Chapter 124 You Will Pay For That
Fernando pushed open the door to Alberto's room without knocking. The bed was neatly made, the shirt Alberto had worn earlier draped over the chair. No sign of him.
"Alberto?" Fernando called, stepping inside. Silence answered.
He crossed to the bathroom empty. The closet empty. A faint trace of jasmine lingered in the air, fresh-cut flowers, but no Alberto.
Fernando closed his eyes and reached for the mindlink, the private thread that always hummed between them.
Nothing.
No warmth, no pulse, no answering presence. Just a blank wall where Alberto's wolf should have been.
His stomach dropped.
He spun on his heel and strode out, heading straight for the training yard. The evening session was winding down; several wolves were wiping sweat from their brows, putting away gear.
Lucia spotted him first, raising a hand in greeting. Kael was beside her, loosening the wraps on his hands.
"Fernando," Lucia said. "You look—"
"Where's Alberto?" Fernando cut in, voice sharp.
Kael frowned. "He was heading to the garden last I saw him. Said something about picking flowers. That was... maybe an hour ago?"
"An hour?" Fernando repeated. "He hasn't come back?"
Lucia shook her head. "Not that I've seen. Why? Something wrong?"
Fernando didn't answer. He was already moving, boots hitting the path toward the garden.
The garden was quiet. Jasmine bushes looked recently disturbed several stems snapped, petals scattered on the ground but no Alberto. No footprints leading away. Just absence.
Fernando's pulse kicked harder. He tried the mindlink again. Still nothing.
He turned back toward the main compound at a run.
Halfway there, a guard burst from the side path, breathing hard.
"Alpha Fernando! Breach at the western security line they've been invaded. Multiple hostiles at the bridge!"
Fernando stopped cold. "How many?"
"Couldn't get a clear count. They're pushing hard. The outer gate's down."
Fernando's jaw tightened. "Alert every guard on duty. Wake the reserves. Find Darius tell him to meet me at the bridge."
The guard nodded and sprinted off.
Fernando changed direction, heading for his own quarters. He burst inside, yanked open the drawer of his nightstand, and pulled out the dagger he kept there silver-edged, balanced for throwing. He strapped it to his thigh and headed back out.
Kael was waiting just outside the door, face grim.
"Fernando, Darius is nowhere to be found. No one's seen him since mid-afternoon."
Fernando's blood ran colder. "What?"
"Lucia's checking the armory, the stables, nothing. He's gone dark."
Fernando's mind raced. Alberto is missing. Darius missing. A breach at the western bridge.
Kael stepped closer. "We should send a search party. Maybe the Southern Ember pack captured them both. Alberto and Darius together they could be—"
"No," Fernando snapped. "Focus on the invasion. Secure the bridge first. If the pack falls, Alberto and Darius are dead anyway. They can handle themselves."
Kael hesitated. "But Alberto's mindlink—"
"I know," Fernando said, voice low and dangerous. "I can't reach him. Something's blocking it. But right now the pack is under attack. We hold the line. Then we find them."
Kael nodded once, jaw set. "Understood."
Fernando started running toward the western gate, Kael falling in beside him.
"Stay sharp," Fernando said over his shoulder. "Whoever hit the bridge knew exactly when to strike. This isn't random."
Kael matched his pace. "You think it's coordinated? With Alberto and Darius missing?"
Fernando didn't answer. He didn't need to.
The growls and shouts from the bridge were already audible in the distance.
Whatever was happening, it was happening now.
And Alberto was out there somewhere powerless, alone, or worse.
Fernando gripped the hilt of his dagger tighter.
Whoever had taken his mate was going to bleed for it.
But first, he had to keep the pack alive long enough to make them pay.
Fernando arrived at the western bridge, dagger drawn, the sounds of snarls and clashes already filling the air. The invaders poured over the broken gate massive wolves from the Southern Ember pack, their fur singed at the edges like embers, eyes glowing with feral hunger. They were known for their brute strength and their poisoned claws and fangs, venom that burned through veins like fire.
"Form ranks!" Fernando shouted to his guards. "They're Southern Ember watch for poison!"
The Southern Ember wolves charged, one snarling at Fernando. "Your pack ends tonight, Fernando. The embers will consume you."
Fernando lunged first, launching a full attack. He slashed his dagger across the throat of the nearest invader, blood spraying as the wolf dropped. "Not if I end you first!"
He spun, driving the blade into another's chest, twisting it free as the body fell. "Who's next? Come on!"
A third wolf raked at him, claws grazing his arm. Fernando felt the sting, then the burn poison seeping in. He gritted his teeth and stabbed the wolf through the eye. "You think poison will stop me?"
The fight raged on. Fernando killed two more, his dagger a blur, but the venom spread, hot and vicious. Blood trickled from his nose, his ears, his eyes blurring at the edges.
"Alpha!" a guard called. "You're bleeding, fall back!"
Fernando shook his head, vision swimming. "No, keep fighting! Push them back!"
He charged again, tackling a Southern Ember wolf mid-shift, snapping its neck with a brutal twist. "Die, you bastards!"
But the poison weakened him. His limbs grew heavy, blood dripping from his mouth now too. He stabbed another invader in the gut, pulling the blade free with effort. "Is that all you've got?"
The Southern Ember leader laughed, circling him. "Your strength fails, alpha. The poison claims you."
Fernando spat blood. "Not yet."
He fought on, possibly fueling him through the haze, killing one more wolf with a desperate slash. "For the pack!"
His knees buckled then, vision tunneling to black spots. He fell, dagger clattering beside him.
The leader raised a poisoned dagger high. "Your head is mine."
As the blade swung down to sever Fernando's neck, Kael launched in from the side, shoving Fernando clear. "No!"
The dagger plunged straight into Kael's neck instead, blood gushing.
Kael gurgled, collapsing. "Alpha... run..."
Fernando scrambled up, horror cutting through the blur. "Kael no!"
The leader yanked the blade free. "One down. You're next."
Fernando grabbed his dagger, rage overriding the poison. "You'll pay for that.”