Chapter 146 You Already Know?
Alberto and Lucia met in the kitchen shortly after dawn, the space already humming with the quiet sounds of staff preparing the day's first meals. Lucia spotted Alberto near the large wooden table and walked straight to him, lowering her voice as she reached his side.
“Is the plan still in action?” Lucia asked, eyes flicking toward the nearest staff members to make sure no one was listening too closely.
Alberto nodded once, a small, determined smile tugging at his lips. “Yes. It will be a surprise to Fernando. He has no idea.”
Lucia leaned against the table, arms crossed. “Good. He needs this. After everything the poison, the paralysis, the blindness, Rowan showing up out of nowhere he deserves something that reminds him the pack still honors him and his family.”
Alberto picked up a small notebook he had brought with him and flipped it open to a marked page. He turned to three kitchen staff members who were already working nearby, two older women and a young man who handled the heavy pots.
“You three,” Alberto said, voice calm but carrying clear authority. “Come here for a moment.”
The staff wiped their hands on aprons and approached quickly.
Alberto looked at each of them in turn. “On the remembrance day, when everyone gathers to pay their last respects to the fallen alphas including Fernando’s father I want a specific meal served right after the names are read and the silence is observed. This dish must be prepared exactly as I describe. No substitutions. No changes.”
One of the older women, Mara, nodded seriously. “We understand, Luna Alberto. What is the dish?”
Alberto read from his notebook. “It is an old recipe from Fernando’s father roasted venison shoulder slow-cooked with wild thyme, crushed juniper berries, garlic, and a reduction of elderberry wine. The meat must be tender enough to fall apart with a fork, but the outside crisp from a final high-heat sear. Serve it with root vegetables roasted in the same pan juices and fresh bread on the side. Nothing else. No sauces, no garnishes. Just the way the former alpha liked it.”
The young man, Tomas, wrote quickly on a scrap of parchment. “We can source the venison from the eastern hunters. They owe us a favor. Juniper berries are still in season. Elderberry wine we have two barrels left from the last harvest.”
Mara nodded. “We’ll start marinating the meat two days before. It needs time to take in the flavors. We’ll keep it secret until the moment of serving.”
Alberto closed the notebook. “Thank you. This is important. Not just to the pack, but to Fernando personally. When the remembrance reaches the part where we honor his father, this dish will be placed before him. Let it be a quiet gift from the pack and from me.”
The three staff members bowed their heads in unison.
“We’ll make it perfect, Luna,” Mara said. “You have our word.”
They returned to their tasks, already murmuring among themselves about quantities and timing.
Lucia watched them go, then turned to Alberto with a soft smile. “You’re really a great mate, you know that? Taking the time to learn Fernando’s father’s favorite dish, making sure it’s served exactly right to honor the dead… most people wouldn’t bother with details like that.”
Alberto ducked his head slightly, cheeks warming. “Fernando is more than just a mate to me. He’s everything. He fought through blindness, paralysis, and poison just to come back to me. He never gave up. If I can give him even a small piece of comfort on a day like the remembrance something that reminds him of his father, of the legacy he carries I’ll do it. I’d sacrifice more for him. Anything.”
Lucia reached over and squeezed his forearm. “He’s lucky to have you. And the pack is lucky to have both of you.”
Alberto smiled, small but genuine. “I just want him to feel seen. Not just as alpha. As Fernando. As the son who lost his parents too young. As the man who still carries that grief.”
Lucia nodded. “He will. When he tastes that venison, when he realizes you went to all this trouble… he’ll know. And he’ll love you even more if that’s possible.”
Alberto laughed quietly. “I hope so. I just want him to smile on remembrance day. Not just mourn.”
Lucia squeezed his arm again. “He will. Because of you.”
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, watching the kitchen staff begin pulling ingredients and making notes.
Alberto glanced at Lucia. “You’re ready for your own part in all this? The gamma crowning?”
Lucia’s expression turned serious but proud. “I am. I’ve waited long enough to stand beside you both officially. When the time comes, I’ll be ready.”
Alberto smiled. “Good. The pack needs all of us. Together.”
Lucia nodded. “Together.”
They shared a quiet look of understanding, then turned back to watch the kitchen staff begin the careful preparations for the meal that would honor not just the fallen, but the living bond between an alpha and his Luna.
Alberto stepped out of the kitchen with Lucia, both still carrying the faint scent of herbs and roasted meat from their planning. They had barely taken five steps down the corridor when Rowan Ashford appeared at the far end, walking toward them with measured strides.
Alberto stopped immediately. He bowed low from the waist, respectful and formal. “Master Rowan.”
Lucia mirrored the gesture a heartbeat later, her bow just as deep. “Master Rowan.”
Rowan paused, acknowledging them with a slight nod. He started to move past without speaking.
Alberto stepped sideways, blocking his path gently but firmly. “Master Rowan please. We need to discuss some things.”
Rowan’s eyes flicked between Alberto and Lucia. He gave a small sigh. “Later, perhaps.”
“No,” Alberto said quietly. “Now.”
Lucia glanced at Alberto, then at Rowan. She touched Alberto’s arm lightly. “I’ll leave you two. Catch up with me when you’re done.”
Alberto nodded. “I will.”
Lucia gave Rowan one last polite bow, then turned and walked away.
Rowan watched her go for a moment before looking back at Alberto. “The garden, then.”
They walked in silence until they reached the garden. Rowan chose a stone bench beneath a low tree and sat. Alberto sat opposite him, hands resting on his knees.
Alberto spoke first. “I’m sure you know why I want to see you.”
Rowan raised one brow. “You want to know who you're?”
Alberto nodded slowly. “But I already know who I am. You called me Rhett Stone. You think I’m him.”
Rowan leaned forward slightly. “And aren't you?”
Alberto shook his head. “No. You made a mistake. I’m not Rhett.”
Rowan’s expression did not change, but his eyes sharpened. “Then who are you?”
“Vince,” Alberto said simply. “My name is Vince.”
Rowan went still. For the first time since his arrival, genuine shock crossed his face.
“Vince,” he repeated, almost a whisper. “Rhett’s younger brother?. You already know who you're?”
Alberto met his gaze steadily. “Yes. I have memories of my past before I fell into a coma. Not all of them. Not yet. But enough. Rhett is my brother. He disappeared before everything fell apart. I remember the night our mother locked me inside the cabin to keep me safe. I remember hearing screams. Fire. And then… nothing. Until I woke up years later with no name, no past, sold at an auction.”
Rowan exhaled slowly. “So the seal on your memory is cracking.”
Alberto nodded. “Piece by piece. But I remember enough to know one thing clearly.”
Rowan leaned forward again. “And what is that?”
Alberto’s voice dropped. “I know the person behind my pack’s downfall behind my family’s destruction was Fernando’s father.”
Rowan did not flinch, but his eyes darkened. “You remember that much.”
Alberto smiled small, cold, and certain. “Yes. And I will take revenge. I swear it. But I need to know what exactly happened. I remember seeing someone else that night someone after my mother locked me away. Someone who wasn’t supposed to be there. But what I need to understand most is how sorcery was involved in my birth.”
Rowan studied him for a long moment, then leaned back against the bench.
“You want the truth,” he said quietly.
Alberto nodded. “All of it.”
Rowan’s gaze never wavered. “Then listen carefully, Vince. Because once you hear this, there is no going back.”
Alberto leaned forward, waiting.
Rowan began to speak.