The Predator's Invincible Heir

Chapter 12: The Hunt Begins

Liam's POV

I stood tensely by the heavy oak door as the handles turned. The atmosphere inside the room was thick with anticipation. My father sat unyielding in his large leather chair, his jaw set, while his Beta, Fred, stood so close to his flank they almost looked like a single, unbreakable wall of authority.

When the door swung wide, Sam and the three elite guards marched in, surrounding a figure that immediately drew all the air from the room.

Morrigan.

She wasn't bound, nor was she being dragged. Instead, she walked with a majestic, unbothered grace, her long robes sweeping the floor as if she were a queen inspecting her own palace. There wasn't a single flicker of fear or unease in her scent. Looking at her, nobody would ever guess that this was the first time she had stepped foot inside the Blackwood Pack house—or stood before my father—since he had banished her into the deep woods eighteen long years ago.

She didn't glance at the Alpha. Instead, she walked straight toward the door where I was standing, halting just inches away. Her weathered face slowly fractured into a knowing, deeply melancholic smile.

"Selene didn't die, Alpha Mike. She lives on right here, in this body," Morrigan murmured, her ancient eyes locked entirely onto mine.

My whole body tensed up at the mention of my mother. A sudden wave of protective heat radiated off my skin, but the witch simply smiled wider, completely pretending she hadn't noticed my reaction. She kept her gaze pinned to me, treating the reigning Alpha of the pack as if he were just a ghost in the background. Anyone watching us would think this was the first time she was seeing me since the ritual that had taken my mother's life.

"Her wolf used to be pure, spotless white," Morrigan continued, her voice dropping into a soft, hypnotic rhythm. "The ultimate symbol of an immaculate soul. Tell me, William... what is the color of your wolf?"

The question caught me completely off guard, hitting me like a physical blow. A chill ran down my spine, because I had never spoken of it to anyone outside the immediate family circle—my wolf was a spotless, brilliant white. I swallowed hard, my eyes darting toward my father, entirely unsure of how to answer or what to do under her piercing scrutiny.

"Morrigan!" My father’s booming voice shattered the quiet, cutting through the witch’s games like a blade. "You haven't changed one bit. Even in exile, you still carry entirely too much pride in your heart."

Morrigan slowly turned around to face him, the fluid smile still perfectly plastered on her face. "And what would you have me do, my king?" she asked, taking a few deliberate, slow steps closer to his desk.

My father raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with skepticism. "You still see me as your king?"

"Oh, you are my king, Mike," she said softly, a rare flash of genuine emotion softening her features. "I loved you when you were a boy, I still love you now, and I love this pack. That has never changed."

Father leaned back, his eyes tracking the deep lines on her face. "And yet, you are getting old."

Morrigan threw her head back and let out a rich, echoing laugh. "I am old, Mike. I carried you in my very arms when you were nothing but a tiny infant. I have walked this earth for more than two centuries now. Nature is finally taking its toll on me."

"We have a problem," my father interrupted, cutting right through the nostalgia. His voice went completely business-like, his Alpha aura filling the room. "Something dangerous is lurking in our woods. We suspect it is a Leorix, but we do not know for certain what we are dealing with."

The humor instantly vanished from Morrigan's face, replaced by a deep, thoughtful gravity. "A Leorix... this is huge," she murmured, tapping a finger against her chin. "But a Leorix is a creature of shadow and wind, Mike. It won't ever let you know it's around, except if it explicitly wants you to see it. What could possibly make you suspect such a beast?"

"My friends encountered it face-to-face yesterday," I spoke up, drawing her attention back to me. "They said it's massive, majestic, and has the ability to become completely invisible. It can talk, and it can even speak directly into a person's mind."

Morrigan slowly nodded, her eyes darkening. "That... really sounds like a Leorix. There is only one way to find out for sure, Alpha, but it is incredibly dangerous. If you want my true advice? Since it isn't actively disturbing the pack, leave it alone."

"Can I honestly know that a creature of that magnitude lives in our woods and still sleep at peace?" my father countered, his voice rising with a hard, unyielding edge. "No. What are our options, Morrigan? How do we find out for sure what it is?"

Morrigan sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "We can use magic to track its spiritual residue. We can try to map its presence and pray to the ancestors that she doesn't notice us doing it. Because if she notices our tracking and views it as an attack... then this entire pack is in grave trouble."

Father narrowed his eyes. "Can you be subtle about it?"

"I can try, my Alpha," Morrigan replied honestly, holding his gaze. "But I cannot guarantee anything. Magic leaves a scent of its own."

"Then let's give it a try," Father declared, standing up from his chair.

Panic flared in my chest. I stepped forward, my hands clenched. "Father, please! If this thing is truly as dangerous as you say, why don't we tread with caution? Why rush into it?"

"It is also far too risky to do absolutely nothing, Liam," Fred countered quietly from the side, his leather-and-earth scent tight with anxiety. "An unknown Alpha-level threat on our borders is a ticking time bomb."

I ignored Fred and turned back to the witch. "You said she can only show herself if she truly wants to be seen, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Morrigan confirmed, watching me closely.

"Then maybe we shouldn't force it," I argued, my heart hammering against my ribs as I thought of Aria’s safety. "Maybe we should just wait and see if she decides to appear to Aria again."

"Aria?" Morrigan asked, her eyebrows shooting up in mock surprise.

My father’s head snapped toward me, his brow furrowing in deep confusion. "The wolfless girl? What does she have to do with this?"

Morrigan let out a soft hum, giving my father a knowing, liquid smile. "Oh, I know exactly who Aria is, Mike."

"No," my father growled, slamming his hand down on the desk. "Using a civilian as bait is not an option. We deal with this ourselves."

"Dad, listen to me—!" I started, taking a step toward him.

"Shut up, Liam!" he commanded, throwing his full Alpha authority into the words. The sheer force of his voice hit my inner wolf, forcing me to snap my mouth shut, my chest heaving with frustrated anger.

Father turned his back on me and looked at the witch. "When do we start?"

"Now," my father said.

"Then we need to go directly to the clearing where she was last seen," Morrigan said, her tone shifting into something strictly professional. "There, I can use the elements to trace her spiritual pawprints and see if her energy is still lurking around the borders."

My father didn't hesitate. He ordered five more heavily armed elite guards to join Sam and the three who had brought Morrigan. Within minutes, a tactical unit of ten strong were ready, and all of us set out into the dark, dense woods.

By the time we reached the deep paths of the forest, the sun had completely vanished, swallowed by the thick canopy and the ink-black night. The shadows danced wildly under the glow of our flashlights, making the entire expedition feel reckless and unreasonable.

A heavy, sickening dread twisted my stomach into knots. I watched Morrigan walk calmly ahead of us into the pitch black, my mind screaming at the danger we were walking into. I walked in silence, bitterly wishing my father would just listen to reason and leave this ancient mystery alone before we ended up waking a monster we couldn't destroy.

The tension is real now! Going out into the woods in the dark with a witch and an angry Alpha squad is a recipe for a massive confrontation.