Chapter 66 The Sacrifice
Alberto knelt in the center of the elite training yard, his hands pressed to Kael's ruined chest, green light pouring from his palms in pulsing waves. The light knit flesh and bone, closing the gouged eye sockets layer by layer, sealing the open chest wound with vines of energy that wove through muscle and organ. Kael's body jerked with each surge, his breaths coming stronger, the blood flow slowing to a trickle. The elites watched in stunned silence, their weapons forgotten as the keeper's power filled the air with the scent of earth and life.
Alberto's face twisted in effort, sweat mixing with blood from his own wounds. The new bond with Fernando thrummed in his chest, but the drain on his powers was immense. He pushed harder, willing Kael's heart to beat steadily, his lungs to fill with air. The gouged eyes reformed slowly, new orbs growing in the empty sockets, the stitched chest smoothing into scarred but whole skin.
Kael gasped, his new eyes fluttering open, vision returning in blurry flashes. "What... happened?"
Alberto did not answer. He poured the last of his energy into the healing, the green light flaring bright one final time.
Then it was done.
Kael sat up slowly, whole again, though scars marked where death had nearly claimed him.
Alberto swayed, his vision darkening at the edges. The barriers he had erected shattered instantly, the green energy dissipating like smoke in wind.
He fainted right away, collapsing forward onto the blood-soaked ground, body limp and lifeless.
Fernando ignored the pain from his own wounds, the gash in his thigh and the burn in his shoulder, and rushed straight to Alberto. He dropped to his knees and scooped the lifeless body into his arms, cradling him close.
"Alberto," Fernando whispered, voice breaking. "Hold on."
Darius and Samael rushed to Kael, pinning him down before he could move. Darius pressed a knee to Kael's chest, sword at his throat.
"Do not move," Darius growled.
Samael ordered a guard nearby. "Seize the lady who claimed to be Kael's mate. Bring her here."
The guard nodded and dragged the woman forward from the crowd. She struggled, but the guard held her arms tight.
Fernando stood with Alberto in his arms and looked at Mira. "Healing ward. Now."
Mira nodded and they rushed back into the keep, Fernando carrying Alberto's limp form, blood from both of them dripping onto the stone floors. Guards cleared the way, shouting for paths to open.
They burst into the healing ward. Fernando laid Alberto on the nearest cot, his hands shaking as he brushed hair from the pale face.
Mira began examining him immediately, hands glowing with healing light. "His pulse is weak. The power drain is severe."
Fernando paced. "Save him."
Mira's voice was urgent. "He over used his powers. His soul is drifting away. Release your pheromones to contain it."
Fernando did not hesitate. He closed his eyes and released a wave of Alpha pheromones, the air thickening with his scent. The pheromones wrapped around Alberto like an invisible cocoon, anchoring his drifting soul back to his body.
Mira nodded. "It is working. Keep it up."
Fernando maintained the flow, his own strength waning but refusing to stop.
Alberto's breathing steadied slightly, color returning to his lips.
Mira stepped back. "He will live. But the cost was high."
Fernando collapsed into a chair beside the cot, hand on Alberto's. "Thank you."
Mira left to fetch more herbs.
The ward fell quiet, Fernando watching over his mate.
Alberto's eyes fluttered open to the familiar scent of herbs and candle wax in the healing ward. The ceiling above him swam into focus, the moonstone veins in the stone glowing faintly. His body felt heavy, as if the Thornwood itself had wrapped roots around his limbs. Pain throbbed in his back where Darius's blade had bitten, but it was dull now, wrapped in bandages. He turned his head slowly and saw Fernando sitting beside the cot, elbows on knees, face shadowed with exhaustion and worry.
"Kael," Alberto rasped, voice rough from disuse. "Is Kael alive?"
Fernando's head snapped up, relief flashing in his eyes before it hardened. "You wake up and the first thing you ask is about him?"
Alberto pushed himself up on one elbow, wincing. "I need to know. Did he live?"
Fernando leaned forward. "Yes. He lives. Because you nearly killed yourself to save him. Again."
Alberto lay back, relief washing over him. "Good."
Fernando's voice grew sharper. "You need to worry about yourself. You cannot keep using your powers to heal every wolf who gets in your way. You throw yourself into harm like your life means nothing."
Alberto's eyes flashed. "I never asked you to save me. Not once."
Fernando stood, chair scraping back. "That is not the point."
Alberto sat up fully, ignoring the pull of stitches. "Then what is the point? I am just a slave you bought with your money. A slave who happens to be your mate. That is all I am to you, right?"
Fernando's face darkened, fists clenching at his sides. "You know that is not true."
Alberto's voice rose. "Do I? You treat me like property one moment and like a burden the next. I heal because I choose to. I fight because I choose to. Not because you own me."
Fernando took a step closer. "You risk everything for wolves who would not do the same for you."
Alberto met his gaze without flinching. "Maybe. But I will not stand by while an innocent wolf dies for something he did not do. That is who I am."
Fernando's jaw tightened. "And who you are almost got you killed today. Again."
Alberto swung his legs off the cot, standing despite the pain. "Then maybe you should stop caring. It would be easier for both of us."
Fernando's eyes flashed gold for a moment. "You think I can stop?"
Alberto stepped closer. "You act like you cannot. But you keep me at arm's length. You let the pack think I am nothing. You let them test me with blades. You let them poison me."
Fernando's voice dropped to a dangerous quiet. "I protect you in ways you do not see."
Alberto laughed bitterly. "Protect me? By letting Kael be tortured? By letting the elites draw blood? That is protection?"
Fernando turned away. "I was wrong about Kael. I admit it. But you cannot keep doing this."
Alberto grabbed his arm. "And you cannot keep treating me like I am fragile. I am your mate. Not your possession."
Fernando pulled free. "You are both."
Alberto's face fell. "Then maybe I am better in the slave quarters."
Fernando walked to the door. "Think what you want."
He left without another word, the door closing with a heavy thud.
Alberto sank back onto the cot, the silence pressing in.