Her Return As An Alpha

Chapter 31 : This Is About Power

Liana's journey through the ruined packs had been nothing short of harrowing, a grim journey through scenes of devastation that were both haunting and nauseating. The stench of death had lingered in the air, thick and oppressive, clinging to her skin and clothes no matter how hard she tried to shake it off. The ground had still been covered with blood that had long since dried into a sickly, rusty hue, and the once-thriving communities were now silent graveyards, filled with memories of lives brutally cut short.

She had moved with purpose, though each step was like trudging through quicksand. The warlocks she had dragged along had trailed behind her, their faces etched with a mixture of dread and fascination. They were powerful, seasoned in their craft, but even they had never encountered anything like this. Liana had spent countless hours in these wastelands, visiting each of the destroyed packs, and even making her way into human cities where the attack patterns were similar. Yet, nothing could have prepared her for the sight that awaited her each time she found an Alpha’s body.

The first time she uncovered one, Liana had nearly retched. The Alpha’s body was not just dead, but defiled—deflated like a grotesque balloon. The skin, once strong and taut, had lain stretched and slack, barely holding together the gruesome remnants inside. Blood had seeped out through what remained of their flesh, pooling into sickening puddles on the ground. And worst of all, their chests were gaping, hollow caverns where their hearts should have been.

The first Alpha had been discovered accidentally; the rest had merged with the soil and the tiles. She had made them place reversal spells to recreate their bodies so that she could examine them.

Each Alpha had been left in the same nightmarish state, their once-proud forms reduced to something unrecognizable, something inhuman. The warlocks, upon seeing the bodies, had been struck silent. It took them several moments to gather themselves before they began their examination, muttering spells under their breath, their hands glowing faintly with magic as they hovered over the desecrated corpses.

“This is not just murder,” one of the warlocks, a tall, thin man named Alaric, had murmured as he traced his fingers over the remains of an Alpha’s chest. His voice trembled slightly, betraying the horror he felt. “This is something much darker, much older…”

Liana, standing over the body with her arms crossed, frowned deeply. “What do you mean, older?”

Alaric glanced at her, his expression grave. “This is ancient magic, Lady Liana. Sorcery that goes beyond what most of us even know exists anymore. It’s primal, inscribed with power that was once written in runes and carved into stone by wizards and witches long dead.”

“Runes?” Liana repeated, a cold shiver running down her spine. “But I didn’t see any runes here. If it’s such ancient magic, shouldn’t there be some sign of it?”

Alaric shook his head. “That’s what makes this so terrifying. This kind of sorcery was stopped eons ago, forgotten to time. No wizard or witch in this realm should know how to wield it, not without leaving some kind of mark. The fact that there are no runes, no inscriptions… it means that whoever did this doesn’t need them. They’re using magic so raw and powerful that it doesn’t need to be written. It’s pure essence, unbound by the usual limitations.”

Another witch, a stout woman with a scar running across her cheek named Selene, knelt beside the body, her hand hovering over the spot where the Alpha’s heart should have been. “The heart,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the silence that had descended. “This magic… it’s centered on the heart. It’s as if their entire being, their soul and essence, was concentrated here, in this one spot, before it was ripped away.”

Liana’s eyes widened as she listened, her mind reeling. “You’re saying their hearts were used as… what, vessels? For this magic?”

Selene nodded slowly. “Yes. The hearts were like containers, holding all the power, all the life force of these Alphas. And whoever did this, they didn’t just kill them—they drained them, took everything they were, everything they had, and left nothing but this… shell behind.”

Liana took a step back, her stomach churning. She had seen a lot of death in her life, but this was something else entirely. This was a violation, a desecration of the natural order. “But why?” she demanded, her voice rising with anger and fear. “Why would anyone do this? What could they possibly gain?”

Alaric looked up at her, his eyes filled with a sorrow that made Liana’s heart ache. “Power,” he said simply. “This is about power, Lady Liana. Whoever did this, they’re gathering strength, using these hearts to fuel something.”

Liana clenched her fists, feeling a surge of helpless rage. “Then we have to stop them. We have to find out who’s behind this and end it before they can do any more damage.”

The warlocks exchanged glances, their expressions troubled. “It’s not going to be easy,” Selene warned. “This kind of magic… it’s not something we can just counter with a spell or two. We’re dealing with forces that are older than this land, older than any of us. And if they’re this powerful already, we might be too late.”

“No,” Liana said firmly, her voice steady despite the dread gnawing at her. “We’re not too late. We can’t be. We’ll find them, and we’ll stop them, whatever it takes.”

The warlocks nodded, their resolve strengthening in the face of Liana’s determination. But as they turned back to the body before them, a heavy silence fell over the group.

As Liana gazed down at the deflated form of the Alpha, the horrifying image seared into her mind, she swore that she would uncover the truth, no matter where it led her. She would stop this ancient evil from spreading any further. Once, she had no one to care for, no one who loved her. But for her people, for her friends, for her... for Drew, she had to stop the rogues.

But even as she made that vow, a lingering fear gripped her heart. Because deep down, she knew that they were up against something far beyond their understanding, something that had already claimed the lives of the strongest among them.

And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that this was only the beginning.