Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire

111. A Forgotten Language

LEO.

“That’s the last one.” Li Sheng says tossing the deactivated device onto the ground. Four had gone off in total before we had managed to find the rest and disarm them. I had felt thirteen tethers snap, meaning we had lost thirteen lives. Eric and Emmet’s selfish plan had cost not only me but instead had cost the lives of many innocent people.

Those who had been trapped, and there had been many, had been accounted for and we had retrieved the bodies of our dead too.

They ranged from the ages of eleven to ninety-seven. 1

“Continue to comb the pack grounds until every area has been covered just in case there’s more detonators.” I say coldly.

I need to fucking go after them. I know there is a team out there, but I still need to do something too.

“Will do Alpha.” He replies, lowering his head before he runs off.

Alejandro and several others were now in one of my meeting rooms, gathered around a map, trying to find out where Azura and Corrado had vanished to, and the possible places they may have gone.

“There’s the forest there…” Elijah says, frowning deeply.

He, Damon, and several others are here too, but time is just moving too fucking slow. With each passing moment, who knows what she’s going through. I’m a fucking mess inside, but I’m fucking trying to keep my shit together. I can’t lose them, I need them.

I walk over to the table, and look down at the 3D hologram map that covers the entire table.

“I don’t know… isn’t that too close to your place? Maybe to the west, Dante’s gone to check that side out…” Alejandro mutters as I stare at the spot that the blimp of the tracker had last been, before it vanished.

“He’s misleading us.” I say quietly, feeling my anger rise. This is a fucking game to him … I want blood… I want to fucking kill.

“Meaning?” Alejandro asks.

“This is where Azura’s tracker went off radar … a place that’s got literally three dense forest areas around it… making it the ideal place for us to fucking search… I’m certain he went in the opposite fucking direction. Trust me, I know how fucking bastards work.” I say menacingly.

“Then where do you think they may be?” Liam asks. His anger is palpable, but I can see the worry for his sister in his eyes. 1

I look down at the map, zooming out and scrolling fifty miles in the opposite direction. “The caverns,” I say, tapping the map.

All eyes turn on me, and Alejandro cocks a brow. “Why do you think that?”

“It’s the last place he’d think we’d look… that place has magic that can cancel out a lot of shit. Azura’s tracker couldn’t have just blipped out unless she’s in a location that blocks the outside off…” I run my fingers through my hair, only for the strands of my hair to fall back in front of my forehead.

“How sure are you?” Damon asks, frowning.

“Pretty sure. Raihana wasn’t able to teleport to Azura either. She had something of hers and Judah doesn’t possess that kind of magic. So why the fuck did the teleportation not work? Unless ofcourse there is a power strong enough to counter it. Raihana is meant to be one of the strongest witches alive, so tell me what can fucking counter her? Trust me, this is the place to search.” I say confidently, turning away.

They seem to take a second to mull over my words before Alejandro slaps his hands together, rubbing them. “Right, let’s listen, he has the fucking brains.”

Yeah, I do.

“Remember, he’s fucking fast; from the footage, we can see that he seems to have a link with the shadows…” Elijah is saying.

I frown. Shadows… I suddenly remember an image from a certain book I had gone over. A book that contained drawings and symbols that no one was able to read because of the language.

I need to go over it again.

“So what’s the plan?” Ace asks and I’m brought out of my trance. My eyes flash as I frown deeply.

Oh, I fucking have a plan…

I turn back to the table, “We prepare to move out. I’ll fill everyone in as we prepare.

Gear up and move out. There’s something I need to check. I will catch up.” I command, turning away once more. I needed to check this…. “Delsanra, can you come with me for a moment?” I ask, turning to the white- haired woman.

She looks up and nods before hurrying over and we head towards my apartment.

That book may be gone in the fire, but I had scanned pretty much most of it onto the computer to look through them with ease. I had also tried to restore some that were pretty damaged.

didn’t have all these books duplicated and saved. Who

onto something.” She

get overly confident until I am

hour later and we are in my cave. A place that remains untouched. Everyone else has gone ahead, but something told me I needed to know what we are up against to win. He had

to find them. The longer I’m here,

may happen to her is rising as

She trails off, as she

the page I have up on

messy scrawl and I sit back.

I say, pointing to the ones at the top. “Can work

glancing at

“Shadows?” She asks.

it gave me enough to work with. I was trying to check if it would work if I took it

has it?” She asks.

now contains full sentences that I had been working on, towards

leans down, frowning as she

long forgotten… and although there are still parts of the passage that are too damaged to read,

as she scans the page. “Shadow wraiths are subspecies of the wraith family… What

I ask, sitting back and looking up

stare at the image depicting a monster-like

a human, we hadn’t paid it any attention when we had all tried to find out what we were dealing

them disguising themselves in the identity of their hosts. With incredible speed and strength, Shadow Wraiths are even stronger where there are shadows present. Wraiths cannot be killed unless their true names are found and taken,

and Harpagophytum into their necks.” She turns to me. “Do you think this is

up. I have a sword which is fully

did you… how did you even figure that

I say

is very limited. Wraiths feed on high levels of energies to grow stronger…” Delsanra says realisation dawning on her. “Wraiths sense beings with high levels of energy wanting to either simply linger by

coldly. “Can you get those herbs?”

away, but… how will we find

that… “Leave that to me…

hold out

now near the caverns. I had made one last stop before

right. Her scent lingers.” Dante says, smiling faintly at me. I can’t smell

back at Alejandro who is arguing with Skyla. She had shown up not long ago, and I’m not sure which one is angrier. Kiara had stayed at the Pack to heal those who had been injured in the explosions, but I

ask Dante. He glances back at them and

Dad won’t listen.” He says quietly.

not a goddamn

fuck out of here.”

and you can’t stop me. At my age, you did a lot more than this.” Skyla shoots back, her eyes blazing a

Take her home.” Alejandro snarls to one

just going to sit by whilst Azura is out there! You are so damn

an

the hell home.” Alejandro’s command rolls off him, and I see Skyla’s eyes flicker, rage and anger consuming her and she’s

her and Skyla clenches her jaw before she looks at

She says, her voice shaking with anger, before she casts one last look at her dad, and I feel a little bad for

After all, she is his daughter… but smothering her isn’t going to do any of them any favours.

to the caverns is half a mile from here.” I say, “He will have backup and

out front.” Jin

about we go get this damn wraith.”

my back is ready… and I

the bullets to me, I will handle those.” Dante says, frowning

forward, her power crackling around her.

Alejandro walks over to us.

as Dad and Rayhan step forward.

told them where exactly

Five step up behind me, and our eyes blaze

only one who stays with me, and even when the rest

extremely faint scent. Azura’s scent. It is

of men bearing arms, surrounding even this entrance. It was meant