The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. - Chapter 422

Chapter 422: Following the trail…

Ramsey

“Let me at least inspect the house,” Kyren said quietly. “It’ll only take a few minutes.”

I nodded and watched as he moved through the destroyed rooms, pausing occasionally to set an item right or pause to look at a marking. I tried to control the urge to charge out into the night for Lyla, but I forced myself to remain calm while I let Kyren work.

The leader of the Hollow Kin knelt beside the largest blood stain in the kitchen, squinting his eyes in concentration as he drew in deep breaths through his nose.

His fingers hovered just above the dark spots without touching them, and I could see the way his shoulders bunched in tension as he squinted closer to the markings.

Miriam had stopped crying but remained on her knees, staring at the destruction around us with hollow eyes. She looked like she had aged in the past few minutes.

After what felt like an eternity, Kyren opened his eyes and stood slowly. “This isn’t Lyla’s blood.”

I nearly hugged Kyren out of the instant joy and relief that flooded through me. There was still hope.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded. “This isn’t her scent, nor is it her blood. This blood belongs to someone else entirely – someone who was injured here, but not Lyla.”

“Then whose—”

“Shapeshifters,” Kyren interrupted, his voice carrying a note of disgust. “At least three of them, possibly more. Gosh, I hate those.”

“I’m not surprised, and I’m sure they all pretended they were us. I wonder how long it took, Lyla, before she realised what they are.”

“Whoever brought in those shapeshifters must have had access to us first because for you to be able to access the house, you need to move past the protective wards and spells Circe put around the house,” Kyren said.

“And I know it’s not Delia,” I added. “Our eyes on her have been giving us detailed and live updates of her movement. There must be someone else.”

“Maybe one of Xander’s children?” Miriam added quietly, “And now that I think of it, the person who joined us recently was Circe. Ramsey, didn’t I mention to you that Circe was acting a little strange?”

“Yes!” I nodded, remembering Miriam casually mentioning that something was off with Circe a few days back.”

“So, the person disguised themselves as Circe,” I nodded. “That explains a lot, while none of our plans ever worked with Delia, and while it seems that we’ve not been able to get anything from her since we started looking.”

“But there’s good news,” Kyren continued, moving toward the back door. “Lyla left traces. I think she left these markers deliberately, knowing that we would come for her, and also confident in my abilities, because only someone like me can detect it.”

“What kind of traces?” Miriam asked, struggling to her feet.

“Her pheromones,” Kyren explained. “You know how strong they are; that is exactly what she did. The trail would have lasted for seven days at least.”

“Thank goodness,” I sighed. “How fresh are the trails?”

“It’s recent. No more than a few hours old.” Kyren headed for the door. “We need to move now. I’m sure they couldn’t have gone far.

We piled into the Van again, with me behind the wheel and Kyren in the passenger seat, directing our route based on traces only he could detect. Miriam sat in the back, clutching what looked like a protective charm and murmuring prayers under her breath.

As I started the engine, Kyren was already on his phone coordinating with his team. I could hear fragments of his conversation – deployment coordinates, backup protocols, extraction procedures. The Hollow Kin were mobilising their full resources to find Lyla, and knowing that gave me some comfort.

But I had my own calls to make.

I pulled out my phone to call Lenny, then remembered that my original device had been taken when we were captured. “I need to make a quick stop,” I told Kyren.

“We don’t have time—”

“Two minutes,” I said firmly. “I need a secure phone to contact White Moon Pack.”

Kyren nodded reluctantly, and I pulled into the parking lot of a 24-hour electronics store. The automated systems allowed me to purchase a basic smartphone with cash, and I had it activated within minutes.

Back in the Van, I dialled Lenny’s direct line while following Kyren’s directions toward the outskirts of town.

“Lenny Stone, who is this?” Lenny’s voice came through immediately.

“It’s me. We’re out, but Lyla’s still missing. I need you to coordinate with Kyren’s teams and establish a perimeter around grid coordinates…” I looked to Kyren, who rattled off a series of numbers. “Can you get aerial surveillance in the area?”

“Already in motion,” Lenny replied. “Clarissa is here at White Moon, by the way. She’s the one who figured out something was wrong and called for help.”

