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.

all these books duplicated and saved. Who knows when we might need some information from them.

onto something.”

can’t get overly confident until I am certain…

has gone ahead, but something told me I needed to know what we are up against to win. He had thwarted us a lot

is spinning, the pressure rising as time slips by. I needed to find

Fear of what may happen to her is rising as I keep on making notes, and the papers in front of me

off, as she leans down.

the page I have up on the screen. So that’s

messy scrawl and I sit

at the top. “Can work to decode the entire

before glancing

“Shadows?” She asks.

as Shadow it gave me enough to work with. I was trying to check if it would work if I took it as the key to crack

has it?”

has.” I say, pushing the final sheet, which now contains full sentences that I had been working on,

as she reads the

there are still parts of the passage that are too damaged to read, or simply not fully readable, it makes sense

she scans the page. “Shadow wraiths are

sitting back and looking up at

page, as I stare at the image depicting a monster-like creature with

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

to survive and to gain a solid physical form… Resulting in 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, upon driving a weapon made of pure iron

to me.

standing up. I have a sword which is

how… did you… how did you

little fucking late, though.” I say

feed on high levels of energies to grow stronger…” Delsanra says realisation dawning on her. “Wraiths sense beings with high levels of energy

coldly. “Can you get those

we find his real name?” She

I had an idea about that… “Leave that to me… Can you call Janaina.” I say, looking at her

and I hold out my phone…

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

were right. Her scent lingers.” Dante says, smiling faintly at me. I can’t smell it, but his sense of smell

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 think

I ask Dante. He glances back at them and

Dad won’t listen.”

goddamn child.” Skyla hisses.

Now get the fuck out of here.”

At my age, you did a lot more than this.” Skyla shoots back, her

debate. Take her home.” Alejandro snarls to one of his men.

is out there! You are so damn sexist.” She

kinda is, since he only had an issue

the hell home.” Alejandro’s command rolls off him, and I

and Skyla clenches her jaw before she looks at me, her heart

she casts one last look

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

from here.” I say, “He will have backup and they are armed with the bullets we

hundred out front.” Jin replies.

get this damn wraith.”

ready…

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

forward, her power crackling around her.

walks

as

exactly we are going to attack

I say, giving them a nod as the Five step up

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

heart thunders when I catch the extremely faint scent. Azura’s scent. It is barely noticeable, but it is here. She is inside.

of men bearing arms, surrounding even this entrance. It was meant to be a lesser-known one, but it is obvious Judah now knows the caverns