2. Ten

~ Harper’s POV ~

Having her in my arms after such a long time felt so amazing, so fulfilling. Granted, it has only been a few days but still, being away from your mate is torture. A torture I had been deliberately inflicting on myself.

As much as I knew my mate, I knew that she needed time alone to sort things out in her head. So, I gave her exactly that. Time!

It had been so fucking hard to stay away, though. It hasn't been long since I accepted her as my mate. As a result, the bond between us twists and forces us to be closer to each other and complete the mating process. My wolf had been restless for so long, all he could think about these few days, apart from the problems I caused, was the pleasure of marking our mate, of marking Zara.

My wolf would lure me with vivid images of the mark she would proudly wear on her shoulder when my canines would finally pierce her soft skin. My wolf reminded me that I could then, hear her voice inside my head all the time. I would be able to hear all her thoughts about everything.

As of now, marking her was another matter. Talking to her, hell, even looking at Zara seemed to be a big treat nowadays. She had been avoiding me like the plague and I didn't blame her. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt, even though it was my own doing.

I had been staying in my grandparent's cabin these days, mustering the courage to man up and talk to her. Being in that cabin often reminded me of the first time we had sex and how I accepted her as my mate. 

That time seemed so far away. It was almost surreal how much of a gigantic mess I had made and thrust Zara into her. 

Sometimes, I wondered if she would be better off without me. She would be without all of my baggage and all the emotional drama I carry with me; I was sure of that. But being without me, also meant she would have to be with someone else and the thought alone sent pain in my heart. I could feel my wolf whimper at the back of my mind.

With these kinds of thoughts running through my head these past few days, I was glad to have Zara close to me. Though I would have liked it a hell of a lot more if the situation had been a happy one.

The scene was horrific even for a werewolf like me, who has grown up seeing blood and gore almost every day. But the way Elijah was killed was a new kind of brutality and I felt a shudder pass through me as I think about how painful his death must have been.

Elijah was a good guy, somewhere in his mid-twenties. Did not harm anyone and minded his own business? His loss was great and even greater for his mate. I'm pretty sure everyone was brought to tears by her heart-wrenching cries. It even made my heart squeeze and when I had my mate in my arms, I thanked the moon goddess that it wasn't Zara. I know that it was selfish of me to think like that but I don't know what would happen to me and my wolf if something happened to Zara.

Hearing her cries gave me a sort of a reality check too. It was like headlights flashing some message inside my skull. The message is that life is too short and people die. If life was that uncertain, I had no plans to leave things between me and Zara in the grey area anymore. 

But before I could do anything, my dad reminded me that I had alpha duties. He had been planning on giving up on his position as the alpha for some time now and thus, I had been slowly taking over the commands and tasks. So, it was no surprise when he told me to go to Elijah's mate and calm her down.

I didn't want to leave Zara but my wolf understood the gravity of the situation and it wasn't like I wasn't going to talk to her after I was done with the crime scene itself. 

I had managed to calm down Zara a little and had asked Aiden to drop Zara home.

I had taken Elijah's mate in my arms and tried to soothe her the best I could. I practically carried her to her home and looked after her. She was traumatized and shivering so badly that my heart went out to her. Losing a mate is one of the most dreadful things that can happen to a werewolf and I would never wish it upon anyone. Seeing this young girl, who was only a few years older than me, made me sick to my stomach. I finally helped her pop a few pills which had thankfully made her sleep for a few hours.

She was a transfer from some other pack. I went to the Alpha's office and pulled out her transfer records. I called her parents, already dreading giving the bad news. The call was emotional and distressed and the parent had promised me that they would be in the pack lands by tomorrow evening.

I slumped back in my chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that was something."

I stretched and felt some of my muscles relax.

A knock on the office door brought a rigidness in my stance. "Come in." My alpha voice boomed and the door swung open to reveal Aiden.

Aiden walked inside and settled in the chairs opposite the table. "I ran into the alpha a few minutes ago. He wants the both of us to head the investigation about Elijah's murder, seeing as we both will take over the designated posts soon."

I nodded and took a deep breath in. "I have a few things I need to do before."

Aiden nodded like he understood, which he probably did. As the beta and my best friend, he knew me well. He knew my chain of thoughts and my mindset and whatever was troubling me.

"How are things with you and Zara?" He asked tentatively. Ever since the pack announcement, most pack members kept giving me pitying and disgusted looks. Of course, they didn't have the nerve to say anything to my face but I knew people talked and a drama as big as this, certainly caught everyone's attention.

"Nonexistent." I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and got up from the chair, determined to change the situation between us.

Harper? Before I could say goodbye, Dad's voice rang through the mind link.

Yeah?

Did Aiden tell you that I want you to lead the investigation about Elijah's murder?

Yeah, Dad. I informed his mate's parents and they will come by tomorrow. Meanwhile, someone is looking after her. 

That's good. When can I expect your first report about the murder?

I have a few things to sort out first. Then I will get back to the report.

Son, I expect the first report by nightfall. 

I sighed and slumped back in the chair. Aiden playfully raised his eyebrows and I snorted.

"He expects the first report by nightfall." I huffed.

Playing Alpha and Beta was not as fun as it had seemed to be when we were kids. As kids, we just saw the power and overlooked the responsibilities and it was all coming down to bite us in the ass.

"Well, we should start working, then." He stretched and popped his knuckles.

"Yeah, I guess we do." I smiled and we both went through the file of Elijah's murder.

I don't know why but I had a feeling that Dad had deliberately kept me in the office tonight. Funny. My wolf was acting restless but I couldn't pin it on anything particular. I tried to get rid of the uneasiness and focused on the files.

We barely kept going through the file photos and the tracker's report. We practically worked till the next day because we couldn't conclude.

We couldn't make out anything. We didn't know who attacked one of the pack members so cruelly, if it was a single person or a group if it were rogues or some pack casing unnecessary trouble. The pack tracker could only trace the unknown scent a few meters outside the pack boundaries. And we had no motive whatsoever.

Just a stupid note to confuse us even more.

We weren't mulling over the strange murder when I suddenly felt a stabbing pain in my chest and felt my wolf whine at the back of my head.

What the fuck was happening?!