Evolution Of Dawn

Four: Search

Archer Dakota P.O.V

I turned the forest upside down searching for my mate, I'd looked at the nook and cranny of every end until the rain finally stopped at noon the next day, I know she wasn't here in the forest, not anymore, I had searched and searched, even went as far as stalking her wild pack, they haven't left their cave and she hasn't come back to them either.

We'd split up for the search, Boar to the South of the forest, Ace to the East, while I searched the entire landscape, North, South, and East included.

We haven't made any progress so far, it's like all the forces of the world were up against us, against me, against finding my mate. After 27 years of being mateless, I finally found her only to lose her in a blink of an eye.

"Did you find anything", I linked Ace and Boar.

"No Alpha", Ace replied immediately but Boar didn't, I felt a little surge of hope, "maybe he found something".

"Boar, did you find anything", I linked again trying to get a reply from him.

"No Alpha, nothing, not even a trail", he replied, and just like that the little surge of hope I had was crushed and buried six feet deep.

"Just bloody great, my mate has become invisible and disappeared into thin air", I hit the nearest tree with my foot "bloody cow", I groaned as the pain shoot through me.

I sniffled the forest again trying to pick up her long-lost scent but smelt nothing, even her paw print has been erased, I cussed profanities at the rain for washing all her traces away.

Just when I thought have found my mate, she'd slipped out of my grip, I heard the sound of a branch snapping from behind, "maybe she has decided to come back", I turned sharply and saw Ace, his feet rested atop a pile of dried branches, I growled at him before turning my head back on the forest trail.

"She left us she didn't find us worthy", my wolf said sounding defeated.

"We are going to find her, she's just scared, maybe she never expected to find her mate out here in the middle of nowhere", I said reassuringly trying to make excuses for her and make myself believe it.

"She shouldn't be scared of us, we are the only ones who can protect her, we are strong, and we can keep her safe", my wolf said before retrieving to the recess of my mind, I clenched and unclenched my jaw knowing he's right.

I sighed after ending up at the same spot I had marked her, I looked around trying to see if she is anywhere in sight, I growled when I saw Boar walking towards us but not a sign of my mate.

"Alpha", Ace said cautiously and I know he's about to spurt out something annoying.

"Shut it, Ace, I know you're about to say s**t and I won't be held responsible for whatever happens next", I warned cutting him off mid-sentence.

"I'm still going to say this Alpha, we need to go back to the pack and send out trackers to look for her", Ace said to my annoyance.

"I can find my own mate Ace, I don't need a bunch of bloody mutts on her trail, and shut that filthy foul mouth up before I shut it for you". I sneer back at him.

"I know you can agree with me she's not in this forest anymore, we have to head back home and send the trackers out to find her, she's wild and untamed you will need all the help you can get", Ace said in a whisper but loud enough for me to hear him.

And before I can process his words, I have him pinned to a tree with my hand around his neck, "you call me weak", I growled at him releasing my Alpha aura.

"I do not call you weak Alpha, you are far from it", Ace choked out

"You think I can't handle my mate?", I asked pushing his head up, trying to make him look me in the eyes and dare challenge me. He cast his gaze downward wrapping his hands around my hold on his throat.

"Alpha please, I do not dare challenge you or question your authority, but we need to return to pack and send the trackers out, she might be in danger and if she's as wild as she looks she probably runs to some unknown territory and they might see her as a threat to their land", he choked out.

"I growled louder", tightening my hold on his neck. Ace never knows when to shut up his filthy farm animal foul mouth, but his words sometimes make sense when he isn't gossiping with the pack warriors or my great aunty, I sneer at him again before I tried processing all he had said.

I looked towards Boar to gauge his reaction and input, but he just nodded his head before he cast his gaze down, I know Boar is a man of few words but seeing him agree with Ace I know they are right, I have to head back home.

I released Ace harshly stepping back from him, my wolf unleashed his feelings of anger and melancholy letting it sip through me like venom, I ran through the forest shifting mid-air as my wolf let out a long howl of pain and sadness.

Ace and Boar howled back, no doubt shifted, they shared my sadness over a loss of a mate I never had, I heard the distance howl of the wild wolves too, though, they only howl when they felt the need to communicate about things like location, warning about predators, and position of prey, but not this time, I know they howl in response to my own because they felt the forceful pull to respond to a dominant hierarchy.

"We are going to find her", I said to my wolf before I render full control over him, to guard us home.