Among The Mountains

Chapter 18

Two days passed before the pack made the decision to leave the territory. They decided to stay an extra day until their alphas were strong enough to make the trip back home. There was slight protest from them, but the two alphas agreed after thinking about it. The pack spent some of the night preparing for their homeward-bound ride, with some thoughts on their minds. Chase and Ember were the ones feeling the after-effects as they thought of the three people that were not coming home with them. Ruby saw her best friend looking at the empty room of Adam and Avery with her arms around herself. Her eyes looked a little glossy as she sighed heavily.

" I know you two were close." Ruby said.

" Avery and I were always the tight knitters, until she and Adam got in trouble." 

Ember's eyes dropped like she felt sorry for what happened to her former friend.

" I just hope that they are happy wherever they are." Ruby said.

" So do I." Ember looked from the corner of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Chase was looking through the trail cams from the past hours. He was quiet as he flipped through the videos that showed the backwoods behind the house. He did not find anything in the videos.

He walked out of the room with an expressionless face as the girls noticed him. 

" You find anything?" Ruby asked.

" Nothing." He mumbled.

" Chase. I know you liked her but—"

" It wasn't just a like." Chase interrupted Ember.

The girls advised him to keep his voice down because they were not far from the room of the alphas. 

" I know you cared deeply for her but you can't stay in this phase." Ember said.

" You spent three days in anger over a guy that broke your heart once." Chase said.

" Did I stay like that?" 

Chase paused for a moment then shook his head without looking at anyone.

" She has her happiness and you can find yours. It's what she would want for all of us." 

Chase looked at the bottom of the stairs with tears in his eyes.

" I'm just missing her. I'm going to miss her for...I don't know how long."

Chase's knees began to weaken as he fell into the arms of Ruby, who consoled him as he began to sob. Just knowing that she was not coming back to them was more of a heavyweight on him than anything. He knows he will get over it, but it will take a long time.

The following morning, everyone was busy packing their bags into the van when Raiden noticed Telka looking at a bracelet in her hand. It was a red and gold bracelet that was given to Alara when she was twelve. He followed her behind the house and watched as she placed the bracelet on a rock. She held her head high as she walked over to her mate and nodded to him, as a sign that she was ready to leave in peace. Everyone was all set to leave until something caused Chase  to roll his window down.

" Wait. I think I saw something."

He took off his seatbelt and ran to the back of the house, but he didn't see anything. The alphas followed him, and they noticed that the bracelet was missing from the rock.

" She took it already." Telka smiled.

" She must have been watching us today." Raiden assumed.

" Can we check?" Chase asked.

" The keys are in the house and everything is lo—"

Just as Raiden was about to finish his sentence, Ember and Ruby were seen entering the house through the patio door. Somehow, Ember managed to unlock the door from the outside by messing with the screws. Raiden gave her a side look as they entered the house to check the trail cams upstairs. It showed some activity from the early mornings, but it was only small animals like birds and a very nervous rabbit that was running through the grass. Later, the camera showed Telka as she placed the bracelet on the rock. The next clip made everyone gasp and giggle with excitement when it showed an energetic Alara leaping in the grass. The little wolf girl started sniffing the air before she noticed the bracelet and slipped it on her wrist. She lifted her head in the direction of the van and walked off camera. She sprinted very close to the camera, but apparently she wasn't quick enough to sprint away from the area before anyone could see her.

" I wonder if she wanted us to see her." Ruby speculated.

" It's almost like she was saying goodbye to us." Ember added.

Coming to that conclusion brought happy tears to all the females of the fact as they continued to look at the camera. They laughed and cried as Chase smiled at the fact that he was able to see Alara again, even if it was on camera.

" I think we can go now." Raiden said softly.

" I'll go fix the door first." Ember said.

She used some tools to screw the lock together and closed the door behind her while the others waited in the van for her. Telka quietly drove away from the house as the three younger pack members discussed Ember's skill with locks. 

" Ehh...It's best I don't get into details." Ember laughed nervously.

The drive paused at the same gas station that they visited during the start of their trip. As the alphas exited the vehicle to pay for the gas, Ember turned her attention to a blond that hopped onto the back of a motorcycle with a man who had a helmet on his head. Ember I brushed off her assumptions of their identities as they drove away in the opposite direction of her view. 

When the van departed from the gas station the younger members played a spotting game of I-spy before they all went to sleep. The alphas smiled at the sight of them sleeping on each other like little puppies on a blanket. Telka used her free hand to hold the hand of her mate as she drove all of them home. They smiled towards the road knowing that they completed their goal and repaired what was left of their pack that was smaller than what it was before they started the journey. Now all they have to do is think of the further for theirselves and the rest of the members.