The Triplets' Rejected Disabled Mate Chapter 78

Colt's POV

"Can you still follow the scent?" I asked Grey as the rain became heavier by the second.

"Barely," he said, frustrated.

"We will have to improvise soon," I said, coming to a slower jog.

"What do you suggest we do?" Grey asked.

"Splitting up," I said. "It's the only way."

"I don't like that idea," Grey said. "We don't know these woods and..."

"Grey!" I stopped him. "I know she is here; we just need to find her. She is a kid. A pup. Just imagine if our pup were lost here in the wilderness. We would be crazy worried. We have no other choice! I can't let her stay here outside; she will die in this cold!"

"Fine!" Grey growled. "We split when I couldn't follow the scent anymore."

"Agree!" I said, happily, knowing that we would do more ground like that.

The only reason we were searching together was to protect one another should we encounter any issues in our search.

Grey and I ran about four miles deeper into the forest when Grey came to a stop.

He looked frustrated and sort of angry, and I knew he couldn't pick up the scent anymore. The rain had washed it away.

"This is as far as I can take you," he said.

"Understood," I said, knowing this is where we would go our separate ways.

"I will go left; you go right," Grey said.

Ray nodded.

"And Grey," I called over the link as he disappeared into the forest.

"Yeah, man?"

"Just keep in touch every fifteen or so minutes; I don't want to come looking for you."

"I will!" He said. "Be safe!"

Ray stretched his legs like a lazy dog; the cold had made our muscles stiff and sore.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the clean forest scent.

"Let's go!" I urged Ray, "I don't want to stay outside the whole night."

Ray took off, running deeper into the forest.

My legs started to burn as my paws dug into the damp, cold earth. The ground was already wet and slippery, making it difficult to run at full speed. We were starting to grow tired.

The deeper we ran into the forest, the worse it became. We had to improvise to get through the thick and overgrown parts.

"Is it just my imagination, or is the forest trying to keep us here?" I suddenly asked.

"It seems like it wants to keep us here for eternity," Ray growled, irritated.

At that very second, Ray's paws got tangled in something, and he slipped, lost his balance, and landed in a puddle of mud.

He roared out, frustrated.

"Great! Just great! What next!" He spat, annoyed, as he got to his feet.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Ray could handle a lot of things, but being soaking wet for long periods wasn't his idea of fun. Now he was covered with red mud as well.

Ray shook his coat, sending the mud flying in all directions, then pushed forward.

We were not giving up.

We refused to stop.

We will find her. I was sure of it. We will find Ellie and bring her back home safely.

We will bring her back alive.

Lighting lit up the sky, and thunder roared two seconds later.

The storm was now above us.

"Grey," I called over the link. "Status report! Are you alright?"

When Grey did not reply, I knew we were too far apart.

Ray threw his head back and howled, filling the dark forest with echoes of the wolf's call.

Grey answered my call a few seconds later.

He was still safe.

Still alive.

Still searching.

He hasn't given up yet.

My mind wandered off, wondering who would take a pup.

Was it the mother who lost her pup?

Was it the mother who wanted to take revenge?

Were there issues within this pack we didn't know about?

Ray came to a stop, breaking my chain of thought. He threw his muzzle in the air, taking a whiff of our surroundings.

"What are you smelling, big guy?" I asked.

"I think it's a scent of some sort," he said. "It's a bit faint; I'm not sure what or who it belongs to."

Ray started forward slowly, making sure not to step on anything and make unnecessary noise.

Ray's ears twitched side to side; he was listening for something.

Was he afraid that we would stumble on the kidnapper?

Except for the heavy rain, in the distance I could hear masses of water moving. It must be the river; are we this deep already?

Ray came to a stop, turning his head and shifting his head to the side.

"What are you hearing?" I asked. I was too distracted to concentrate.

"Shhh!" He said. "Listen!"

I concentrated, blocking out the rain and river, focusing all my energy on the sound Ray was hearing.

My heart leaped out of my chest as I recognized the hysterical cry of an infant, not too far from where we were.

She is here.

She is alive.

We need to go and get her!

"Ray, go!" I ordered.

The sound of angry, rumbling water came closer, and worry started to kick in.

Was Ellie left close to the water?

She would drown if the river came down.

Ray suddenly came to a stop, knitting his eyebrows together.

What the fuck?

"A trail?" I gasped, surprised.

"It seems like it," Ray said. "Next time, tell Kate to indicate where the trail starts and ends."

"Maybe she doesn't know about the trail," I defended. "Kate hasn't been home for quite some time, and it looks new."

Ray darted down the path toward the rumbling of the water. He was still valiant, looking for any sign of danger.

The river came into view, and the waters were angry and dangerous.

If Ellie happened to end up in the water, there was no certainty that she would survive.

Ray lifted his muzzle to the air, and a faint scent lingered in the air.

"That way!" I said.

The urgency in my voice made Ray run as fast as he could over the rocky riverside, chasing after the scent.

What we found next broke my heart.

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