A Blood-Like Rain

— Kaden —

I began to panic.

We were heading to battle, but I smelled my mate. I smelled my mate!

I tried to track the direction the smell came from but it was so faint I could hardly notice it. I moved in circles half in a daze. I found a line, a line she must have been traveling, but I couldn’t tell which way she came from and which way she was going. And I tried to sniff both ways to see which seemed the strongest, the freshest.

Sam noticed my change in behaviour and got closer. When I noticed him, I raised my hand to make him stop. I was afraid his sheer presence would make me lose her scent.

It wasn’t completely irrational either as my own scent on her tracks was enough to nearly destroy what little clue I had.

I went in further.

I followed one side of the track all the way to a small stream, then I lost her. I checked all over, on the other side, everywhere. The track ended here. My best guess was she walked in the stream for a while, the water masking her scent.

I didn’t realize I had bolted in that direction, until I heard Sam running to catch up.

We were far now. The noise of my men, faint in the distance.

“What is it?” asked Sam worried.

“I found her,” I said in desperation. “I lost her.”

“Who?” he asked confused.

“My bloody mate.”

“Fuck! Now?”

“Yeah.”

“This is not a good time for this.”

“I know,” I growled in frustration.

I walked for a while, following the stream. I still couldn’t pick up her scent, so I stop.

“What now?” asked Sam.

“I go the other way,” I said.

I went back on my track. It was easier to go by the scent I just left than try and pick hers again. I went at a dead run, Sam could barely keep up.

the clearing again I slowed down.

are you doing?”

I was back to where I was when I

to the opposite side. “This is her track. I don’t know what direction she went from but I know this side leads nowhere.” I pointed at where we went. “Which

back at the direction of our convoy

world, but if I don’t give this a chance—.” I didn’t dare finish the

know,” he

“I can catch on quickly,” I said. “I just need to know if this leads somewhere.”

time until nightfall,” he said looking at the sky.

looked too. There was time, but not that

this quiet. Just in case it

said. “You’re going on your own?” It just dawned on him

things tight here,” I told

one moves alone. That’s your own

in the direction I

it’s a trap?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I think I need

make

“I know,” I said in frustration. “Go,” I told him.

like he was about to argue.

“I said go,” I insisted.

like he wanted to defy me on this.

scent. I took my phone out and waved it at him behind me. “We keep in

a while, the smell got a little stronger and my heart did a backflip. This was the

I covered a lot of ground and I was probably kilometers from

her smell and my pace, she was probably walking, which explained

in the woods and the mountain, it was hard to believe someone would travel here. A little

of Sam resonated in my

is a trap?

from civilization, from my men, from any resources or backup.

down, think about this, but my feet didn’t seem to connect with my mind. I kept running.

tracks? The stream had been small, easy to cross, so why risk getting her feet wet far in the woods, otherwise? Then was she doing the same

The sun was not visible anymore, the orange glow slowly

running out

with my wolf eyes, my vision was

was close, I knew it.

I suddenly stopped.

relatively silently, but at this pace, I would have sounded like an elephant to anyone with heightened senses. I slowed my trek to

I got closer to the river, the forest cleared, the wind pick up speed, and I smelled her

child, of the feeling of strawberry juices running

outline, barely visible at the edge of my