Chapter 16: Sparks of Hope

Alex's Point of View

    Nothing.

    We had found a severe lack of evidence to point us in the general direction of her. The endless hours of driving and searching for clues had left the lot of us more irritable than usual and the anxiety level among us to rise tenfold. It had been me who had forced us to stop for the night so that we could regain our strength--and take a break from each other before we turned on one another.

    "Are we really going to go through this again?" I sighed, staring up to the dingy ceiling of the motel room. A resounding grunt from the floor was my only reply. Once again Wes had taken the refuge of the floor, his presence both pushing me off the edge of irritation and somehow comforting me. There was no valid reason for him to be guarding me like some sort of dog.

    More moments passed with the tension crackling the air, each passing one taking my blood pressure up to the next level until I couldn't take it anymore.

    Sitting straight up in bed I glared down at his dark figure, "Either sleep on the other side of the bed or get the hell out of here."

    There was no response, just the whirring of the squeaky air conditioner. I knew the stupid oaf wasn't asleep because I could practically feel his dark gaze on me as I felt my face heat up with anger. What was it with being a woman that made everything you said mean nothing when it hit a man's ears?

    Enough was enough.

    I hopped down from the bed, swiftly planting a jabbing kick to his ribs with force. The action barely rushed the air from his lungs but it did however manage to rouse him from his mechanical stupor. With a growl he sat up and grabbed my leg by the ankle before I could do it again.

    "Try that again and you'll be wishing you would have stayed home," he spoke darkly, the rumble of his voice actually startling me after going so long in the quiet of the room. But I recovered quickly and wrenched by leg out of his grasp.

    "Then go back to your own room!" I snarled, "I did not ask you to be here and take up all the floor space so you could satisfy your brutish desire to be in charge over anyone you deem less able than you."

    My eyes were now adjusted fully to the dark, able to make out the subtle eye roll over my tone. Nothing would have pleased me more than to kick him straight in the head to knock him into unconsciousness but I highly doubt I would be able to raise my leg in little enough time so that it would catch him off-guard again.

    He flopped back down on the floor again with a short chuckle, "Whatever, just let me sleep."

    With my jaw clenched a growl came from deep within my throat but I knew that short of getting the strength to push his dead weight (for he would be no help) out the door, he wouldn't be letting me have the room to myself. Snatching the pillow I had been using off the bed, I stomped past his large frame that took up nearly the expanse of the open floor space and went out the door.

    Being that it was a motel at best the door opened straight to the outdoors, letting in a whoosh of cool summer night air. The startling difference in temperature tickled the bare skin on my legs below my shorts but I ignored it and slammed the door shut behind me.

    One of my biggest problems was the fact that I tended to act before I thought about the consequences of my actions. The terms of me storming out the door left me barefoot and clad in only the sleep-ware of a tank top and shorts as I marched towards the car. The gravel wasn't foreign to my calloused feet but after the weariness of the day I wanted nothing more to crawl back into a bed.

    The backseat of the car would have to do.

    Luckily the door was unlocked due to everyone in the pack being used to not worrying about break-ins, Alpha included. I swung my pillow deep into the backseat and crawled in after it. Shutting the door after me, I made sure to press down both back seat locks so that the Neanderthal that occupied my room wouldn't come and try to drag me back.

    After hitting the pillow a few times to make it comfortable I relaxed across the seat bench, trying to avoid the buckles digging into my back. No it wasn't as comfortable as a bed, but it didn't come attached with a stupid, annoying, and increasingly frustrating man. Soon exhaustion took hold of me and I was finally able to sleep off the stressful day, and strengthen up for the even more so one that was to come.

    The sound of pounding woke me up, causing me to jolt suddenly. Confusion took hold when I looked around at the car interior but once I saw the source of the knocking--Wes on the other side of the back seat window, a sour look planted permanently on his face--the past night came back. Sunlight filtered in through the tinted windows, but it was evident that it was only just after dawn. Groggily I sat up, twisting around so that I could open the door that he was near.

    I made sure to open it soundly enough that I could feel it connecting with his torso but he gave no reaction to it besides the increasing scowl that marred his mouth.

    "Do you ever not act like a child?" he grumbled, stepping back as I hopped down from the car.

