Maybe, once they got to the other side of the river, they could find a high vantage point and search for some of the landmarks Caim mentioned. With any luck, once they were at least in the right area, he’d remember the path to the den.
Looking around the forest, Caim frowned. “I am not sure how to get to the river from here.”
“Well, we just have to go north.” Sarah squinted up at the sky, gauging the position of the sun. “And I have just the trick for that.”
* * *
The sun was high above them by the time the trio made it to the river. Sarah had never been happier to see a giant, freezing body of water with no foreseeable crossing.
On the other side of the river was more forest, but the ground was higher, and she could see a few hills in the distance. Even if they got on the other side, there was no telling which way the den was. For now, she couldn’t worry about that.
She led the children to a shaded area in a cluster of trees, a few yards out from the river. Unpacking the spare pelt, she laid down with Snow, every muscle in her body flooding with relief.
“What are you doing?” Caim asked, crouching down beside her. “We have to keep going.”
She reached out and patted his hand. “Sorry, handsome, but I need a couple hours to rest my eyes.”
That had to be the understatement of the century. Never in her life had she felt so utterly depleted of energy.
Caim turned to walk away, forcing her to sit up. “Hey, don’t wander off. Come lay down with us.”
“I am going to catch a fish,” he said stubbornly.
She started to object, but he was already knee-deep in water. “Stay where I can see you,” she called out. “And don’t go out any farther than that.”
Although she was tired, Sarah couldn’t bring herself to rest while Caim wasn’t close by. She sat on her knees, watching him as he shuffled around in the water. Not interested in her brother’s antics, Snow promptly fell asleep.
It only took Caim a few minutes to make a catch, a speckled trout that tasted just as bad as it smelled. Sarah could only hold down a few meager bites before throwing up, but at least afterwards she wasn’t hungry anymore.
After changing Caim into dry clothes, she finally convinced him to lay down with her. He had made a big show about not being bothered by the cold water, but when Sarah pulled him into her arms, he was shivering. She held him tightly, until his tremors waned.
She pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Your father is going to be so proud of you.”
Chapter 13
Guilt weighed heavily on Cain as he stared down at Jewel. The bullet had gone straight through her chest. The undisturbed snow around her spoke of a quick, perhaps instant death. It did nothing to allay his guilt.
He felt guilt not just because she had been killed, but also because he had little time to mourn her. Even as he stared down at the body of his pack member, all he could think of was finding his family.
They had been scouting the boundaries of the camp when Fern had come across fresh claw marks on a tree trunk. Knowing that they were territory markers, they had stopped to debate whether or not to more the pack to a safer resting area. That was when the gunfire had resumed.
Chaos had ensued, and it quickly became apparent that they had walked right into the middle of a fight between humans and the resident bear tribe. Whatever reason the humans had for hunting down the bears, it had nothing to do with Cain’s pack. Nonetheless, they had been caught in the crosshairs.
Hale came to stand beside Cain, his hands in his pockets.
“Meadow and Fern found Grace.”
He did not say anything else, and his silence spoke volumes.
The news of Grace’s death hit Cain harder than the sight of Jewel. Grace was the only other member of his pack that was missing, aside from Sarah, Caim, and his niece. Cain realized that the belief that Grace was with them, protecting them, was one of the few things keeping him sane.
Cain tried to remind himself that Sarah had survived in the wilderness before, but it was little use. The thought of his vulnerable mate, lost somewhere in the mountains with two pups, was enough to send him spiraling towards a rage. He could feel his claws, sharp beneath his skin, and his body shook with the effort not to shift.
He heard Alder call out to him, and Cain’s attention was momentarily diverted. In the distance, he could see Alder climbing down into a ravine.
“I think I caught their scent,” he shouted.
Cain spared Jewel one final glance, and then looked to Hale. “You’re in charge. Gather the others and meet me at the safe den.”
“What about Grace and Jewel—”
Cain gave a quick shake of his head. “Once Clover and the others are safe, if you want to come back and bury them, that is your decision, but now is not the time.”