3. Thirty- four

~ Harper’s POV ~

"How do you know it's going to work?" I asked, uncertain about this new idea even though it somehow made sense to me. 

"I don't know if it's going to work but I am saying there's no harm in trying it. All you need to do is turn into your wolf. Your wolf will feel the pull of the mate bond physically, which will hopefully lead you to Zara's location." Ethan stated forcefully and I closed my eyes in exasperation. 

I had hoped that the trackers would have some clue about Zara's whereabouts but when they had turned up with nothing, the situation had become more dire. We didn't even know if she had taken off herself or if she was taken by someone. Did the rogues take her or was it some usual and random human kidnapping? All these questions were eating away at me and the uncertainty of the situation was making both me and my wolf incredibly frustrated. 

"I suppose there's no harm in trying," I said, my mind trying to run in different directions to solve this situation as soon as possible. "What do you want me to do?" 

"I want you to shift into your wolf and let him take over completely. Only then, your wolf will be able to detect the faint pull of the bond in its most raw form." 

"So, all I need to do is shift." I stopped my relentless pacing in my office and opened the door. I gestured at him to exit the room and follow me outside the lack house, where I'll be able to change into my wolf form and give all the control to my wolf. Hopefully, my wolf will then take over and lead me straight to wherever Zara was at the moment. 

I quickly mind-linked the head warrior to be outside the pack house in three minutes and have sixty pack warriors on standby should the need arise. I wouldn't be able to communicate with Ethan once I turned in my wolf form, so I needed someone to tell Ethan if I sensed some pull in a particular direction. He affirmed that he would be here and we waited for him to arrive. 

"Roland," I said when he finally came and bowed before me. I nodded his respect and looked at Ethan and him to let him know I was ready. 

"What are we doing, alpha?" Roland asked. 

I chuckled without any humor. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure," I said and triggered the transformation into my wolf form. I felt my bones break and reform, fur sprout on my skin, my digits elongate to form lethal claws and my mouth extend to form a muzzle. My paws rested on the soft ground and I felt my senses heighten considerably. Without thinking twice, I released all control to my wolf, so that we could finally test our theory. 

I felt a growl rip through my core when I finally passed over total control to my wolf. My wolf growled low in disappointment when neither of us felt any pull in any direction and we looked at Ethan and growled threateningly for getting our hopes up with this stupid fiasco. 

"You're not doing it right!" Ethan crossed his arms and uncrossed them in frustration. "Try giving in to your senses and your primal nature." 

I mentally huffed and rolled my eyes at his pathetic attempt to make me "do it right". I felt like a green circus animal, forced to show tricks and do crazy jumps in front of an unsuspecting audience. 

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I felt a strange warmth in my stomach and felt a faint clenching of my heart. I focused hard on the beating of my heart and each thump of my heart made me want to run in a particular direction. I didn't know if it was the pull of the bond that Ethan was talking about. The next second, I had taken off in a direction, fully aware that my wolf was following his gut. I didn't know if, at the end of this hunt, I would come closer to finding Zara but for now, I was content to listen to the raw intuition of my wolf. 

I immediately mind-linked Roland and asked him and Ethan to follow my wolf. I registered that they had quickly accepted my command and were running behind me, both of them eager about the end destination. 

My wolf kept running and I recognized that we were heading towards the south border. I waited and let my wolf all the support he needed to listen to the call of the mate bond. He immediately skidded to a stop and sniffed the air around him. Ethan and Roland stopped running too and looked at me, waiting for some indication or command. 

We had reached the mountainous terrain around the city. We were in a heavily wooded area with all kinds of plants growing all around us. We had run three miles out of the southern border of the pack and my wolf was still busy sniffing the air. I didn't question him because I knew that interference was the last thing my wolf needed right now. He trotted a few steps forward and sniffed the ground around us. There were no out or claw marks of any animal so I had no idea what he was searching for. Before I could conclude, he turned around and growled low at Roland. Roland's wolf just nodded and his glazed over, which meant that he was mind-linking someone. 

I had no idea what was happening. My wolf was communicating with the wolf of my pack warrior and kept me out of the loop. 

Alpha, the reinforcements will arrive within fifteen minutes, Roland's voice spoke inside me and my head whipped around to look at him. He just nodded in reply. 

My wolf crouched low on the ground and moved stealthily forward. After a few minutes, I heard a few voices coming from ten feet in front of me. My wolf took another few steps and rested low on the ground. I could hear people talking and my heartbeat quickened because it might be the rogue camp and this was exactly where Zara had been kept after being kidnapped. 

Being a white alpha was well and good but the white fur coat reduced all possibilities of stealth. I had to rely on my instincts rather than depend on the camouflage of my coat. 

My wolf slowed my heartbeat down so that the wolves a few feet in front of me wouldn't hear the erratic heartbeat. Roland's mind linked me that the pack warriors were only a few minutes away and it would take only a nod from me to lead an unplanned and unexpected attack on the rogues. 

Without answering him, my wolf inched slowly towards the two wolves casually talking to each other. If these rogue wolves were part of the rogue group who have been attacking us, then they must have been stationed for a lookout. They were doing a very good job of it. 

