I woke up the following morning hating that I couldn't feel or hear Eve, no matter how hard I tried. All I knew was that she wasn't dead because if she was, I would be dead too.
As I sat up, I hated myself for feeling jealous as I saw my friends curled up next to their mates. The only other person with us who didn't have a mate was Shawn, but I still didn't feel like talking to him.
Once the others woke up, we left the old cabin we had returned to for the night and then made our way to the closest town. As we made our way through the Tongass National Forest, I kept getting a powerful wave of hunger. It didn't seem to matter how much I ate; I just always felt hungry.
"Are you okay, Clay?" asked Asher as I tore into another rabbit.
"I think it might be my connection to Eve," I explained, "I think I can feel how hungry she is."
"Oh damn, that sucks," Shawn adds.
I was so caught up in my head as we walked that I didn't even notice the sleuth of grizzly bears until a loud roar jolted me back to reality. I jerked back with a yelp as a bear's claws slashed at me, cutting a gash in my side.
I was shocked when another bear began to shink to reveal an older woman as she rushed to my side, "You are Guardian; shift to speak to us," she said.
I winced as I shifted and noticed the others doing the same as the bear who had slashed at me shifted into an older teenage boy who looked close to Flint and Cole's age.
"I am so sorry," he says as he grabs a handful of moss before rinsing it off and then shoving it into my wound to stop the bleeding.
"Where are you from?" asked the older lady.
"We just came from the Academy; it's been attacked," I explained, "My mate has also been taken; we were able to get away and hoped to find a phone so we could call our Alpha."
"Well, you have lucked out," says the boy, "I have a cellphone back at the house."
"What is your name, boy?" asked the older woman.
"My name is Clayton Branham, and these are my friends," I said as I introduced them.
"My name is Atina Kuruk," said the older lady, "I am the Motherbear of our sleuth; if you follow my grandson Rain, he will take you to the house so you can get cleaned up and call your Alpha."
"Thank you so much!" Asher said as he helped me to my feet, "We will never forget your kindness."
Atina waved him away with a smile, "Us Guardians need to work together in these hard times. Now hurry to the house; the school is waiting for your help."
I nodded, then shifted as I followed Rain in his grizzly form until we stepped through an invisible wall that tingled as we passed through, revealing a village built into the trees.
We stared at it in awe as we shifted and followed Rain up a small elevator. My knees shook as my heart pounded in my chest at the sight of the long drop. I did not want to become a wolf pancake, so I hurried across the wooden platform until we stepped in front of a house.
When we stepped into the house, Rain offered us all some clothes before handing me an old cell phone. I didn't care how old it was, just as long as it worked.
I handed the device to Asher so that he could call his dad. After typing in the number, Asher hit the speaker button, and the phone began to ring.
"Hello, this is Nosh Denton. How can I help you?"
"Dad, it's Asher and Shelby."
"Asher? Son, where are you? What happened?"
Asher's hands shook as tears filled his eyes, "The school has been attacked, Dad. Shelby was taken by Elder Payatt, who is working with Father Lucas and Miss Tocho to kill students and faculty."
"What! Are you serious right now?"
"It's true, Alpha," I said, "Elder Payatt has taken Eve, and they have done something to her so that I can't feel her. I do know that she is alive and ravenous."
"Clayton? Where are you guys?" he asked.
I turned to ask Rain, who said, "They are in my house, sir; my name is Rain Kuruk, and my grandmother is Atina Kuruk, who is the Motherbear of our sleuth. We are near the city of Ketchikan in a hidden village in the Tongaa National Forest."
"We are about three to four days from the academy," Asher adds.
"You can call my Alpha," Waverly adds, "My pack is the closest."
"Whom am I speaking to? I don't think I recognize your voice." the Alpha says.
"My name is Waverly Hensley," she says, "I am a Yukon wolf from the Juneau pack here in Alaska."
"And she is my fated mate," Asher adds.
"I found my mate too, Daddy," Shelby adds, "He is Grayson Okhmhaka."
"I'm glad you two found your mate, but let's talk about the school and finding your sister. First, I will contact Miss Waverly's pack, then head your way as fast as I can."
"Okay, Dad, we will call you if we learn anything else," Asher says.
"I love you, you two; stay safe. I will see you soon," The Alpha ended the call with that.
I plopped onto the nearby couch and then ran my hands through my hair with a sigh.
"Hey, check out this video," says Rain, who had been on his computer, "It's that girl who exposed us all."
I shot up from the couch and rushed to his side to see the most haunting thing I've ever seen. On the screen was my beautiful mate, who was filthy and curled up on the floor of what looked like a jail cell.
Tears filled my eyes as I saw the red "live" on the top corner of the screen.
"Oh no! It's Eve," Waverly says as she gaped in horror.
"Is this your mate?" asked Rain.
I nodded as I leaned in as close as I could to find anything I could that would give away where she was. I was about to give up looking when I noticed Eve's hand was moving. When I noticed she was writing something, I focused on the words.
A…C…A…D…E….M…Y…
"Holy shit!" I said with a smile as I grabbed Asher by the shoulders, "She is in the Academy!"
"She is still writing more." says Waverly, "It spells out B…A…S…E…M…E…N….T…, oh basement! She is underneath the school somewhere!"
"That's my clever girl. She knew she was being recorded, so she thought of a way to get the message out," I said, feeling proud.
I started for the door but was stopped by Asher, "Clay, I want to save her as much as you do, but rushing in there will get you both killed," he explained, "We need to wait for the Alpha to get here."
"She is starving, Asher!" I yelled, "I can feel her hunger! She won't last much longer without food!"
"I know, my friend, but we have to be smart about it. If you are both killed, there is no you or Eve; we must wait as long as possible." Asher says as he pulls me in for an awkward hug.
I broke down as I clung to my friend, as my mate's hunger broke my heart.