Chapter 149 Don't Let Go
Fernando sat alone in his office, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across scattered scrolls and ink-stained maps. His fingers moved methodically over the documents routes, guard rotations, contingency plans all centered on one event: the Remembrance Ceremony tomorrow. The air was still, heavy with silence, broken only by the scratch of his quill.
The door opened without a knock.
Darius stepped inside, boots quiet against the stone floor. He leaned against the doorframe for a moment before moving to stand before the desk.
“How’s the preparation going?” Fernando asked without looking up.
“Everything’s going smoothly,” Darius replied, arms folding across his chest. “The decoy procession leaves at dawn. Southern delegation confirmed. Elders are satisfied. The outer perimeter is sealed.”
Fernando finally set down his quill. He leaned back in his chair, eyes tired but sharp. “Good.”
A beat of silence passed between them tense, familiar.
Darius shifted his weight. “Will you tell Alberto about the plan?”
Fernando’s jaw tightened. He shook his head slowly. “He’ll never agree to that setting. He’ll insist on staying, on facing whatever comes. And that will only complicate the plan.” He paused, voice dropping. “I’ll knock him out during the procession. Quietly. Before he realizes what’s happening. Ensure smooth transportation to the safehouse.”
Darius nodded once. “Smart. He’d fight you otherwise.”
Before either could say more, the door swung open.
Alberto strolled in, barefoot, balancing a tray with two mugs of steaming mint tea and a plate of honey-oat cookies still warm, still crumbling at the edges. He wore loose shorts and a sleeveless linen top that clung just enough to reveal the lean muscle of his shoulders and the faint silver scars along his collarbone.
Darius’s gaze flickered over him just for a second but it was enough.
Fernando stood so fast his chair scraped backward. In two strides, he was beside Alberto, one arm sliding possessively around his waist, the other gently taking the tray and setting it aside.
Darius smirked. “Someone’s trying to start a riot.”
Alberto grinned, unbothered, and leaned into Fernando’s side. “Just bringing snacks. You two look like you haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
Fernando frowned down at him. “Why are you wearing something provocative like that? Trying to seduce everyone?”
Alberto raised an eyebrow. “It’s hot outside. And I’m comfortable.”
“You’re distracting,” Fernando muttered, pulling him closer.
Darius rolled his eyes. “Tune down the jealousy. No one’s taking him from you.”
Alberto turned fully into Fernando’s space, wrapping his arms around his waist. He rose onto his toes and kissed him slowly, lips soft, deliberate, lingering just long enough to make Fernando’s breath catch.
When he pulled back, his eyes shimmered faintly gold at the edges, violet in the center and he whispered, “I’m all yours. Always have been. So calm down.”
Fernando exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders. He rested his forehead against Alberto’s. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re ridiculous,” Alberto murmured, fingers tracing the line of Fernando’s jaw.
Darius groaned loudly, throwing his hands up. “I can’t breathe. The air’s too thick with mating pheromones.”
Alberto laughed a bright, warm sound and turned his head while still half in Fernando’s embrace. “Jealous?”
“Disgusted,” Darius shot back, though there was no real heat in it. He picked up a cookie and bit into it with exaggerated relish. “Besides, I’ve got better things to do than watch you two orbit each other like lovesick pups.”
Fernando finally released Alberto, though his hand lingered on the small of his back. “We were discussing security for tomorrow.”
Alberto’s smile softened. “Ah. The Remembrance.”
He glanced at the documents on the desk, then back at Fernando. “You’re rerouting the procession again, aren’t you?”
Fernando exchanged a glance with Darius. “Standard precaution.”
Alberto didn’t press. He simply nodded, picking up a cookie and taking a bite. “Then I trust you.”
That quiet admission hung in the air.
Fernando studied him, the calm in his eyes, the lack of suspicion. He felt a pang of guilt, sharp and sudden.
But he said nothing.
Alberto noticed the tension on Fernando’s face, the tightness in his jaw, the stillness in his shoulders and without a word, he crossed the room, turned, and sat on Fernando’s lap. He wrapped his arms around him in a firm hug, pressing close.
Fernando didn’t resist. His arms came up immediately, one hand settling on Alberto’s back, the other threading through his hair. He exhaled slowly, as if Alberto’s presence alone had loosened something coiled too tight inside him.
Darius watched from near the window, arms crossed. After a beat, he rolled his eyes and snatched a file from the side table. Without warning, he tossed it at Alberto.
It hit his shoulder with a soft thud.
Alberto pulled back just enough to glance at it, then burst out laughing loud, genuine, unguarded. “Is this your idea of affection? Throwing documents?”
“It’s your seating assignment for tomorrow,” Darius said flatly. “Try not to lose it this time.”
“I didn’t lose it,” Alberto shot back, still grinning. “I misplaced it for five minutes while I was saving your hide from that border skirmish.”
“You screamed when a leaf fell on your head,” Fernando murmured, lips twitching.
“I did not,” Alberto protested, though his ears turned pink. He shifted on Fernando’s lap, turning fully toward Darius. “Besides, you’re just bitter because no one throws things at you.”
“Thank every god there is,” Darius muttered.
The door opened abruptly.
A young wolf stood in the doorway, breathless. “Beta Darius, Gamma Lucia requests your presence immediately. She says it’s urgent.”
Darius straightened. “What happened?”
“She wouldn’t say. Only that you should come alone.”
Darius nodded sharply. “Tell her I’m on my way.”
The guard bowed and vanished.
Alberto’s grin widened. He leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting. “You know, you could start something real with Lucia. She’s been awfully comfortable around you lately. Always saving your seats, patching your hands after training, covering your shifts…”
Darius turned slowly, expression darkening. “Finish that sentence and I’ll throw you out the window.”
Alberto laughed again, completely unfazed. “I’m just saying. She looks at you like you’re not a walking disaster.”
“I am a walking disaster,” Darius said flatly. “And she knows it.”
“Then why does she keep coming back?” Alberto pressed, tilting his head. “Maybe she sees something worth keeping.”
Darius’s jaw tightened. He pointed at Fernando. “Shut your man up before I assist him.”
Fernando raised an eyebrow but didn’t move. “He’s not wrong.”
Darius groaned. “Of course you’d take his side.”
“He pays attention,” Fernando said quietly. “And he cares.”
Darius stared at them, Alpha relaxed for once, Luna glowing with quiet ease and something flickered in his gaze. He exhaled sharply.
“Fine,” he said. “Tease me all you want. But if either of you mentions this to Lucia, I’ll deny it until my last breath.”
Alberto’s smile softened. “We won’t.”
Darius turned to leave but paused at the door. Without looking back, he added, “And if you two start mating in here again, I’m burning the office down.”
“We weren’t mating,” Alberto called after him.
“You were close enough,” Darius shot back, already halfway down the hall.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Alberto leaned back against Fernando’s chest. “He’s scared.”
Fernando hummed in agreement, fingers tracing idle lines along Alberto’s arm. “He’s always been scared of getting close. Ever since Kate died just after getting her wolf.”
“Why?” Alberto asked.
“Because he thinks love makes you weak,” Fernando said. “That everyone you hold onto gets taken from you.”
Alberto was quiet for a moment. Then he turned his head, pressing a kiss to Fernando’s jaw. “Do you believe that too?”
Fernando’s grip tightened slightly. “I used to.”
“And now?”
“Now I think holding on is the only thing that keeps us from falling apart,” Fernando murmured. “Even if it hurts.”
Alberto closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Fernando’s shoulder. “Then don’t let go.”
“I won’t,” Fernando whispered.
They sat in silence, wrapped in each other, the weight of tomorrow held at bay by the warmth of now.