Obsidian Night Pack

53

Ashlyn's POV

We still hadn't found her and I was beginning to feel like Alaric blamed me for her disappearance. It might have been the deathly glares that he would give me every once in a while or the under the breath comments about this being "all my fault."

It was getting out of hand, so much so that, Sander literally had to step in between us and tell Alaric to cool off.

"Anything?" Sander asked me as he placed a comforting hand on my lower back. I had been calling to Clover in our mind link for over an hour now and still nothing.

"No, she hasn't responded. If she's unconscious though that might explain it." I looked over to the edge of the water. It was so dark now who knows if we would even be able to find her. Right now Alaric was in his wolf form running the border and had planned to mindlink Sander if he found anything. Meanwhile, Sander and I walked the perimeters of the trees incase Clover was able to actually get up after falling into a dark and dangerous hole full of water. I pinched the bridge of my nose in discouragement, I was being too negative. If anyone could have survived that fall.... it probably wouldn't be Clover because she had no wolf, healed slow and was an awful swimmer.

Oh my Goddess, can my brain not shut up and say one positive thing right now? 

Bodies float.

Really, that's all I've got? 

We have the bones and the familiar. 

I sighed aloud. At least that was something, but I still had a bad feeling about Iris. She was sly and didn't seem to care about others' sufferings. From what Cerin told us, she holds grudges. Noway getting Clover's wolf back would be as easy as a bag of old bones left on her front doorstep.

Dead werewolves don't need a wolf.

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I can't think like that! I have to have hope! She's alive! Alaric would have felt her die if she did, mark or no mark.

"Hold on, Alaric's mind linking me," Sander said as his arm around my waist pulled to a steady stop. I looked up to him in hope, that he either found her or a trail or even a sign that she was alright! Sander looked back down to me, his facial expressions were unreadable.

"He found her scent," my face lit up! We could trace it and find her and... and Sander did not look happy right now.

"What, what is it? What's wrong?" 

"There are rogue tracks and scents around her's, she wasn't alone when she came out of the water. And she's not there now. Sander said her trail went cold." My mouth fell open.

"What! Are you telling me rogues found her! That is completely too convenient if you ask me." Sander's grip on me tightened as he pulled me closer to him.

"Now what? Did Alaric say something else?" Sander's eyes glowed yellow in the dark in rage.

"No, he didn't say anything else, but I agree with you. This is too convenient. This is exactly why I wanted you to stay in the pack. The rogues must have been watching Bright Moon after they found out who Clover was." 

"We were being followed?!" I mentally slapped my forehead. How could we be this nieve? Okay, Clover was still only 17 and my birthday was only a month ago so I was a new adult... it was pretty much in our blood to be nieve.

"Damn it," I cursed under my breath. If Clover were here and found out we were being followed she would have been beating herself up for not thinking three moves ahead.

"Ashlyn, tell me what this is all about. Right now we know Clover's alive, but we can't do anything else until we know the whole story." I exhaled. I knew this was coming, and honestly, I had wanted to tell Sander from day one of finding out. It wasn't my secret to tell though and Sadner would be in a conflict of interest. His loyalties would have been split and I didn't want to have to make him choose.