The Alpha's Seeress

Chapter 18

Riley Asher

An Alpha should not rely on others to save his people. I know that. We are not anybody's responsibility. For me to save someone, I have to be strong myself. It's my fault. I failed Olivia.

"Why not ask the Elders for help?" Max wondered as we trailed through the forest.

The Elders never interfere in any fight that occurs in the land. If they truly cared about peace, they would have helped my parents back then. Maybe they’d have survived against the Walkers, but they didn’t.

"They won’t help."

Chaos has reigned in the realm for as long as I can remember. Small skirmishes. Massive wars. But never have I heard of the Elders stepping in. They are like the moon goddess—rarely seen, only present during the full moon.

As we walked, a sudden mindlink reached me. It was Vix. The urgency in his voice told me everything I needed to know. Max and I exchanged glances before turning back toward our warriors.

"Rogues are attacking Starfall," I said, my voice laced with tension.

Without wasting another second, we shifted into our wolves, Max, myself, and a few soldiers. The transformation surged through us, bones cracking and reshaping, fur sprouting, and soon we were sprinting at full speed, the wind whipping past us as we raced toward Starfall.

The moment we reached the edge of the pack, the chaos was clear. Rogues—wild, fierce, and bloodthirsty—were tearing through the outskirts. We leapt into the fight without hesitation, fangs bared and claws ready. Wolf against wolf. I lunged at the nearest rogue, sinking my teeth into its neck before throwing it aside.

Max and the soldiers were holding their own, and we were slowly gaining the upper hand. But then, a moment of distraction—my thoughts flashed to Olivia, to the mess we were in—and before I could react, a rogue slammed into me from the side. Pain shot through my ribs as I tumbled to the ground, gasping for breath.

But that didn't stop me. It made me angrier. The weight of the situation, the sudden attack—it pushed me past my breaking point. I rose from my fall, fury burning through me, and went wild tenfold. My claws tore through fur and flesh, and my teeth sank deep into any rogue that dared come near. We fought relentlessly, not stopping until the first rays of daybreak stretched across the horizon.

By then, we had wiped out every rogue that had dared cross into Starfall. The battlefield was littered with bodies, the stench of blood hanging heavy in the air.

Panting, I shifted back into my human form and began to survey the aftermath. The rogues had all reverted to their human shapes, naked and lifeless, wounds covering their skin.

"Do you see any familiar faces?" I asked, glancing at Vix and Max as we stepped over the bodies.

Vix shook his head. "These faces seem new. New hires?"

Max knelt beside one of the bodies, inspecting it closely. "If they are, then someone’s growing desperate. This isn't like the usual rogues we deal with. These were more... organized. And skilled."

I narrowed my eyes, wondering who had the power to bring new blood into the rogue ranks. Someone was moving against us, and if this was just a test, there was more trouble on the horizon.

I had a hint in my head, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. The last few months had been quiet—no rogue activity at all. Our boundaries were reinforced with machines capable of burning anyone who trespassed. Yet, these rogues had managed to slip through without a trace of difficulty. That fact alone made everything more suspicious.

"Did you check all the borders earlier? No damage?" I repeated my question.

Vix nodded. "Yeah, there was no damage. The alarm didn’t even sound. By the time we noticed, they were already at the gulf area."

I clenched my jaw, the unease in my chest growing. How could they have bypassed everything so easily? It wasn’t possible without help—someone had to be working with them or feeding them inside information. But who?

Max stepped closer, his eyes scanning the tree line. "Someone knew how to avoid the alarms. This wasn’t a random rogue attack. It’s coordinated."

That hint in my head grew stronger, but I still wasn’t ready to voice it. There were only a few who knew the full scope of our defenses. If I was right, it would be a betrayal too close to home.

"We need to investigate this," I said. "Find out who let them in and why."

Vix and Max nodded in agreement. I mentally kicked myself for not having installed CCTVs along the borders. It would have made things so much easier—no need to rely on word of mouth or faulty alarms. Whoever was messing with me this time would soon wish they had never been born.

"You should probably head to the clinic, Alpha," Max suggested, his eyes fixed on the red stain spreading across my shirt. "You're bleeding pretty badly."

I shook my head. It's just a minor wound. It won’t kill me. Besides, my wolf is already working on it.

"Yeah, working on it," Ice, my wolf, grumbled in the back of my mind. "You're lucky I’m here. You’d probably bleed out just standing there, acting all tough."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his sarcasm. "You’re supposed to help me heal, not give me a lecture."

"I’m doing both, genius." Ice’s said mockingly. "But sure, keep ignoring your body’s needs. I love fixing your messes."

Despite his sarcastic remarks, I could feel the wound starting to close, the pain fading little by little. Ice may have had a sharp tongue, but he was always there, picking up the pieces when I pushed myself too far. Still, his attitude was getting on my nerves.

"You’re such a drama queen," I shot back.

"Says the Alpha who refuses to go to a clinic for a stab wound." He snorted. "Fine, keep walking around with a half-healed rib and see how far you get."

I smirked, knowing Ice was always more bark than bite when it came to healing. He’d fix me up regardless. But his sarcasm was a reminder that I couldn’t afford to let my pride get in the way, not when we had bigger issues to deal with.

"Let’s focus on finding out who let these rogues in," I said to Max and Vix, turning my attention back to the task at hand. "I want a full sweep of the borders again. Something doesn't add up."

As we prepared to head out, Ice continued to mutter in the back of my mind. "Just don’t come crying to me when you pass out from blood loss."

"I’ll be fine." But a small part of me knew he wasn’t entirely wrong.

My wolf can help heal wounds and numb pain, but he can't generate blood—that's not his job. Still, I’ve got more important things to do than run to a clinic for a small cut.

As I stepped inside the packhouse, Sam, the head of the omegas, approached me with a cautious expression. "Alpha, someone left a letter for you."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at the neatly folded, scented paper in her hands. The air in the packhouse was tense, with soldiers still burning the bodies of the rogues outside. While, the omegas were working hard, scrubbing the bloodstains and trying to erase the chaos of last night.

"Who gave it?" I asked, taking the letter from her.

Sam shook her head. "We don’t know, Alpha. It was found at the entrance this morning. No one saw who left it."

Suspicious. I examined the letter, feeling the smooth texture of the paper. The scent wasn’t familiar, but it wasn’t the sort of thing that just anyone would leave lying around. It was deliberate, personal.

Ice suddenly growled low in my mind. "Something’s off. Be careful."

Ignoring Ice's growl, I unfolded the letter, frowning as I saw it was blank, save for a small, black rose embedded inside, almost like a sticker. Without thinking, I reached out to touch it, but the moment my fingers grazed the rose, a sharp sting shot through my hand. I jerked back, watching in shock as blood trickled from my index finger.

"What the—?"

Before I could react, the black rose began to glow, its dark petals unfurling unnaturally. The room dimmed, and a cold chill spread through the air as the rose pulsed with an eerie light. I could hear faint whispers in the back of my mind, indistinct but filled with malice.

And then, just as suddenly, the light went out. The rose vanished, leaving only the empty letter... and the blood on my finger.

Ice growled again, louder this time. "We’ve been marked."