Chapter 62 The Poisoned Keeper
The elite training yard froze in stunned silence as Alberto crawled through the gate, soaked in blood. His tunic clung wetly to his swollen, red-blotched skin, thorns and scratches from the Thornwood still visible beneath the fresh horror. Blood dripped from his mouth, his nose, his ears. His limbs trembled with the effort of movement, and his breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.
Fernando leaped from the podium, heart slamming against his ribs. "Alberto!"
He rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside the collapsed figure. "What happened to you?"
Alberto tried to speak, lips moving weakly. Instead, a violent cough seized him. Blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering across Fernando's chest and face in hot, dark drops.
Fernando's eyes widened in horror. "Hold on."
He slid his arms under Alberto and lifted him, strapping the limp body to his back like a child. Alberto's head lolled against his shoulder, blood smearing Fernando's neck.
Darius and Samael shouted in unison. "Make way! Day matches cancelled!"
The elites parted instantly, faces pale with shock. Darius and Samael ran alongside Fernando as he sprinted toward the keep, Alberto's weight heavy but bearable in his panic.
"Mira!" Fernando mindlinked desperately. "Healing ward! Now! Alberto is poisoned!"
Guards flung doors open ahead of them. Wolves in the corridors jumped aside as the Alpha thundered past, Darius and Samael at his heels.
They burst into Fernando's private chamber. Fernando laid Alberto gently on the bed, blood soaking the linens immediately.
Mira arrived moments later, breathless, medical satchel in hand. "What happened?"
Fernando stepped back, hands stained red. "He crawled into the yard like this. Poisoned."
Mira pushed past him and began examining Alberto, fingers glowing as she checked pulse and breathing. "His skin is swollen. Bumps everywhere. Black veins under the surface. The water he used this morning was spiked."
She pulled vials from her satchel and administered a clear liquid into his mouth, then set up an infusion line into his arm.
Fernando paced. "Will he live?"
Mira worked quickly, injecting antidotes. "The poison was meant to kill. It weakened his keeper powers. He tried to fight it but could not purge it fully."
Samael spoke from the doorway. "I used my blood to heal his wounds last night. That must have slowed the poison."
Mira nodded. "Gamma blood saved him. It gave his body time to resist until he reached us."
Fernando stopped pacing. "Thank you, Samael."
Samael inclined his head. "He fought hard to get here."
Mira finished the infusion and wiped her hands. "He is out of danger. The antidotes are working. He will be fine with rest."
Fernando sat on the bed's edge, taking Alberto's hand. "Wake soon."
Darius and Samael stood watch at the door.
The pack waited outside, whispers spreading of the poisoned keeper.
Fernando walked out of the healing ward with long, purposeful strides, his face set in cold fury. The blood on his tunic had dried to dark stains, but the rage in his eyes burned fresh. Darius and Samael followed close behind, matching his pace without a word.
"Follow me," Fernando said over his shoulder. "Both of you."
They crossed the keep in silence, wolves bowing and stepping aside as the Alpha passed. Fernando led them straight to the slave quarters, the low buildings where the pack's laborers and former captives lived. Guards at the entrance snapped to attention.
"Round everyone up," Fernando ordered. "The hall. Now."
The guards scattered to obey.
Minutes later, the communal hall in the slave quarters filled with confused and fearful wolves. Men, women, and older children stood in nervous clusters, whispering among themselves. Darius lined them up in neat rows, his presence alone enough to enforce order. Samael stood guard at the door, arms crossed, axe at his belt.
Fernando entered last and took the simple wooden chair at the front of the hall, sitting with the authority of a king on a throne. His gaze swept the room, and every whisper died.
"Who is in charge of the water rotation?" Fernando asked, voice calm but carrying to every corner.
No one spoke. Eyes darted, feet shifted, but no one stepped forward.
Fernando smirked, a cold twist of his lips. He flicked one finger.
Samael moved like a shadow. He seized a young male wolf from the second row by the collar and dragged him forward. The man struggled, but Samael pinned him to his knees in front of Fernando.
Fernando leaned forward. "I do not need to announce I am the Alpha. You all know it."
Samael drew his dagger. With two swift strokes, he severed the man's index and middle fingers. Blood sprayed across the floor. The man screamed, clutching the bleeding stumps.
Fernando's voice remained even. "The same thing that happened to him will be passed around equally. I will not ask a question more than twice."
He looked up at the crowd. "Who is in charge of the water rotation?"
A woman near the back rushed forward, falling to her knees. "It was him!" She pointed to a petite young man hiding in the third row. "He handled the well assignments this week!"
Samael released the bleeding man and dragged the petite one forward. He forced him to his knees in front of Fernando.
The young man trembled violently, eyes wide with terror.
Samael grabbed his left hand and snapped the wrist with a sharp twist. Bone cracked loud in the silent hall. The man screamed.
"That is for not answering in the first place," Samael said.
Fernando leaned closer. "Start speaking."
The young man shook uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. "Please... kill me. I cannot give the answer you are looking for."
Fernando nodded slowly.
Samael nodded in return.
Samael seized the man's right hand and broke the wrist with another sharp crack. Then, with deliberate slowness, he pressed the broken bones back into rough alignment, the grinding sound sickening.
The man screamed again, a high, broken sound that echoed off the walls.
Fernando burst out laughing, the sound cold and genuine. "I love this. Darius, join the fun."
Darius stepped forward, drawing his own dagger.
The hall watched in frozen horror.