Chapter 81 You Really Messed Up
Samael finished arranging his luggage back in his quarters with methodical care. He unpacked each item slowly, shaking out the dust from the road and folding clothes into the wooden chest at the foot of his bed. The small vial of medicine from the countryside medics went into the drawer beside his cot, the maps and notes from the trip stacked neatly on his desk. The room felt familiar again, the scent of leather and oil from his weapons rack grounding him after the days away. The poison's flare-up had eased, leaving him stronger, but a quiet worry lingered in his mind about Alberto.
He closed the last bag and set it aside. The keeper had looked tired during the carriage ride home, his smiles forced at times. The medics had warned Samael privately that Alberto's powers were draining his life force faster than expected, the bond with the Thornwood taking its toll. Samael could not let him leave without checking one more time.
He left his quarters and walked the dimly lit corridors toward the slave section. The pack house was settling for the evening, wolves retiring to their rooms or gathering in the common halls for quiet talk. Guards nodded as he passed, murmuring respect.
He reached Alberto's door and knocked lightly.
"Come in," Alberto called.
Samael entered. Alberto sat on his cot, a small pack beside him half-filled with essentials for the forest. He looked up with a tired smile.
Samael closed the door. "When will you be leaving?"
Alberto added a bundle of herbs to the pack. "Tonight. The blood moon rises soon. I need to be deep in the forest before it peaks."
Samael sat on the stool. "The healer at the estate said you are weak. Your powers are draining your life."
Alberto nodded. "I know. That is why I must go now, to cultivate and balance it."
Samael leaned forward. "So Fernando does not suspect?"
Alberto shook his head. "No. I did not tell him. He has enough burdens."
Samael frowned. "He should know."
Alberto smiled sadly. "I gave him the moonshard gem. To remember me if anything happens to me at the very end."
Samael's voice softened. "Nothing will happen to you."
Alberto met his eyes. "I hope not. But the rites are dangerous. The soul shepherd is elusive. The crystalberry pods are guarded."
Samael reached into his pocket and pulled out the verdant eye, a small green gem pulsing faintly. He handed it to Alberto. "Take this. I believe you need it more than me. If you cannot summon your powers and you are in danger, it will help amplify what remains."
Alberto took it, the gem warm in his palm. "Thank you. I will guard it well."
Samael stood. "Be safe. The pack needs you back."
Alberto nodded. "I will return."
Samael left the quarters, the door closing behind him. He walked the corridors, the conversation weighing on him. Alberto's quiet acceptance of the risk troubled him deeply.
As he headed toward the main halls to report to Fernando, he turned a corner and nearly collided with Darius. The beta carried packed bags over his shoulder, his face set in anger.
Samael stepped back. "Darius. What is wrong? Where are you going?"
Darius did not slow. "The ancestral home. For a week."
He walked away, leaving Samael standing confused in the corridor.
Samael watched him go, wondering what had happened to send the beta fleeing in such a mood.
The pack house lights dimmed for the night.
Samael walked to Fernando's study with purposeful strides, his mind still reeling from the day's events. The corridors of the pack house were quiet in the late evening, torches flickering in their brackets, casting long shadows that danced on the stone walls. The air carried the faint scent of dinner from the kitchens below, but Samael's appetite had vanished. Darius's abrupt departure to the ancestral home had left him unsettled, and Alberto's secret plans for the forest added to the growing sense of fracture in the pack's core.
He reached the study door and knocked once, firmly.
"Enter," Fernando's voice called from inside.
Samael pushed the door open and stepped in. The study was warmly lit by the fire in the hearth and a few candles on the desk. Fernando sat behind the heavy oak table, parchments scattered around him, his face drawn with exhaustion. The Alpha looked up as Samael entered.
Samael dropped into the chair opposite the desk tiredly, slumping back with a heavy sigh. He stared at Fernando for a long moment, the silence stretching between them.
Fernando sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Shoot your questions before I send you to the afterlife with my stares."
Samael leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "What transpired between you and Darius for him to want to leave the pack like that? It is the first time since we have been together."
Fernando rubbed his forehead. "He is angry. I requested the mate dueling match when the elders asked for a mate."
Samael's eyes widened in shock as he stood from his seat as if he got burnt just by seating, He yelled. "Do you not have a mate already? Why ask for the duel?"
Fernando's voice was low, defensive. "Alberto is not ready yet to face the elders."
Samael shook his head in disbelief. "Now I know why Darius cannot breathe the same air as you. Because I am also suffocated. Do you think denying Alberto is protecting him?"
Fernando met his gaze steadily. "Yes."
Samael stood abruptly, voice rising. "Why did you not protect him then when the Thornwood claimed Alberto?"
Fernando flinched, but his expression hardened.
Samael continued, pacing the room. "You should listen to yourself and see if you make any sense."
He turned and walked away, the door closing firmly behind him.
Fernando sat alone, the words hanging in the air like smoke.
The fire crackled softly, the only sound in the study.
Fernando stared at the desk, the parchments blurring as Samael's accusation echoed. He had called for the duel to buy time, to shield Alberto from the elders' scrutiny, from the pack's judgment. A former slave as the Alpha's mate would invite challenges, whispers of weakness. But Samael's words cut deep. Protection or cowardice?
He stood and paced the room, boots thudding on the rug. The bond with Alberto pulled at him, a constant reminder of what he had risked. The mate's duel would bring warriors from every allied pack, all vying for the position at his side. The thought of another wolf winning, claiming Alberto's place, twisted his gut.
He stopped at the window, staring out at the moonlit courtyard. The pack slept, unaware of the storm brewing.
Darius's departure, Samael's anger, Mira's absence, it all stemmed from him.
He sat again, head in his hands.
The night deepened.