My Fated Alpha's Cruel Game (Elena and Marcus) novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Chapter 127 All of Them Dead

Elena’s POV

The morning sun cast long shadows across the pack grounds as Damien, the children, and I prepared for our departure. Our bags sat ready by the car, a familiar ritual that should have felt routine by now. Yet something felt different today, though I couldn’t place what.

Skye had made her choice to remain here with Brock, her mate. The decision twisted something bitter in my stomach. Despite my personal feelings about Brock, I understood the mate bond’s pull. Still, watching her choose him felt like watching someone walk willingly into quicksand.

She deserved better. So much better.

The sound of our luggage being loaded into the vehicle was interrupted by urgent shouting from the forest’s edge. Several warriors emerged from the treeline at a sprint, their faces etched with panic. Behind them stumbled a figure I recognized immediately.

Tessa.

Damien’s former mate, the woman who had rejected him for Julian, collapsed just outside the packhouse entrance. Her body was a canvas of destruction. Burns covered her skin like grotesque artwork, while blood painted crimson trails down her limbs. The metallic scent hit me even from a distance.

Both Damien and I rushed toward her fallen form. His commanding voice cut through the morning air as he barked orders for a medic.

"Tessa." Damien’s tone carried both authority and concern. "What happened to you?"

Her response chilled me to the bone. "They’re dead. All of them are dead."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. I knelt closer, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Who’s dead, Tessa?"

"Julian, Dante, Malakai." Her voice cracked with each name. "Everyone."

Shock and confusion warred in my mind as I exchanged a look with Damien. These vampires had been our allies, had fought alongside us against the creatures that threatened our world. Who would target them? And why?

Without thinking, I shot to my feet and called out to Skye to watch the children. Then I ran.

Damien’s voice followed me, shouting my name, but I didn’t slow down. My legs carried me through the forest at breakneck speed, warriors trailing behind me on Damien’s orders no doubt. The familiar burn of exertion felt good against the ice in my veins.

The vampire house came into view, and Tessa’s words took on their full, horrific meaning.

Daylight streamed mercilessly through what remained of the structure. The vampires never would have survived this. The sun would have been their executioner long before the flames claimed them. The entire building was nothing more than a skeleton wrapped in fire.

A fire engine from the nearest human town arrived within the hour. I watched the firefighters battle the inferno with professional efficiency, knowing they fought a battle already lost. When the flames finally surrendered, they needed time to assess the structural integrity before anyone could enter.

I explained to the fire chief that friends of mine lived here, that perhaps eight or nine people called this place home. He promised they would search, but his eyes held the same grim knowledge mine did. The house was gutted. Hollow.

Damien materialized beside me as the smoke cleared, his arm finding its way around my shoulders. The familiar weight of him anchored me to the present.

"How is Tessa?" I asked.

"Hospital. They’re caring for her now."

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