The scent suddenly veered off into the woods. If this person is from the same pack, why is he not using the de-scenter? This place isn’t known to bring in shifters unless invited. He must be with the pack. The scents led to a maintenance road. This must be where the shifter parked. Tire tracks are dug into the dirt like someone had peeled off.
Alexander isn’t giving up. The only way the vehicle could have gone is out to the main road. They ran down the dirt road, slowing when they came up to the paved main road. Just as Alexander wondered which way, he notices a trail of dirt from tires leading to the right. He had hoped they would go to the left. At least then he would know his son is still on the mountain. Going to the right will lead them off the mountain. Fear burned his throat, making it difficult to swallow.
He glanced at the others then took off to the right. Alexander didn’t know how far he would be able to catch their scent but he has to try. The road had sharp turns left, and right. They didn’t stop, not even slowed down. Going around a turn that’s almost ninety degrees, he’s able to see into the next turn. Blue lights are flashing from the sheriff’s jeep. Thinking that something may have happened to Michael, Alexander picked up his speed.
Coming around the last turn, Alexander took in the view before him. The sheriff’s jeep is parked on the side of the road. He slowed his pace a little, not sure of what is he about to see. He heard one of the others shifting. Logan stepped out of the woods, only wearing a pair of shorts.
Catching Michael’s scent again had Alexander moving forward. Walking up beside the jeep, he’s able to see the scene of a horrid attack. Blood darkened the pavement, a smear lead to the front of the sheriff’s jeep. Alexander and Logan stepped around the front. It wasn’t the scene he had expected.
The sheriff somehow managed to drag himself off the road. His uniform shirt is no longer covering his Kevlar vest. Instead the sheriff has it pressed against his neck, and face.
“Sheriff Carter!” Logan ran to the man’s side. “What happened?”
Alexander couldn’t understand anything the man is saying. Logan must not have either since he leaned next to the sheriff’s face and asked again.
“Did you see a small wolf?” Logan asked.
The sheriff nodded before screaming out in pain. Logan grabbed the mic from the sheriff’s radio to call for help but the line must have been severed during the attack. Logan explained to the sheriff he was going to call for help then went to the sheriff’s jeep to do just that.
Tire tracks marked the spot in front of jeep. They were the same as the ones on the maintenance road. Alexander knows Logan should stay here with the sheriff, but Alexander isn’t stopping yet. The road only goes a few miles before it forks off. One way goes to the interstate, and the other goes to town. Alexander isn’t even sure he will be able to tell which way, but he has to know. If they went to town there is still a chance they are in the area. If they got onto the interstate, then there is no telling where they are going.
Liam caught up with Alexander. Liam nodded when he caught Alexander’s eye, letting him know he is there to the end. To Alexander’s surprise, he felt relieved that Liam is there. Even with the unanswered questions, he still sees nothing but good in Liam. If you need something, Liam is always there to help.
Finally, they came to the fork in the road that confirmed Alexander’s worst fear. Due to a puddle from a recent rain, a clear trail of the tracks told him they went to the interstate. Turning to the right they followed the road to the on ramps. Frantically looking, he didn’t see any tracks. He couldn’t smell the shifter or Michael.
Alexander howled out in despair. He walked back and forth between the on ramps, desperate to catch the smallest scent, but there was nothing. Now Alexander will go into panic mode. How is he supposed to find Michael? What is he going to tell Jessica? How did this happen? Why did she even take him out in the woods? Michael is faster than humans, even if he is only three.
Admitting defeat, Alexander headed back to where Logan is with the sheriff. Maybe the sheriff has a computer on board that has the last vehicle that was pulled over on it. It didn’t seem like it took them that long to get back to Logan, and the sheriff. They walked up to Logan to see how the sheriff is doing.
“It will take a little while for paramedics to get here.” Logan said to Sheriff Carter but looked at Alexander. “I don’t think it cut an artery. Head wounds bleed like a son of a gun.”
Logan held up a ticket for him to see, and then put in in the satchel around Liam’s neck.
“I’ll stay here with you Sheriff.” Logan told him but really was telling Liam, and Alexander to leave.
Alexander nodded, he understood that two wolves shouldn’t be here when the ambulance, and police show up. They ducked into the woods to head back to Jessica. She must be out of her mind right now.