Her Return As An Alpha

Chapter 28 : Remains Of The Rust Fur Pack

The next day, Liana had her schedule cleared to inspect the ruins of the packs and towns of the latest rogue attack.

Liana stepped into the remains of the Rust Fur pack’s territory, the weight of the scene settling heavily on her shoulders. The once-vibrant pack lands were now a desolate graveyard, filled with the echo of silence and death.

The shifters who had called this place home were gone, their bodies salvaged and buried, but their spirits seemed to linger, trapped in the aftermath of whatever horror had befallen them. Now, it was up to her to unravel the mystery of their deaths and find some semblance of justice.

The roads and soil beneath her feet were stained a dark, sickening red. The blood had dried, caking the ground in a grotesque reminder of the horrific events that had taken place. The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, mingling with the stale scent of blood that had gone too long without being washed away by rain. Each step she took felt like a violation, as though she were treading on the memories of those who had fallen here.

She moved quickly, her senses on high alert, but there was nothing—no scent, no mark, no sign of what might have caused this slaughter. It was as if the attackers had materialized out of thin air, struck with lethal precision, and then vanished just as quickly.

The rogues who had done this were nothing short of ghosts, leaving no trace of their presence behind. The scent of blood was overwhelming, clogging her nostrils and making it nearly impossible to detect any lingering spells or magical signatures. Even the Alpha of the Rust Fur pack was missing, his fate unknown, though the grim silence hinted at the worst.

After nearly an hour of searching the blood-soaked grounds, Liana finally arrived at the battered door of the Alpha’s manor. Unlike the grand, sprawling mansions of her own pack, this one was modest—a villa rather than a palace. But what it lacked in grandeur, it made up for in ferocity. The walls were adorned with the heads of animals, their glassy eyes staring blankly into the void. Thick fur carpets covered the floors, and weapons of every shape and size hung like trophies along the walls. It was the home of a hunter, not just a leader, and it made her skin crawl.

She moved through the manor with a practiced, methodical ease. The bedrooms upstairs were untouched, still eerily pristine despite the chaos that had unfolded outside. The heavy furniture remained intact, the thick carpets absorbing the weight of her footsteps as she passed. There was nothing out of place, nothing that would suggest the horror that had occurred just beyond these walls.

Finally, Liana reached the Alpha’s office. The door was ripped from its hinges, hanging precariously as though it had been torn apart in a frenzy. Yet inside, the room was surprisingly neat—spotless, even. It was almost as if the threat had been neutralized right when it stepped into the office. The incongruity of the scene made her uneasy. Why would the door be destroyed if the room remained untouched? Something wasn’t right.

She lingered at the threshold, her instincts prickling with unease. The longer she stood there, the more the room seemed to press in on her, as though it were hiding something just beneath the surface. And then, suddenly, as she paced back and forth, she felt it. Her feet sank into the plush carpet at the entrance with each step she took, the fabric squelching beneath her weight. A faint, metallic scent reached her nose—blood. Fresh blood.

Liana’s breath caught in her throat as she knelt down, brushing her fingers over the thick, clean carpet. Where she had stepped, the fabric was soaked through, and as she pressed down, a fresh wave of blood oozed up, staining her hand. She hadn’t noticed it before, too desensitized by the c*****e outside, but now that she was inside, it was impossible to ignore. The entire carpet was gradually oozing blood—far more than could be explained by a simple wound.

She pushed aside her revulsion and focused on the task at hand. The carpet at the entrance was the only place in the entire house that bore any sign of blood. It didn’t make sense. Why would the rest of the house be spotless, yet this one spot was soaked in blood? It was almost as if someone had been injured—or worse—right here, in the doorway of the office.

Her mind raced as she considered the possibilities. The Alpha had been taken hostage, that much was clear. But the sheer amount of blood indicated something far more sinister. If the Alpha had bled this much, there was no way he could still be alive. Even a shifter’s enhanced healing abilities couldn’t save someone from such massive blood loss.

As she stood up, Liana noticed something strange. Her feet continued to sink into the carpet, but this time, the blood seemed to spread outwards, staining the surrounding area. Confusion flickered in her mind, and she glanced down, her heart skipping a beat. It wasn’t just her footsteps spreading the blood—the carpet itself was moving, like a sponge being wrung out. The realization hit her like a punch to the gut.

With mounting dread, Liana reached down and gripped the edge of the carpet. Slowly, carefully, she peeled it back, revealing the horror that lay beneath. Her stomach churned at the sight, bile rising in her throat.

There, beneath the carpet, was the body of Alpha Ruffle of Rust Fur pack, or what was left of him. His form was deflated and flattened like a balloon, as though the very life had been sucked out of him, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell. His eyes were wide open, frozen in an expression of pure, unadulterated terror. Blood seeped from his body, pooling in the space where he had been hidden away, like some secret trash.

Liana stumbled back, her mind reeling as she tried to process what she was seeing. The Alpha was dead, that much was obvious. But the manner of his death...it was unlike anything she had ever encountered. The blood wasn’t just from a wound—it was as though his very essence had been drained, leaving behind only this gruesome, blood-soaked skin.

“What... oh dear Moon Goddess... what happened here?” she whispered to herself, her voice trembling with shock.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the horrific sight. The scene was like something out of a nightmare, and yet it was all too real. Alpha Ruffle had been hiding in his office, trying to escape the attack, but whatever had found him... it hadn’t shown him mercy. It hadn’t just killed him—it had utterly destroyed him, leaving behind only this twisted, deflated corpse as a cruel reminder of what had transpired.

Liana’s mind raced, trying to piece together the events that had led to this moment. The rogues had attacked, but there was something more at play here. Something darker, more insidious. And if the Alpha had been hiding... why hadn’t he been with his men, fighting? Why had he chosen to stay here, alone and terrified, instead of leading his men? Liana's disdain for the late Alpha almost took over her puzzlement, wondering if he had tried to protect something with his last breath.

She crouched before and placed her hands on his body, feeling around for anything that might answer her questions. Touching his squishy skin that folded in saggy places, Liana covered her mouth with her clean hand to prevent gagging. When her hand touched his chest, it directly met blood.

Wide eyed, Liana gasped at the gaping hole in the Alpha's chest where his heart should have been. It was completely empty.

As she stood there, staring at the blood-soaked remains, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Whatever had done this was still out there, lurking in the shadows, and it wasn’t just a rogue. This was something far worse—something that could obliterate an entire pack and leave no trace behind. Something that could snuff out a person's soul by ripping out the heart. She wondered if the creature was after the Alpha's heart, whether it had attacked just for this.

But before she could delve any deeper into her thoughts, a sudden noise jolted her back to reality. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but in the eerie silence of the manor, it was unmistakable. The sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate, approaching from the hallway.

Liana’s breath hitched as she turned toward the door, her heart pounding in her chest. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks—she wasn’t alone in the manor. Someone, or something, was coming for her.

And as the footsteps drew nearer, she felt the cold grip of fear tighten around her heart, knowing that whatever was out there had already claimed one Alpha. And now, it might be coming for her.

She sniffed warily, trying to identify the origin of the person, then scowled when she sensed the scent of the intruder.