Chapter 382: Where the Scent Goes Cold

A few minutes before.

The forest swallowed sound the way it tended to swallow light too. No birds sang in the air. None even moved past. The forest was eerily silent.

Snow lay thin over the earth in broken patches, disturbed by heavy movement and frantic motion that had not yet settled back into stillness.

Gale moved fast. He slipped between the trees like a shadow given muscle and intent, muzzle low to the ground, breath slow and controlled as he followed the thread of scent that mattered above all others.

Sophia.

Her scent cut through the forest clearly as they moved closer, the scent picking up, getting clearer and more distinct.

Joren’s heart hammered in sync with Gale’s stride.

She had been here.

Gale pushed faster, weaving through thick roots and narrow spaces between trunks, his paws barely disturbing the snow as he tracked the invisible line winding deeper into the trees.

The forest ahead opened abruptly as they came to a clearing.

Gale skidded slightly as he crossed into it, slowing as his senses exploded outward.

Something massive had torn through this place.

The ground was scorched in wide, uneven arcs, snow melted into shallow glassy patches where intense heat had kissed the earth. Tree trunks bore long blackened streaks as if something caustic had splashed against the bark, eating into the surface before freezing over again. Rocks were cracked, split by concussive force rather than claws.

One thing Joren was sure of was the fact that this hadn’t been done by a Tidebreaker. Gale had gone on alert when they were doing the individual test, informing Joren of a beast even stronger than the Tidebreaker.

Gale slowed to a cautious prowl, muscles tight.

Joren shifted back into human form as he reached the edge of the clearing, boots crunching softly against half-melted snow.

His eyes widened as he took in the damage.

"What in the goddess’s name..."

The clearing looked like a battlefield that had barely cooled.

Something had fought here — and it was a tough fight too. One that had happened recently.

Joren spun slowly, scanning the space.

"Sophia?" he called, voice sharp with tension.

Silence answered him.

Only the distant whisper of wind sliding through broken branches.

His chest tightened.

He moved farther into the clearing, eyes searching every shadow, every fallen branch, every darkened patch of earth.

There was no blood on the ground, but there was also no sign of her at all.

But the scent was strongest here.

Joren paced in slow circles, senses alert as he took in the air and everything around him. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Her trail ends here, Gale told him.

Joren swallowed hard, the same thought creeping in. Her scent had ended here.

"That’s..."

A scent trail didn’t simply stop unless something had disrupted it violently — masked it, lifted the source off the ground entirely, or erased it with overwhelming interference.

His stomach twisted sharply.

Just then, heavy movement thundered through the forest.

A dark wolf burst through the trees at speed, snow spraying beneath powerful paws as Ethan skidded into the clearing.

He shifted back into human form almost immediately, breath fogging thickly as his sharp eyes took in the destruction.

Joren turned toward him.

Ethan’s gaze flicked from the scorched ground to the cracked stones, then back to Joren. "You can’t just run off like that," he snapped. "You could’ve been hurt."

Joren shot him a tight glare. "Sophia is my friend. I wasn’t going to waste time standing around listening to Holly if there was even a chance she was in danger."

Ethan exhaled slowly, temper cooling into concern. "I understand that. But you need to think. You guys are trainees. Anything could happen out here. What if you’d gotten injured too? Then it would’ve been on my neck. It would have been two casualties instead of just one."

Joren’s jaw tightened.

"I know," he said quietly. "But Gale sensed something wrong in the forest. That’s why I thought we were called back. And then I noticed Sophia wasn’t with us, and I couldn’t just stand there and listen to Holly yap when I could at least try to do something."

He gestured around the clearing, helpless frustration creeping into his voice.

"But her scent trail goes cold here. Completely cold. I can’t track her anymore. I don’t understand why."

Ethan’s expression tightened as he surveyed the clearing. Truly, Sophia’s scent trail ended here. He didn’t want to think about what that meant.

He took note of the clearing. He noticed the deep gouges in the rocks and the acidic residue. He stopped and walked closer to where the residue was drying up.

Ethan cursed loudly. He should have known. Just like Joren had said, he too had felt that there was a presence in the forest — something that wasn’t a Tidebreaker.

"Fuck!" Ethan cursed.

Joren went on alert. "What’s wrong?"

"This was a Trihydra," Ethan told him. "There’s venom residue here."

He pointed at the scorched mark.

Joren’s heart rate increased. "Wait...do...do you mean?"

"Don’t think that," Ethan told Joren. "There must be a reason why her scent trail ends here."

Joren swallowed nervously. His thoughts were already swirling through his mind. What if—he shook his head. No. No, it couldn’t be. Sophia was safe. He was sure of it. She was safe. And he would get to meet her again. He liked Sophia; she was going to be okay. Yes, Sophia was going to be okay. She was okay.

Ethan looked back at Joren. "You should go back. I’ll keep searching for Sophia."

Joren shook his head immediately. "No way. I’m not going back without her. If you’re searching, then I’m staying too."

"Joren, think about the test you are—"

"There’ll be another chance to take the test," Joren cut in. "But there won’t be another chance if Sophia’s hurt and I didn’t do anything to help."

"Joren..."

"She’s my friend, sir. Sophia’s someone who made me come out of my shell. I have friends because of her. They are all older, yes, but there’s no discrimination. They accept my weirdness, they joke with me. Sophia treats me like a brother especially. I could not... there is no way I’m going to stay here and do nothing for someone who would likely put herself in danger to ensure that I’m safe. So with all due respect, sir, it’s either you let me go with you or I swear I’ll search for her myself, and then you’ll be the one being reprimanded if anything happens to me."

Ethan opened his mouth in shock. He had not expected Joren to say something like that to him.

"Fine," he said. "Stay close. We’ll search together. There has to be something in this forest that will alert us to her whereabouts."

Relief flickered across Joren’s face.

He nodded once. "Thank you, sir."

Ethan nodded. He hoped that Joren wouldn’t make him regret his choice — and that Sophia was safe.

They shifted together — bones flowing and reshaping, fur surging over skin as their wolves took over in seamless motion.

Without another word, the two wolves moved deeper into the forest in search of Sophia.