Chapter 138 Meeting Dismissed
The council chamber was packed when Fernando entered. The elders sat along the long table, their faces a mix of caution, resentment, and guarded respect. Several allied alphas had arrived overnight, summoned urgently, and now filled the side benches. Alberto sat to Fernando’s right, Lucia to his left, Mira standing behind them like a silent sentinel. Darius stood near the door, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Fernando took his place at the head of the table and remained standing. He did not sit. He looked around the room once, letting the silence stretch until every eye was on him.
“Before anyone speaks,” Fernando began, voice calm but carrying the weight of final command, “I will make one thing clear. Every alliance made during my absence is null and void. Effective immediately. Messengers have already been dispatched with the cancellations.”
The room erupted.
Elder Thorne was first on his feet. “You cannot do this, Fernando. Those alliances were forged in your absence to stabilize the pack after the invasion. The Northern Ridge trade deal alone has doubled our fur exports. Canceling it now will cripple our economy for months.”
Selene, the alpha from the southern border, leaned forward. “Exactly. The spice routes were secured under those agreements. Without them, caravans will be vulnerable again. The Ember packs will sense weakness and strike. You’re handing them the advantage on a platter.”
Garrick, the eastern trade alpha, added his voice. “We negotiated those terms carefully. The iron ore exchange with Northern Ridge was balanced. Lowering our output will cost us leverage in future talks. You weren’t here, Fernando. You don’t know what we gave up to get those deals.”
Another elder, Elara, spoke next, her tone measured but firm. “The pack was leaderless. Vorn may have overstepped, but the council acted to protect our interests. Nullifying everything now looks like spite, not strategy. The allied alphas are already questioning your return. They see chaos. Canceling the pacts will make them think twice about renewing anything with us.”
Fernando let the voices rise and overlap for a full minute before he raised one hand. The room fell silent almost instantly.
“I have heard you,” he said. “Now hear me.”
He placed both palms flat on the table and leaned forward slightly.
“I always weigh the losses and gains before continuing any alliance. Always. I did it before I left, and I will do it now that I have returned. The alliances you made were not made to strengthen the pack. They were made to sell the pack out to the enemy.”
Thorne blinked. “Sell out? That’s an accusation—”
“It is,” Fernando cut in. “The Northern Ridge deal gave them access to our ore mines for fur pelts. They now know our production numbers and weak points. The spice routes? Secured by handing Ember scouts our patrol schedules. Vorn’s letters proved it, he was feeding information to the Southern Ember while pretending to negotiate peace. Every deal signed in my absence weakened our borders, our resources, and our independence. I will not allow it to continue.”
Selene frowned. “But we gained—”
“You gained short-term profit at the cost of long-term security,” Fernando said. “I will not trade our future for a few months of coin. The pack will rebuild those routes on our terms, not theirs. If the Northern Ridge wants ore, they will deal directly with me. If the Ember packs want spices, they will negotiate without knowing our guard rotations in advance.”
Garrick shook his head. “You’re throwing away months of work. The council acted in good faith—”
“You acted without authority,” Fernando replied. “My absence did not grant you the right to bind this pack to deals I would never have approved. Anyone who is not comfortable with my decisions can step down from their position right now. Or nullify any personal agreement between us the very moment this meeting ends. No one is forced to stay under my rule.”
The room went completely silent.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Fernando straightened. “That matter is closed.”
He looked around the table once more, then continued.
“I will be crowning Alberto soon. The date will be communicated to all of you. Until then, the pack operates under my command. Any questions about that?”
Silence.
Fernando nodded once. “Good. The gathering is dismissed.”
The elders and alphas rose slowly. Some exchanged glances but said nothing. They filed out one by one, footsteps echoing in the quiet.
Fernando remained standing until the last person left.
Alberto looked up at him. “You didn’t leave much room for argument.”
Fernando exhaled. “I didn’t intend to.”
Lucia, who had been silent through most of the meeting, finally spoke. “They’re scared. You could feel it. They thought you were still weak. Now they know you’re not.”
Fernando glanced at her. “They’ll adjust. Or they’ll leave.”
Mira stepped forward. “You handled that well. But the crowning—make it soon. The pack needs to see both of you standing together. Officially.”
Fernando nodded. “I will. Within the week. No more delays.”
Alberto rose slowly. “They’ll accept it. They have to. We’re back. Both of us.”
Fernando looked at him. “We are. And they’ll remember why they followed us in the first place.”
Lucia gave a small, tired smile. “They’ll remember. Especially after the remembrance fires burn out. We honor the dead, then we show them that the living are still strong.”
Fernando walked to the door and opened it. “Let’s go. There’s work to do.”
Alberto followed him out. “You think they’ll try anything before the crowning?”
Fernando didn’t hesitate. “If they do, they’ll regret it.”
Lucia fell in step beside them. “And if they don’t?”
Fernando glanced back at her. “Then they’ll kneel. Either way, the pack moves forward. Under us.”
Mira brought up the rear. “Under both of you. Alpha and Luna. The way it should be.”
The four of them walked down the corridor together, footsteps steady, voices low but certain.