CHAPTER 26: DEATH ARRAY

Kael and Zen stood in silence, their boots rooted to the ground, frozen in shock. Beside them, one of their youngest warrior guards bent over and retched, his shoulders shaking as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the nearby soil. For a moment, they were tempted to do the same. It was by sheer will power that the two stood there, only blinking slowly.

The air was heavy with the stench of blood and decay. It clung to their throats, thick and metallic, refusing to let them breathe freely. Kael’s eyes swept over the scene. The Ruins lived up to its name—ruined beyond saving. But even as he stared at the carnage in front of him, his wolf was already growling. His wolf was a protector by nature, and seeing this scene was too much.

Bodies lay everywhere, but many were no longer whole. Bones stuck out of the ground, some broken clean in half, others splintered into jagged edges. Blood had soaked the soil until it turned black, pooling in shallow pits and dripping from shattered stone. Skulls lay scattered, some caved in, others cracked open like brittle shells. Bits of flesh still clung to certain bones, grey and rotting, swaying slightly when the wind moved through. The flies had already come, buzzing in a low, constant hum over every corpse.

Kael’s jaw tightened. "This is a slaughterhouse for Omegas."

He watched as his brother stepped forward into the pool of blood with stiff steps as Zen’s voice echoed in his head, "Who could have done this? And how did we not know of a place like this for so many years?" Zen’s voice was low in Kael’s mind, but the thought was sharp. He could feel his own brother’s restlessness and agitation through this.

Zen glanced at him. Someone who wanted to make a point. This is... not the work of just Alpha Soier."

Kael nodded," Yes. That coward Alpha would not have the ability to do something like this alone. But he is definitely sheltering someone who is involved...

Kael’s gaze lingered on a pile of bodies stacked against a wall. Blood had streamed down from them, forming thin rivers through the cracks in the stone. "A warning? Or was this just cruelty for its own sake?"

Zen didn’t answer. His attention was fixed on the destruction around them, but Kael could feel his brother’s simmering rage that matched his own.

Kael took in a slow breath and closed his eyes. His wolf stirred restlessly inside him, claws scraping at the edges of his control. He pushed it down. This was not the time for rage. This was the time to use his power.

The world around him seemed to fade. The sound of flies and the faint drip of blood receded into a dull hum. He reached out with his mind, carefully. The emotions of the dead clung to the air like a second skin and he dared not risk searching blindly.

Within a minute, they came. Faint whispers of pain, agony and desperation echoed in his head. Help us. Please. Save us.

The cries grew louder, voices overlapping until they tangled into a desperate chorus in his head so that he had to focus on trying to find out any information. But the next voices were that of anger and hatred, demanding punishment and death. Kael promised them what they wanted and then sifted deeper, feeling his own wolf howling in protest at the onslaught of emotions.

Kael’s brow furrowed. The voices were all raw, frayed at the edges by pain and terror. They clawed at him, pulling him deeper into their final moments. He could feel the agony in his bones, the helplessness that had sunk its teeth into them as their lives were torn away.

He pushed through the noise again looking for answers only the pungent air. Why?

he asked silently, sending the thought out into the sea of voices. Why was this done to you?

The chorus faltered, fragments of sound breaking off like shreds of cloth in a storm. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but silence. Then, slowly, one voice spoke-hoarse, trembling, yet clear enough to cut through everything else.

Kael’s breath caught, his body going rigid as he heard the words. This was not just cruelty but something much more...

Zen noticed the stillness that overcame his brother and carefully . "What is it?" he demanded, stepping closer.

But Kael didn’t answer. He couldn’t. The weight of what he was hearing made his chest tighten until it hurt. Just as he asked about the person who could be responsible, something happened.

It came without warning. A shadow, black and viscous, slid into the edges of his mind like oil seeping through cracks. It was a force.

Kael’s instincts screamed. This thing didn’t just want to hide the truth. It wanted him gone.

The whispers of the dead turned frantic. No—! Don’t let it— It’s here—

The darkness surged around him like a physical blow, shoving against his mind with brutal force. Kael staggered, a sharp pain lancing through his skull.

He fought to hold on, to push it back, but it was relentless. It coiled around him, squeezing, cutting off the voices one by one until the air inside his head was nothing but silence. His wolf snarled in fury, but even that sound began to fade under the crushing weight.

Then came the pain- white-hot, ripping through him from the inside. His throat constricted, and a metallic taste filled his mouth. Just as he was about to use all his energy, he felt someone pull him back, physically and mentally.

Kael’s eyes snapped open just as blood spilled past his lips. He bent forward, coughing, the crimson spattering onto the blackened soil at his feet. The force of it left his legs trembling as Zen glared at him, breathing hard after pulling him away...

He stared at his brother who stared back and asked slowly," Kael, what happened?"