An Alpha's Forbidden Mate-Chapter 22: Echoes Of War

Back at Bridgewood High School

The classroom was bustling and loud when Raphael entered.

He was a tall Caucasian man wearing a brown suit, glasses resting neatly on his face. He dropped a stack of textbooks onto the desk and spoke firmly. "Everyone, settle down and take your seats."

As he arranged his books, his eyes drifted to an empty chair.

Luna’s seat.

Again.

He wasn’t surprised.

Then he looked up and noticed Stephanie, her head buried in her arms on the desk.

"Stephanie," Raphael said, adjusting his glasses, "tell Luna that if she plans on passing her finals this year, she should at least have the will to take her classes seriously."

Stephanie didn’t lift her head.

"I’m sorry, sir," she said quietly. "I can’t tell Luna what you said."

Raphael paused. Slowly, he removed his glasses, irritation flashing across his face.

"And why not?" he asked.

Stephanie’s shoulders trembled.

"Because she’s dead, sir."

She burst into tears , cleaning the snot from her nose.

The room froze.

Damien, who was seated in front of her, turned around sharply. "Wait—what?"

His mind reeled.

He had assumed Luna was absent because of the poison.

Dead?

That didn’t make sense.

The poison isn’t strong enough to kill her, he thought. At most, it should awaken her witch bloodline and weaken her—but never kill her.

He couldn’t hide the shock on his face.

Raphael stood frozen for several seconds before finally asking, his voice low, "How... how did she die?"

Stephanie wiped her tears. "We don’t know yet. The cops are still investigating."

Raphael swallowed hard. "And her father—Isaac. How is he coping?"

Stephanie shook her head.

"He’s dead too, sir," she said. "The police found his body in front of their house... headless. Luna was found outside, stabbed through the heart by something."

Raphael staggered back and had to sit down, struggling to comprehend her words.

Damien clenched his fists beneath the desk.

What kind of supernatural could defeat both Luna and her father? he wondered. Even as an omega, Luna’s strength was far beyond normal. From what she showed at her house, she could easily have taken down a Crimson Fang vampire in pure combat.

The classroom fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.

The Mayor’s Office

The mayor—a man who looked to be in his mid-fifties—sat behind his desk, typing away on his laptop.

The phone rang.

"Marian, what is the problem?" he asked without looking up.

"Sir," his secretary replied, "there’s a man here named Phillip asking to see you. I told him he needed an appointment, but he said he knows you—and that the matter is of utmost importance."

The mayor exhaled slowly. "Let him in."

Moments later, Phillip entered.

He was tall and heavily built, dressed entirely in black, a cap pulled low over his face. His thick beard resembled that of a Viking warrior. One would hardly believe he was also in his mid-fifties.

"Sit down, Phillip," the mayor said.

Phillip took the seat across from him and chuckled. "Liam, I see you’ve been doing well these past years. Who would’ve thought stubborn old Liam would become the mayor?"

Liam finally looked up, his expression cold. "What do you want, Phillip?"

Phillip’s smile faded.

"Ever since you left the Hunters Association years ago, we’ve been growing weaker by the day," he said. "Fewer humans are being born with the ability to harness ki aura. Maintaining the boundary between human settlements and those forsaken beasts that call themselves supernatural is becoming impossible."

Liam’s fingers paused on the keyboard. "just get to the point Phillip."

Phillip nodded. "Over the years, we’ve detected increasing supernatural activity within human territory. Despite our agreement not to interfere with one another territory, yet they continue to bring their wars into our land."

He leaned forward.

"Last week, a girl and her father were murdered. After investigating the scene—and with some... assistance—we discovered the culprit was a supernatural capable of using a domain."

Liam froze. Slowly, he turned to Phillip, visibly shaken.

"How did you know it was a domain user?"

Phillip replied calmly, "With the help of the witches, I was able to advanced from a Level Five Ki user to a Level Six Ki User enabling control natural elements outside my body. That allowed me to awaken my own domain."

Liam stared at him. "You’re working with witches?"

"Yes," Phillip said without hesitation. "We reached an agreement. Thanks to them, I can now harness natural elements. I even awakened the once in a century Space Domain."

"That still doesn’t answer my question," Liam snapped. "How did you know it was a domain user?"

Phillip shrugged. "My domain has special abilities—one of them which allows me to detect natural abnormalities within an area."

Liam leaned back. "So what do you want from me?"

Phillip smiled faintly. "oh, we need nothing from you." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Then his eyes hardened.

"We just want your son."

Liam shot to his feet. "Absolutely not."

"I know you left the association to live peacefully—with your family and your son," Phillip said calmly. "But if we don’t act fast, those peaceful days will be over. The war which ended thirty years ago will start all over again."

"I still don’t understand what you want with my son," Liam said.

Phillip laughed softly. "Don’t pretend you don’t know. I was there when the boy was born. You think I didn’t notice?"

Liam went rigid.

"The boy possesses the legendary Five Ki Elemental Body making you is blood a rare tonic for all ki users," Phillip continued. "With a trace of his blood, the witches could awaken the ki elements within every hunter in the association. With that power, we won’t have to fear being overwhelmed by these beasts."

Liam hesitated—just for a second.

Then his face hardened.

"Get up and leave, Phillip," he said sharply. "I’ll call you when I’ve made up my mind."

Phillip stood, adjusting his cap. "Just remember—time is—"

"Leave," Liam shouted. "Now."

Phillip said nothing more as he turned and closed the door behind him.