Her Wolf Is Gone

Chapter 16

***Conlan's POV***

I ran down the halls as several howls reverberated through the pack house. That crazy she-wolf's blood left a trail over the hardwood floors from where my claws extended. Down the hall I noticed Rolland was hunched over and curled up on the floor at the end of the corridor at the card key access point. He was howling for his lost Alpha. There was no time to spare for him. My main mission now is to make sure that Zara and my pack members are safe and on their way to the Sacred Moon Pack for protection.

"Wait!" Gamma Rolland pleaded. "I can feel," he howled again in anguish. "Take me with you. I'm on her side." His words were huffed out in great pain.

A frustrated sigh escaped me. For a few moments that I did not want to spare, I considered his words. Karr sensed his sincerity, and he could help us protect Zara. My wolf nudged me to pull him up and offer an alliance.

"This way!" He yelled painfully. It was in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go, from the path I knew that would lead to Zara. "Come on! Trust me! There isn't any time left!" Rolland pleaded again.

Karr whined. It took everything in me to trust this man, and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that I wasn't wrong to.

Rolland stopped in front of an empty wall and pressed his fingers into different points, like he was pressing invisible buttons. With every press he winced in pain. Several clicks later from the smooth maroon painted wall the unexpected happened. Before I could say anything, an explosion blasted in Zara's direction of the pack house. Force from the blast caused the whole building to quake.

"James!" My heart pounded in alarm for him and Zara. "Answer me dammit!" I felt my breathing stop. "Theo! Anyone!"

"Beta." James responded briefly. It sounded like he was going to continue but he was silent and Theo has still not responded at all.

A door appeared. One second there was a wall, next a panel slid down to reveal a dark opening. From the smell of it most likely a sewer. Then Rolland walked through as if the smell didn't bother him like he has done this a million times. He shook his hand and blew on his fingers as he walked down the dark passageway. In the pit of my stomach a sick feeling grew. My wolf snarled as I stepped through to follow him, clearly not pleased to go into the stinking abyss that led further away from Zara and my pack mates. Everything about this mission, this pack, Zara was making me crazy.

Once inside I noticed a familiar face. Her face was stained with grime and salty tears. The wrinkles were deeper and the bags under her eyes darker. Strands of brown silvery hair stuck to her cracked lips. There were cells after cells filled with others besides the witch Zara called Auntie. Rolland quickly made work of the one guard by the time I took notice of the expanse of the entire dungeon like room.

"Oh, Gamma!" Voices cried. "Let us out!"

"They are going after her daughter." A raspy voice stated as Gamma Rolland paused by a particular cell. An older gentleman in ragged clothes gripped Rolland's hands between the bars. "I heard them talking about her. They are attacking the pack house now."

"What should we do father?" Rolland asked. His hands deftly releasing his father first among the many prisoners.

"We need to alert the ones nearest her for support, the loyal ones to the true Alpha line." He kept his gaze on his son as he exited the cell. The old wolf's body seemed strong and true. "But the rest of us need to make our way to the Rogue King. We use the element of surprise, and take him down. It is the only way to end this madness and corruption." His strong gaze shifted to mine and sized me up. "Who is this?"