Chapter 22

                                    

                                          

The previous search in the woods has proved unsuccessful, but they refuse to give up.  The group from Sun Moon looks in a slightly different area but still close to the original spot.  Bas and Copter still haven't been able to talk to the general who was responsible for the final act against Curt, but they have been able to get enough information from others who had talked with the general to get the vague of area of where Curt is.  
Tensions grow with each passing minute and no news, but no one gives up.  They try harder, knowing it is important.  Their hearts ache for Colton but hope he can get the closure he desperately needs and deserves.  
One particular person marches around the forest wanting an end and to find Curt, one way or another.  Even though Colton hasn't been in the pack for long, the individual has connected with him, even if they haven't had a conversation together yet.  
A collective gasp fills the air as someone shouts, "I think I've found the something!  Come over here everyone!  Help me dig!"
At the same time back at the pack house, Bas and Copter sit up straight in their chairs as a couple of words buzz through the mind-link.  "We found him!"  The three words hold both sadness and relief.  
Copter POV
I turn towards Bas as my eyes wells up with tears and my heart breaks into a million pieces.  A small part of me has been holding out hope Isaac's words were a lie, but I can't deny it any longer.  
From the other side of the desk, Alpha Isaac asks, "Is something wrong Luna Copter?"
I fight to keep my tears back, but no matter what I do, they pour from my eyes.  All the words I want to scream at him bubble up and threaten to spill from me, but I bite my tongue.  
Bas wraps his arm around my shoulders as my body trembles.  The pain of the reality is almost too much for me to handle.  
He softly asks, "Do you want to go back to our room?"
I can't miss the slight tremble in his voice.  This is affecting him as much as it is me.  
I lean into his strong arm as I nod and mumble, "Yes."  I choke down the sob, fighting to get out.  
Bas clears his throat and turns to Rose.  "Can you take over?  I think I'll need Alpha Kimmon with me, too."
Through my tears, I spot Rose's sympathy in her glistening eyes and the unsaid concern for me and my cousin.  
She nods.  "Of course.  Go and take care of what you need to do."  She glances across the desk at the alpha.  "I'm sure Alpha Isaac and I can handle everything while you are gone.  To be on the safe side, I'll request another council member to come and help me.  It might be more than I can handle alone."
I give her a slight nod before getting up and turning to Kimmon.  He doesn't have to ask what it is about.  One look at me and he knows.  Sadness and rage flash across his face before he quickly hides it again.  His hands ball into fist as he turns towards Isaac.  "Excuse me.  I'll leave with them and leave the investigation in High Elder Rose's hands."
Bas wraps his arm around me as I walk around the chair.  My knees wobble and almost buckle, but I refuse to collapse in front of the jerk.  
Once outside, I crumble in Bas's arms and let the tears roll.  How can the evil jerk do this to Curt?  
As Bas holds me up and helps me walk through the pack house, Kimmon asks, "Where to now?"
I wipe the tears off my cheeks with the back of my hand and grunt, "To where they put him.  I need to see it with my own eyes."  I don't know what I'll accomplish by seeing Curt's makeshift grave, but something within me needs to do this.