Chapter 229: Something suspicious

Bastian crouched in front of the den entrance, using a wooden stick to draw stick figures on the ground. It has been more than an hour since Jose and his group have entered the den. And so far, there hasn't been any news or indication that they were in trouble. Although they weren't in trouble, which was good news for Elder Zyair and the two future Alphas, it made the latter two more restless.  

While Bastian was scribbling gibberish on the ground, Erick was next to him, playing pebbles as he tossed them in his hands.

Elder Zyair was leaning against a tree, a few metres away from him, patiently waiting for any news. He has his eyes closed so no one knows what he was really thinking about.

He suddenly opened his eyes and then he looked over at the two fidgety shifters. He frowned at their agitated behavior.

He continued to watch the oblivious shifters who were not aware that they were being watched.

"Yo, bro," Bastian suddenly called out.

Erick looked over at Bastian, a questioning look on his face.

Bastian was quiet at first. Then he asked out loud, "What do you think would happen to shifters who will never find a mate?"

Erick frowned at this question. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking baffled.

Bastian turned his head and looked at Erick straight in the eye. "Exactly what I mean," he said, looking serious. "What do you think would happen to shifters who will be forever mateless?"

Erick furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you talking about yourself?" he asked, knowing that Bastian still hasn't found his mate.

Bastian turned back to his scribbles and went quiet.

Erick inwardly sighed. Although Bastian may seem playful and all, he knew deep down that the other man was deeply worried about himself. He knew that he was concerned about himself not having a mate. And he further knew that Bastian had worked long and hard to search for his mate, but to no avail. Hence, he understood his worries. 

Erick looked down at Bastian's scribbles and said softly, "I've never heard of any shifter who will 'change' if they become mateless. Nor have I heard whether it was compulsory to have a mate."

Bastian turned his head towards Bastian, a furious look on his face. "What do you mean, not sure whether it's not compulsory or something?" he exclaimed hotly. "When have you heard about a shifter who never had a mate ever in his life??"

Erick nodded. "True," he agreed. "But then again, even if he doesn't have any mate now, who's to say that he won't find one in the near future? And I don't think there's any time limit to finding a mate."

Bastian looked down at his scribbles once more, a thoughtful look on his face.

 "Look at Noaz. He still hasn't found his mate either. I know he's a bit worried too but I believe that it still doesn't stop him from giving up and losing hope. So, you shouldn't be, as well," Erick continued. "Being mateless for now doesn't make you weak, even for the future Alpha as yourself. So, I don't think you should be overly concerned about it. I know you might think that I have no right in saying all these since I found mine in highschool but you know my words are right," he ended his advice with a comforting pat on Bastian's shoulder.

Bastian let out a light chuckle of relief. He threw a grin at Erick and said, "Of all people who could have comforted me, I didn't expect it to be you."

Before Erick could reply to that, Bastian leaned back, his arms supporting his body as he laid on the ground. "Though, it would be much nicer if it was a woman who comforted me, rather than an overgrown muscle-brained guy," he surmised jokingly.

Erick immediately lifted his leg and gave the other shifter a kick to his side, making the latter roll over ungracefully.

"The feck, man!" Bastian complained as he turned on his side, still lying on the ground. He glared angrily up at Erick, who brushed his pants from the sand, ignoring him.

Erick walked over to Elder Zyair, who now had his eyes closed again and his arms crossed across his chest. His whole posture screams 'do not disturb me', hence why Erick was unsure whether to approach him or not.

However before Erick could move away again, Elder Zyair opened his eyes. His eyes landed on the surprised shifter in front of him. He uncrossed his arms and pushed himself away from the tree. He then walked past Erick and headed to where Bastian was still lying on the ground.

He continued to move past Bastian and stood in front of the den entrance with his hands on his hips. 

"Got a word from the shifters inside," Zyair announced, without turning, his eyes still on the entrance.

Both Erick and Bastian became alert, immediately rushing over to Zyair's side. "From who, Elder?" Erick asked, a tinge of excitement could be heard in his voice.

"Jose."

Bastian's eyes widened when he heard the name of his pack Beta. "Did something happen?" he asked.

Elder Zyair shook his head. "Can't be sure," he replied. "He did not say anything more, other than to tell us to come over quickly. They probably found something or someone."

Erick and Bastian looked at each other and then at Elder Zyair. They both nodded.

The three of them cautiously walked inside the den.

Because Bastian has been to the place before, he was the one who walked in front as a guide, followed by Erick and Elder Zyair taking the rear. The interior of the den was similar as when Bastian had last entered, however the smell of rotting leaves and moss were stronger this time. He looked around the familiar place and had second thoughts. No, it wasn't so familiar now. There were some changes. It wasn't this damp before. And there was more debris on the ground, compared to before. As if a quake had occurred before, after he went there.

Bastian stopped in his tracks. He then crouched down, touching the ground with his finger with a complicated look on his face. 

"What's wrong?" Erick asked when he saw the other shifter stopped.

Bastian turned around to look at Erick and Elder Zyair and said, "It seems like we have company."

Both Erick and Elder Zyair frowned when they heard him. They frowned deeper when they saw an unfamiliar long strand of black fur hair. From what they remember, none of them has long black hair. Nor did any of them have turned into their shifter forms.