79. Give Up
Two months later...
The distraught Alpha Callum arrives at his Grandpa's farm, broken hearted.
"Gramps, I don't know if I still continue searching for Clarice in the ocean. We still can't find her no matter how hard we try," he said miserably.
"I know, son, it's very tough on your part. I wish I could help you. I'm also sad and devastated by Clarice's disappearance. You have already run a missing person ad in every major newspaper in the whole country but no one has found Clarice's body yet. The worst thing I can think of is the reason why we can't find her body is because some sharks found her first and we both know what it means." Grandpa Eliezer said sadly, patting his grandson's shoulder to comfort him.
Alpha Callum wept quietly. "I don't know if she's already dead or alive. If she drowns, I just want to find her body and give her a proper burial. Is that so much to ask?" he asked dejectedly.
Grandpa Eliezer sighed heavily. Watching the misery in his grandson's eyes filled his heart with sorrow. "Clarice is a good woman. I don't understand why this is happening. There are so many bad people in this world. Why did tragedy choose her?"
Alpha Callum wept even more. He was asking the same question in his head. Why Clarice? She didn't do anything wrong to other people. Why must she be taken away so soon? Why?
"Son, you have to be strong for your son Caden. Clarice is gone, but you still have a son who needs your love and care and the pack needs you as their leader. You didn't lose everything, son. You only lost one person. You must continue to live for others and for yourself. Clarice will never forget your love. She will always remember you and your son wherever she is right now."
Alpha Callum continues to weep silently. Some of the divers have already quit because of fatigue and last week they almost lost one diver due to a shark attack. "Should I continue with the search?" he asked, because personally, he doesn't want to stop searching the vast ocean.
Grandpa Eliezer took a deep breath. He knew Callum wouldn't be able to stop searching for his wife out of guilt unless someone decided for him. "Honestly, you need to stop already. You and your men have done enough already. Sooner or later, one of you will die in the dangerous sea. No need to waste another life. If Clarice could talk right now, she would want you to stop searching for her and continue with your life. Stop the search before another life is lost in the sea."
Thick silence hung heavy in the air.
Alpha Callum cleared his throat. "You are right, Gramps. I must stop the search and move on because many people still depend on me," he said with finality in his tone. Letting go of his wife is hard to do, but her memories will always be alive in his heart.
The door opened, Lorey and Caden entered the room.
"Daddy!" Caden rushed to his father, bursting with energy.
Alpha Callum enveloped his son in a tight embrace. "I miss you so much, son," he said. His eyes welled up.
"Did you see Mommy already?" Caden asked expectantly.
Alpha Callum shook his head. "Not yet, son. I'm so sorry," he replied apologetically, feeling hopeless more than ever.
"It's okay, Mommy is still alive. She will be back soon!" Caden said confidently.
The adults in the room looked at each other in bewilderment.
"How did you know, son?" Alpha Callum asked, looking deeply into his son's eyes.
Caden smiled brightly. "Because she talked to me in my sleep, telling me to wait for her. She will return one day," he explained merrily.
Alpha Callum breathes deeply, hugging his son in a tight embrace. His missing wife talking to his son in his sleep is kind of weird. Is it a good or bad thing? Is this his son's way of coping with his mother's disappearance or was he just purely imagining things, pretending his mother was still alive?
Lorey's eyes were glistening with unshed tears, heartbroken to see Alpha Callum alone, disappointed that her mistress hadn't been found yet.
After he finished spending time with his son, Alpha Callum had a serious talk with Grandpa Eliezer.
"I will return to the port and inform the search team that I will finally stop the search for everyone's safety," Alpha Callum said gloomily.
"That's a good decision, son," Grandpa Eliezer replied pleasantly.
"I will return here to spend time with my son before resuming my Alpha duties. I just need a quiet place to stay for a while so I can condition myself to face the future alone. My life is going to be lonely and sad without my wife's presence in the house," Alpha Callum said despondently.
"You will survive, son. Life must go on no matter what," Grandpa Eliezer said, patting his grandson's shoulder consolingly.
A few minutes later Alpha Callum bid goodbye to everyone and returned to the port to have a short meeting with the search team.
One hour later, the search team arrived after a short break. He informed them that the search for his missing wife was officially over for everyone's safety, and he would give them their remaining salary. He thanked them wholeheartedly for their heroism and hard work in searching the dangerous depths of the sea just to find his missing wife.
With a heavy heart, Alpha Callum and the professional drivers parted ways, carrying the heavy burden in their hearts because they failed at their mission.
Alpha Callum returns to the farm to heal and recuperate from stress and heartbreak. He spent quality time with his son before resuming his duties as the pack's leader.
One week later, Alpha Callum was back in his old life, performing his daily routine in his mansion.
Meanwhile...
At Viviana's beachfront property, she can be seen relaxing on the sun lounger, facing the calm blue sea, enjoying a glass of her favorite tropical drink.
Happiness was plastered on her face. Clarice was gone for good and her heart was rejoicing because she had finally succeeded in eliminating her rival from her ex-husband's heart.
She initially wanted to hire a killer in the dark web to finish Clarice, but when she informed Aurelia about her evil intention, the woman suggested that the best person to do the job is no other than Kaspar because he knows Clarice well, but they need to give him a huge reward so he will kill Clarice without hesitation.
She agreed with Aurelia's suggestion. She hired a hacker to hack Alpha Callum and Clarice's itinerary and learned about their plans to spend a holiday on the cruise ship to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
The rest is history.
Her plans succeeded after waiting for a long time, and now she can finally return to her ex-husband's mansion to be his wife again.
But before that, there is something she needs to do before she can return to the mansion. She was already working hard on that part.
She's excited about returning home. She needs to reclaim her rightful place. After all, she is the original wife of Alpha Callum and the true Luna of the Savage Howl Pack.
Her next plan is already in motion.
She could already smell victory in the air.
She sipped her drink and looked at the endless sea. She was busy scrutinizing every detail of her plan in her mind.
Now that Clarice is gone, she must not fail!
She must succeed!