The Clear Choice

{ Chapter 44 }

Clary's POV

"Just follow every move Lira and I make." I explained quickly, looking down on Issac and Tobias struggling to make their way up the side of the mountain. I watched as Issac landed awkwardly on a rock ledge and yelped when part of it gave way. You have to live in the mountains your whole life to know how to maneuver them, I thought to myself.

"We're almost to the trail. From there we can find their scents and track them." Lira said after me. I glanced back up at her wolf and saw her waiting on another ledge, the rain dripping off her steadily. The rocks were slick with cold water and made everything more difficult. Not to mention my muscles were sore and my fur was filthy.

Finally after what seemed like too long, the four of us has managed to get to the trails leading to the Purum pack village. We ran, but with caution. The scents of the purebloods was strong and we stayed close and low to the ground as we made our way up the mountain.

The trails my old pack had made began to get steeper, meaning we were reaching the edge of our settlement. My wolf shivered at the proximity of our old home. But this time there would be no Elijah to greet me. Deep down my heart felt sadness for him, but mostly for the part of him that I never saw. A part of him that could've been different if he had had a different life. I knew that was true for a lot of purebloods.

They were all who they were because of this place tucked away in the mountains. This place that would crumble on this night if Issac's plan worked.

"Slow down." I muttered to everyone. "This is where they might be." We reached the end of the trail, it's dark path reaching out into the streets of the Purum pack village. Large stone and marble houses, some built into the side of the mountain, came into view before us. It was dead quiet, our breath and the harsh rain were the only noises and it terrified me.

"Their scents lead that way." Tobias' dark brown wolf gestured his head down a road that I knew lead to the pack house. That's where they had to be.

"In here, quickly." I said, running up to an ajar door of dark home and nudging it open. The wood creaked and I slipped inside, the other three following close by. Our coats dripped all over and we were filthy with rain, dirt and dried blood.

I looked around the large home and shivered. It was spacious, dark and very unpersonalized; the opposite of the Saltus pack's cozy wooden cottages. These stone walls felt like a cage and I wanted to leave as soon as I stepped inside.

"Alright." Issac spoke up. "Toby, Lira, you two aren't going to like this plan all too much."

Their two wolves gave him blank stares, urging him to explain. I think I had an idea of what he was going to say.

Issac's dark wolf seemed to sigh. "I can take on Clary's scent because I've recently Marked her; it keeps me hidden. Toby, you and Lira are going to the pack house where they seem to have all gathered and find out what's going on."

Lira's wolf shifted her weight uncomfortably. Tobias just stood still. I looked to Issac and his eyes flickered to me, asking me to finish what he was trying to say.

"To blend in, you two have to Mark each other." I just said the words, knowing we were wasting time being awkward. It wasn't like they couldn't redo it later on, I thought.

The house was silent and Lira and Tobias' eyes were going anywhere but each other's. I huffed out a deep breath. "Issac and I need to find Kane, you two need to do this. Please." I added.

Tobias' light eyes finally glanced at Lira, her wolf seemed smaller than his when in all reality she was stronger. I turned around and motioned for Issac to follow me into the next room. My paws left wet prints all over the floor and my coat was still dripping.