77. Never Ending Search

Alpha Callum arrives at an empty farm house. No one was around, so he put his bags in the corner and settled on the sofa, waiting for his grandfather to arrive. While waiting, he re-imagined what happened to his holiday vacation with his wife on the cruise ship. No matter what others said, he didn't believe Clarice had jumped into the ocean willingly. Someone had thrown her into the water. His wife was happy with him. She would never resort to suicide because they were blessed with a loving and peaceful marriage and had a son together. After searching the ship from top to bottom, he finally gave up on his suspicion that Clarice had caught a serial killer's attention and was abducted on board. Clarice definitely fell in the water because there was no way she could vanish from the cruise ship without leaving any trace behind. He was in deep thoughts when the door opened and Grandpa Eliezer entered the house. He was surprised to see Alpha Callum in his house looking distraught. He knew instantly something wrong had happened with the couple's cruise ship holiday. "What happened, son?" he asked worriedly, rushing to his side. "Gramps, Clarice disappeared without a trace on our cruise ship holiday. The captain and I searched the ship from top to bottom but failed to find her. She's gone!" Alpha Callum said in agony, breaking down like a child in his grandfather's arms, showing his vulnerability. "But why? How did it happen?" Grandpa Eliezer asked, visibly shaken by the shocking news. "I just left her alone in the middle of the night in our favorite spot on the ship to get some coffee from the restaurant, but when I returned to where I left her, she was no longer there. She disappeared without a trace. We couldn't find her anywhere on the ship after a thorough search. The boat that retraced our path didn't find Clarice's body floating in the water either. She just vanished mysteriously in the middle of the night," Alpha Callum explained in a voice trembling with agony and sorrow. Grandpa Eliezer gasped. "This is not real!" he uttered in denial. "It's real, Gramps, I wouldn't be here alone if Clarice was still with me. I came straight to you here because you are the first person I need to speak with. This is too much for me to accept. I don't know what happened to my wife. The CCTV camera fixed in that area where Clarice had stayed failed to function properly, and no footage was recorded. No one can explain to me what exactly happened after I left my wife sitting alone in that chair. What happened to her baffles me," Alpha Callum said dejectedly. Stunned, Grandpa Eliezer was speechless. His mind was in disarray. He could only hold his grandson to comfort him. "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have left her alone!" Alpha Callum continued, blaming himself for the tragedy that had befallen his wife. "Shh, hush now. Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. You will never hurt your wife. Clarice will never jump into the water unless there is a reason, and you could be right, someone must have orchestrated her downfall, but the problem is we don't know who it is. Since there is no solid evidence that can show us what really happened to Clarice, we are staring at darkness in utter confusion and bewilderment," Grandpa Eliezer replied somberly. "I don't know how to explain this to our son. He will never understand why his mother disappeared without a trace," Alpha Callum said miserably. "I'm sorry for your loss, son. Let's hope Clarice is still alive, and her body reaches the shore safely. If that happens, there is still a chance she can return to us alive," Grandpa said optimistically. "I hope so, Gramps. But I just can't wait for her return without doing anything. I need to do something to find her!" Alpha Callum said with fierce determination vibrating in his tone. "What are you going to do, son?" Grandpa Eliezer asked. "I need to organize a search team to return to the ocean, to the exact spot and time when Clarice vanished. I will search that vast ocean to find her. I need to entrust Lorey and Caden to your care while I'm busy with the search," Alpha Callum replied. "Okay, I'll come with you to the mansion to get them," Grandpa Eliezer agreed, eager to help. The men wasted no time and teleported to the mansion. After a brief explanation to Lorey about Clarice's disappearance, the distraught Lorey ready Caden and their bags to go along with Grandpa Eliezer. After Lorey and Caden left the mansion with Grandpa Eliezer, Alpha Callum explained to Beta Amir what had happened to his wife. After he finished explaining, he said, "I need you to manage the pack's affairs and the house on my behalf while I'm busy searching for my wife in the ocean." "Copy that, Alpha. Don't worry about the pack and the house. I will take care of them. I will do my best to take care of everything while you are away," Beta Amir said reassuringly. He wanted to join the search but knew his good intentions would not be approved. He realized that he could help his Alpha better just by taking care of everything on his behalf, so the search for Luna Clarice would go smoothly as planned. "Good, keep me posted on everything that happens here," Alpha Callum said. "Copy, Alpha. I wish you would find Luna Clarice soon, alive and safe," Beta Amir said sincerely, still reeling from the shock. He was deeply saddened by the unexpected tragedy that struck Alpha Callum's lovely family. "I'm going to my room to plan for the search," Alpha Callum said and proceeded to his room. Once inside the master bedroom, Alpha Callum contacted his friend who had contact with a team of professional drivers that could be hired for the search. Then he also contacted the captain of the ship and asked for the coordinates, explaining to him that he was organizing a search team to look for his missing wife at sea. The captain quickly replied to his email with the exact coordinates of the location of the ship three hours before Alpha Callum declared his wife missing. A few minutes later, Alpha Callum's friend replied that he was able to assemble three teams of professional divers with four drivers for each team, and they also provided their own yacht for the search. After agreeing to the upfront payment, the search team will gather in Port Hill in five hours to start the search. He needs to find his wife's body, dead or alive! Exhausted by everything that happened, his eyelids heavily dropping, Alpha Callum decided to take a nap in order to prepare mentally and physically for the grueling search happening soon. He set the alarm clock so he could wake up one hour before the agreed meeting. Done with everything, he finally lay down on the bed and fell asleep within a few minutes of hitting the bed. His sleep was deep. He dreamed of Clarice in his sleep. He dreamed of their happy moments on the farm with their son. Happy memories of their past played in his dream like movie scenes. Hours passed quickly. The alarm clock rang, and Alpha Callum awakened from his sleep. He sprang into action and took a shower immediately. After showering, he put some clothes and personal stuff in his backpack. He's now ready to go. A few minutes later, he bid goodbye to Beta Amir and drove his car to Port Hill. Three hours later, the search team assembled in Port Hill and the month-long search for Clarice in the vast ocean began.