Chapter 90 The missing keeper
Fernando moved through the pack house corridors with long, urgent strides, his cloak snapping behind him. The celebration in the courtyard had ended hours ago, the fire pit now reduced to glowing coals, the music long silent. The pack had retired to their rooms, leaving the halls empty save for the occasional guard who bowed as he passed. Fernando barely noticed them. His mind was fixed on one thing: Alberto.
He had not seen him since the morning after his return. The kiss on the stairs, the whispered promises, the way Alberto had looked at him with such open love—it had felt real. Then Alberto had vanished. No word. No note. The bond tugged at Fernando, faint and distant, like a thread stretched too thin.
He reached Samael's quarters first. The door was ajar, light spilling into the corridor. Fernando pushed it open without knocking.
Samael sat at his desk, a map spread before him, marking patrol routes with charcoal. He looked up, unsurprised.
"Fernando," Samael said. "I was expecting you."
Fernando stepped inside. "Where is Alberto?"
Samael leaned back in his chair. "Did not he come to confront you about the mate duel?"
Fernando's jaw tightened. "He did. How did you know?"
Samael shrugged. "He was angry. He hit Rorik. Stormed off to find you. It was not hard to guess."
Fernando paced the room. "He came to my study. We talked. He left. I have not seen him since."
Samael studied him. "You told him about the duel?"
Fernando stopped. "He heard it from the elites. I tried to explain. I said it was to protect him."
Samael shook his head. "Protect him by letting others fight for his place?"
Fernando's voice rose. "The pack is not ready for him as my mate. The elders would challenge. The duel buys time."
Samael stood. "Time for what? To keep him hidden? To treat him like he is not worthy?"
Fernando glared. "I am doing what I must."
The door opened again. Darius entered, arms crossed, expression hard.
He looked between them. "Is that the problem at hand, or finding Alberto so he does not harm himself?"
Fernando turned sharply. "You knew he was upset?"
Darius nodded. "The whole yard knew. He ran off crying."
Fernando's face paled. "Where is he?"
Samael sighed. "He might have gone to his old school. The place he trained before the forest claimed him."
Fernando shook his head. "I checked there. He was not there."
Darius spoke quietly. "Then he might have gone back to the forest. For private time. To think. To heal."
Fernando's hands clenched. "He would not leave without telling me."
Fernando paced again. "I have to find him."
Darius stepped in front of him. "You pushed him too far. You called a duel. You denied him in council. You punished him for saving lives. He is hurt."
Fernando's voice cracked. "I was protecting him."
Darius shook his head. "You were protecting yourself."
Fernando stopped, staring at the floor.
Samael spoke softly. "Go look for him. But when you find him, listen. Really listen."
Fernando nodded slowly. "I will."
He pushed back from the desk, the chair scraping against the stone floor. The moonshard gem still lay in his palm, its faint blue light pulsing like a heartbeat. He closed his fingers around it and stood, ready to step out and begin the search for Alberto.
The moment he moved, pain lanced through his chest.
It came sudden and sharp, like a blade driven straight into his heart. His breath caught. His knees buckled.
A howl tore from his throat, not his own voice but his wolf's—raw, bitter, filled with agony. The sound echoed through the pack house, shaking the walls, rattling the windows. Blood spilled from his mouth, dark and thick, splattering across the parchments on his desk.
Darius and Samael, who had been lingering just outside the door, fell to their knees in the corridor. The howl hit them like a physical blow, their own wolves responding with pained whimpers. They clutched their chests, faces contorted.
Fernando collapsed forward, crashing onto the desk. Papers scattered. The candle tipped and went out.
Darius recovered first. He scrambled into the room, eyes wide with panic. "Fernando!"
He slid an arm under the Alpha's shoulders and hauled him up. Fernando's head lolled, blood dripping from his chin.
Samael staggered in behind him, face pale. "What happened?"
Darius grunted, lifting Fernando's weight. "The bond. Something is wrong with Alberto."
Samael moved to help, taking Fernando's other side. "We need Mira. Now."
They half-carried, half-dragged Fernando through the corridors. Guards jumped aside, eyes wide. Wolves emerged from their rooms, drawn by the howl that still echoed in their bones.
They reached the infirmary. The doors burst open.
Mira was already there, hands glowing as she prepared salves for the night shift. She spun at the commotion.
"Put him on the table," she ordered.
Darius and Samael laid Fernando down. His breathing was shallow, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Mira pressed her hands to his chest. Light flared. "Where is Alberto?"
Samael answered quickly. "He went to the forest to avoid a certain selfish human laying here."
Mira's face paled. She shook her head. "Alberto is in danger. That is the bond warning you. If Alberto dies, Fernando dies also."
Darius's voice cracked. "What do we do?"
Mira worked fast, pouring a vial of glowing liquid down Fernando's throat. "We find Alberto. Fast. The bond is pulling his life force. The further Alberto goes, the worse it gets."
Samael clenched his fists. "He left tonigt crying though we don't know if he went to the forest yet."
Mira's hands never stopped. "Then we go after him. Now."
Fernando stirred weakly, eyes fluttering. "Alberto..."
Darius knelt beside him. "We will find him. Hold on."
The infirmary filled with urgent movement. Guards were called. Horses were saddled. The pack mobilized.
The night stretched long and dark.