A wave of gratitude washed over me. “Tell her thank you. And tell her we’re going to bring her sister home.”

“What’s your current status?”

“Following a trail Lyla left, heading toward…” I paused as Kyren held up a hand, indicating we were getting close to our destination. “I’ll update you once we have a location confirmed. Just keep your teams ready for rapid deployment.”

“Roger that. And Ramsey? Be careful. If this is connected to Xander’s children like we suspect, you’re walking into something bigger than a simple kidnapping.”

“I know,” I replied grimly. “But they made a mistake taking her. Whatever they’re planning, they just guaranteed that every Alpha will be hunting them down.”

I ended the call as Kyren directed me to turn onto a narrow road that led away from the main highway. The landscape around us grew more desolate with each mile – abandoned industrial buildings, empty lots overgrown with weeds, the kind of place where people went to when they wanted to stay away from public eyes.

“How much further?” I asked, my hands gripping the steering wheel tighter as my anxiety mounted.

“Close,” Kyren replied, his eyes closed in concentration. “The trail is getting stronger. She’s definitely been this way, and recently.”

We drove for another ten minutes through increasingly isolated terrain before Kyren suddenly held up his hand. “Stop here.”

I pulled the Van to the side of the road beside what looked like the entrance to an abandoned industrial complex. Rusted gates hung open, and beyond them I could see the dark silhouettes of buildings that had been vacant for years.

Kyren sat motionless for several minutes, with his eyes closed. When he finally opened his eyes, his expression was both relieved and troubled.

“This is the place,” he said, pointing. “Lyla is here.”

I was already reaching for the door handle when I heard Miriam gasp behind me. The sound was sharp and filled with a kind of shock that made me freeze.

“What?” I asked, turning to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

Miriam’s face had gone completely white, and her hand was pressed to her mouth as if she were trying to hold back a scream. Her eyes were wide with recognition and horror as she stared at the abandoned complex ahead of us.

“Miriam, what is it?” I demanded.

“This place,” she whispered. “I know this place.”

“What do you mean you know it?”

“This was where they came,” Miriam said, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Xander and Lyla. This is where he brought her for the blood oath ritual.”

I stared at the dark buildings ahead, my mind racing through what Miriam had just said. Of all the places they could have taken Lyla, they’d chosen the site where Xander had once tried to bind her to him forever.

“That can’t be a coincidence,” Kyren said grimly.

“No,” I agreed. “They chose this place deliberately. They’re not just holding her – they’re planning to finish what Xander started.”

“The blood oath,” Miriam breathed. “They’re going to try to complete the blood oath ritual.”

“But Xander is dead,” Kyren pointed out. “How can they complete a ritual with a dead participant?”

“They’re his children,” Miriam said with despair. “His blood, his essence, his legacy. If they’ve found a way to channel his power through their own connection to him…”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence. We all understood the implications. If Xander’s children could somehow use the blood oath ritual to resurrect their father or grant themselves his power, and if they forced Lyla to participate…

“They could finish what he started,” I said quietly. “Complete his plan to dominate our world.”

“Not if we stop them first,” Kyren said, checking his weapons. “Our teams should be in position within minutes. We can coordinate a simultaneous assault—”

“No.” I was already getting out of the Van. “Every minute we wait is another minute they have to complete whatever ritual they’re planning. I’m not leaving my pregnant mate in the hands of those monsters any longer than necessary.”

“Ramsey, wait,” Miriam called after me. “If this really is the same place where Xander tried to perform the blood oath, then we should be more careful. Back then, the only reason I was able to save Lyla was because he hadn’t converted a lot of humans to his side, but now it’s different. Going in without proper preparation could be suicide.”

I turned back to her, letting her see the determination in my eyes. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not planning to go in alone.”

I looked at both of them – Kyren with his Hollow Kin training and supernatural abilities that had surpassed those of an average Lycan. Miriam, with her High Priestess powers and knowledge of rituals.

“But I am going in now, with or without backup. They have my mate and my unborn children, and I’ll burn that place to the ground before I let them complete whatever they’re planning.”

Kyren sighed, “Then we’d better move fast. If you’re right about their timeline, we may already be too late.”