    "Do you ever not act like an idiot?" I retorted, taking my pillow back with me to the room so that I could get dressed. Once more I could feel his eyes on me as I walked past him, the feeling making my insides squirm. To my body, it was the unnerving sensation of being watched by the one person that was supposed to be made for me and me only. But to my mind, it was the crawling feeling over my skin that reminded me over and over that I did not want him. As a man he was fine enough, but the personality lacked in more than several areas.

    After a cold shower that cleared my head, I was able to walk past Wes without showing the least bit of irritation. It was time to show a bit of constraint and take the higher road--this childish fighting was only going to throw the both of us off of our game. He seemed to catch onto the tune and ignored me in an acquaintance-like fashion.

    It was hard to track anything while in a car with the air conditioning running, but my eyes trailed around the terrain. We had to have been at least a couple hundred miles from the pack, but it still seemed like we were getting nowhere. The last clue being the hotel, had provided no further information besides the fact that she had been there at one point. I grew wary as the sun strode across the sky, reaching the last rays of daylight.

    Tristan was looking bad enough that I feared he would collapse out of exhaustion. Bags were forming under his eyes and his complexion was losing its color; the man hadn't slept in days despite our nightly stops at the motels. I refused to let him be disappointed yet again, but I could see no way in curing his problem. As much as it wasn't my fault for Sam's disappearance, the pit of my gut snarled with itself out of guilt. As our Beta's mate, it was every pack member's job to put her well being above our own, and I felt as if I hadn't ever done that.

    The shame ate at me until I couldn't take it any more, "Stop the car!"

    My voice was hoarse but demandingly insistent enough to get Rayne slam on the brakes of the car. There was barely enough time after the car screeched to a halt for me to pitch myself out the door before I lost the meager lunch I had consumed hours earlier. The sounds of the highway passing us by covered my retching sounds, but the burning in my throat brought tears to my eyes. The stress of the last few days had worn away at my nerves, but I still couldn't believe that I had allowed to develop into a physical manifestation.

    I was so preoccupied that I hardly noticed when a comforting hand rubbed against my back. Internally I groaned, I would never hear the end of this—it was a perfect reason why women weren't usually involved in things outside of the pack home. I should've admonished myself for ruining any chance another woman would have at helping in important tasks, but I let myself be swallowed in my own emotion for a bit. It was a cleansing my body was begging for.

    After a few minutes I managed to recollect myself, sitting back up from practically collapsing on my hands and knees. Expecting to see Rayne being my comforter, I was shocked when I met Wes's somber eyes. There wasn't anger or frustration, but I swear I could've detected a bit of concern. That feeling allowed my back to fully relax and I took a deep breath before accepting an offer to be helped to my feet.

    "I'm sorry, I must not have agreed with lunch..." I apologized, but even I could hear the obvious lie in my voice. None of the men scolded me for it; in fact they all seemed to have an aura of understanding about them. The car was pulled over onto the far shoulder of the highway, and all four of us were standing amongst the grassy side.

    About to explain myself, something piqued my senses over the rancid taste in my mouth. It was extremely familiar and an exhilarating rush ran through my blood.

    "What is it?" Tristan asked, suddenly alive with the change in my stance.

    "Don't quote me on it..." I muttered distractedly, "but I think I have caught onto Sam's scent."

    That made everyone come to attention, and the men found themselves assessing the surrounding area. We all settled in on the gas station down off the exit ramp, which had the strongest concentration of the scent. It was only a quick hop back into the car and we found ourselves inside the convenient store.

    She wasn't here, but her signature lingered, possibly a few days old. They had probably stopped here along the way, but it was no indication to where they were currently. If I had to guess, this was about as far as Ian thought he would have to go to get out of Tristan's reach. It seems the man lacked reasoning about the dedication a person could have for someone they cared about.

    The boys walked among the aisles, searching for something she may have touched, but something in my senses intrigued me towards the front of the store. The cashier looked nervous with the four of us in here, all looking like we were on a predetermined mission. I tried to make my face as friendly as possible, but my real attention was on any of the objects littering the counter.

    My eyes traced across the clear donation bucket, lingering on a small piece of paper that was stuck against the side. The ink on it was smeared, but there had clearly been writing on it. Looking closer I was positive that it said Tristan.

    All I needed was to look towards him, and he strode over. I could sense the cashier about to lose his shit, because Tristan looked fierce enough to be capable of any violence at the moment. I merely pointed at the slip of paper and Tristan directed his full, terrifying attention to the man behind the counter.

    "Smash it."