Before I could ascertain if they were the rogues we were looking for, my wolf, who had been previously shielded by a thicket of shrubs pounced on them. The element of surprise worked in our favor, moreover, there was little they could attempt to do in front of a white alpha who was crazily searching for his mate. 

I pounced on both the wolves and ripped their throat out without blinking. My fur was instantly streaked with their blood and I could only imagine how terrifying I would look to anyone who would cross my path. 

I briefly registered that the pack warriors had arrived while I was disposing of the two rogues. Without giving them any acknowledgment, my wolf crouched low walked a few steps, and hid behind a thick and large tree. 

My wolf was totally in control right now and it felt like I was watching my body do things while being paralyzed or being controlled by an evil spirit or something. 

My enhanced senses could tell that there were a couple of dilapidated and abandoned buildings. Tents were set up around them and rogues were milling about the temporary encampment. I don't know how but my wolf was very sure that these were the same rogues who had attacked and continuously threatened us. 

Before I could confirm or voice my opinion, my wolf was already charging ahead like a rabid animal, ripping anyone who dared cross his path. Watching their alpha charge at the rogues, the pack warriors threw caution to the wind and followed me right into battle. 

It was like watching a movie from a screen placed very close to my eyes. I was watching rogue wolves die and pack warriors engage in fierce battle. Wolves were dying left and right and it felt really good to see that we were doing most of the killing. 

I caught a black wolf in the corner of my eye, instantly recognizing Ethan's wolf, who was successfully taking on three rogue wolves. 

We had taken these rogues by surprise and it was working in our favor. I swiftly deflected a lethal blow by a grown wolf and jammed my teeth into its belly. The wolf whined and fell to its side blood seeping out of its abdomen. He whimpered and I knew that his death was going to be very painful. I put my paw on his neck and broke his neck, killing him instantly. 

Some strange sensation was unfurling on my stomach and I closed my eyes for a second, trying to figure out what it was. I was confused about what had happened to me all of a sudden but my wolf was already bounding towards a particular direction, pretty determined about his goal. 

My wolf was cleverly staying away from the fight and smoothly running towards its destination. From a distance, I saw a huge man standing taut against a heavily barricaded door. He looked pretty huge, at least 6'5" in stature with bulky arms and legs. He had a huge gash on the left side of his face and a big swirling tattoo on his right bicep. His countenance radiated tension and he looked to be about four to five years older than me. 

His eyes suddenly glazed over, which meant that he was mind-linking someone. I didn't know how it was possible; rogues didn't form packs and without a pack, you can't mind-link your fellow wolves. My wolf grew still as his mind contemplated what he was seeing. My wolf took a deep sniff and confirmed that this man was a rogue. How could this rogue mind link? 

Suddenly, the barricaded door opened and a very attractive girl wearing a dress walked out. Amidst all the chaos around me, I found my gaze riveted on these two people. The man and the girl conversed frantically for a few seconds. The man seemed to grow angrier the more he conversed with the girl. 

He hastily threw open the barricaded door and within a few minutes came back with a girl struggling against him. 

My eyes flew wide open and before I knew it, my wolf was bounding towards the three of them. Zara was thrashing around, trying to rid herself of the man's hold. She was bound by a very thick rope and was wearing a blindfold. I smiled in pride as I realized that Zara was giving him a hell of a struggle. 

The man was roughly pushing Zara into a truck, while the girl obediently sat down on the passenger side of the vehicle. In a few minutes, I would be upon the man, his throat in my mouth. 

Out of nowhere, a huge body crashed against me and I was thrown against a tree which cracked under my weight. Pain shot up my spine at the terrible impact and I slumped down on the ground. 

Images of Zara being manhandled raced through my mind and I found the courage to stand up and fight for her. The wolf who had attacked me was nowhere in sight so I quickly looked for any signs of the trio I had observed earlier. My wolf took over again and I ran in a particular direction it quickly became clear what my wolf was after as the truck I had seen earlier came into view. 

I could see Zara still struggling and I increased my speed to catch them. My eyes were fixed on Zara and I felt my breath catch as she suddenly stopped struggling and turned around as if she found sense my eyes were on her. 

She couldn't see me because she was blindfolded but I realized that it was the bond that had made her super aware of my presence. 

Out of nowhere, an arrow whipped through the air and struck me in my hind leg. I whimpered in pain and skidded through the woods as I lost balance. I saw the wooden body of the arrow sticking out of my legs and blood quickly seeped out of it, staining my already red fur. 

I turned my eyes on the truck which was quickly getting away. I stood up on shaky legs and ran after the truck again, not with the same speed, but enough to keep it in my sight. Pain shot up through my leg but I was determined to pull through it. 

Visions of holding Zara kept flashing through my mind, so I pushed through the pain and kept running after the truck. 

My wolf lost its footing when I felt an arrow strike me through my belly. I could feel the wolfsbane seep into my bloodstream. It wasn't as potent as before but it was enough to make my vision hazy and my mind falter. I took a few shaky steps in the direction I had seen the truck and collapsed from the huge assault of poison and pain.