(3) Painstaker

Twenty-Nine: Search

I was about to panic when I felt Zeke's hand on my shoulder. He stepped forward to be beside me. He was speaking to them, but I wasn't at an angle where I could see his lips. In that moment, with everything going terribly wrong, the weakest parts of me wanted to curl up and cry.

Summer nodded once, her eyes flickering to mine for just a brief moment. Turning back to Jack, she finished up his stitches, then said something to the other helpers in the room. After washing most of the blood off of her elbows, though there was still lots on her shirt and face, Summer sped over to the two of us.

After giving me an awkward smile that I just as awkwardly returned, Summer led us to another floor where Carter's office was. Inside, the walls were soundproof, stopping anyone else from eavesdropping. Dammit, I just realized I can't eavesdrop anymore.

Inside the closed room, Summer leaned against Carter's desk, facing the two of us. It was subtle, how the light shined through the window behind her. She looked like a fallen angel, with blood smeared on her tan cheeks and a fierce look in her dark eyes.

"It happened a few months ago," Summer began. "Carter woke up in the middle of the night screaming. He came down with a fever so bad that Jack didn't know what to do. Nobody did. Carter stopped speaking, even to me. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong. Then, this morning, when Jack was doing his usual treatment, Carter lashed out. He said he needed to 'find him,' though he wouldn't say who. Then, he started attacking anyone in sight. We haven't found him since."

Summer's hands were clenched into fists at her sides. Her eyes, so wide and glassy, were barely holding back tears. Blinking several times, she turned her attention to Zeke. "Can you track him? I've got the best werewolf trackers in the pack out looking for him. Sam and Flower are out there too. Still, nobody can catch his scent. It's like he's disappeared."

My hand raised to twirl hair around my finger. It had to be about Donovan. It had to be about the amulet. "The amulet," I said out loud, gaining both of their attentions. "It's inside of Donovan now. Maybe Carter felt that somehow? Maybe it's..." My words trailed off, but I had a feeling, by the look of horror on Summer's face, that she knew what I was going to sya.

Maybe Donovan's resurrection, using the amulet, is speeding up the curse. It's speeding up Carter's inevitable fate of losing his mind.

Zeke stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Summer. Old Crystal would have been jealous. Old Crystal would have screamed at the stupid magic user for going anywhere near my mate. New Crystal wanted to hug her too. Instead, I watched as old friends reconciled.

"I'm going to look for him," I blurted. He was my Alpha and my best friend. I was his Beta. I wouldn't give up on him. None of us would.

Zeke glanced behind his shoulder at me. "Should you be shifting?"

I shrugged, "I think I'm better. Dara said to wait until my stamina came back up." Summer's eyebrows pulled together at the sound of her aunt's name. "I think it's back." Hope is the better word.

He curtly nodded. "I'll join you in a bit."

"Okay." Things were still awkward between us. He still looked at me like I was the monster hiding under his bed. I tried my damndest to hide the pain in my eyes until I turned my back to them. With a shake of my head, I tried to rid myself of distractions. For once, being with no hearing may come as an advantage. My nose would be sharper; there would be less around to fool me.

I ran out of the house, thankful to see that the crowds had lessened. The trackers were searching for their Alpha, and the others needed to keep it together until he was found. I could only hope that Tyler wasn't losing it. He was among the top trackers; his father and mother both ran the tracking camps we held. Naturally, he had been granted that talent, as did his older sister.

I stepped foot into the woods, allowing my eyes to scan everything before me. Trees were bending to the winds pull, the same that it was doing to my loose blond hair. Leaves fell from their branches and flew languidly through the breeze. I could smell it, how near Fall was coming. Fall, with the beautiful colours and crunchy leaves.

Breathing a gust of sweet air into my lungs, I began peeling off my clothing. The wind was harsh; I was a bit afraid it would steal my clothes, no matter how tightly I tied it around my ankles. My limbs were sore and achy, but I forced the shift nevertheless.

It had never been so painful before, not even that first week of transition. Letting out a cry that eventually sounded like a howl, I forced my bones to shift and my skin to stretch as my wolf took hold of my body. An idle thought passed, that maybe Zeke was right and I wasn't ready to shift after my recovery. After moments of feeling like my skin was being ripped apart, I finally stood in my wolf form and decided it was too late.

My paws scratched at the surface of the forest's floor as I willed myself to become accustomed to the change. To the trees and bushes around me, my focus was sharp and detailed. Breathing through my nose, I could detect the smell of a pack mate who must have peed on the tree nearby. Oh, and Tyler left a number two not too far away.

Nice one, Ty.

Turning my head, I began running through the forest, hoping to catch even a slight scent of Carter. I wasn't sure where the other trackers were, though I knew they weren't anywhere near me. All I could smell was other animals; rabbits, birds, deers. It took a lot of willpower not to steer my direction toward them for a quick snack.

Focus.

I wasn't sure how long I ran for. Only that the sun had risen to its peak and began rolling down the other side of the sky. I didn't stop running, no matter how hungry or tired I became. I was far from pack boundaries by that point.

Then, it hit me all at once. The smell caused my paws to dig into the soil in order to slow my speed. All around, the scent lingered strong enough that I was sure the source was nearby. Eyes peeled, I spun in a complete circle, desperate to find where the scent would lead me.

It wasn't Carter who I could smell. This smell, mixed with something earthly, was my brother's.