Chapter 119 Can I See Him
The night had bled into chaos long before dawn.
Laughter turned slurred, stories grew louder, and the mead never stopped flowing. Kael was attempting to balance a cup on his nose. Lucia was singing an off-key war chant. Elder Vorn had passed out snoring against a pillar.
And Alberto?
Alberto was gone.
One moment he was leaning against Fernando’s side, giggling at something Kael mumbled about “moon wolves with glitter fur.” The next, he was standing in the center of the circle, arms flung wide, shouting incoherently about “starlight contracts” and “wolves who wear crowns made of lies.”
Fernando blinked slowly, head pounding. “What in the—”
Before he could finish, Alberto spun around, tripped over his own feet, and would’ve crashed face-first if Fernando hadn’t lunged forward and caught him.
“Okay,” Fernando muttered, hoisting Alberto up with one arm under his knees, the other around his back. “The party's over.”
Darius, somehow still upright despite three cups of blackroot brew, raised his glass lazily. “Handle your man, Alpha.”
“I’m not his man!” Alberto declared, waving a finger in the air. “I’m a… a celestial wolf! I speak to trees! And they tell me secrets! Like how Darius snores like a bear with indigestion!”
Darius groaned. “I’m revoking your wine privileges for life.”
Fernando didn’t respond. He just carried Alberto out of the hall, ignoring the drunken cheers and whistles behind them.
Back in their chamber, Fernando dumped Alberto onto the bed. Alberto immediately rolled onto his stomach and started humming.
“You’re impossible,” Fernando said, stripping off his tunic.
Alberto mumbled something about “silver rivers” and “kissing moons.”
Fernando sighed, pulled the blankets over him, and collapsed beside him.
Sleep came fast.
\---
Morning arrived like a hammer to the skull.
A sharp knock echoed through the chamber.
“Alpha. Luna.” Darius’s voice cut through the haze. “The elders are waiting. They request your presence in the main hall. Now.”
Fernando groaned, rolling onto his back. His head throbbed.
Beside him, Alberto whimpered, pulling the pillow over his face. “Tell them I died.”
Fernando nudged him. “You can’t die. You’re the Luna to be.”
Alberto peeked out from under the pillow, eyes bloodshot, hair sticking up in every direction. “Can I be excluded? My head is on fire. Literally. I think I swallowed the sun.”
Fernando smirked. “Welcome to my world.”
He dragged Alberto out of bed, ignoring his half-hearted protests, and steered him toward the bathroom. There, clean water and cold clothes awaited along with an expensive tunic laid out on the bench, deep blue with silver thread, clearly prepared by Darius.
“Put it on,” Fernando ordered, splashing water on his own face.
Alberto grumbled but obeyed, wincing as the fabric brushed against tender skin. “I look like a fancy pigeon.”
“You look like Luna,” Fernando said, adjusting the collar. “Now stop complaining.”
They entered the main hall together.
Every elder stood as they approached. Bowing slightly, Alberto murmured, “Honored elders.”
Instantly, Darius appeared at his side, nudging his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.
“Don’t bow to them,” Darius whispered, voice low but firm. “You’re not beneath them anymore. You’re beside him.”
Alberto shot him an awkward smile. “Right. Forgot I’m supposed to act like I own the place now.”
Elder Soje cleared his throat. “We’ve come to discuss the coronation procession. It must follow strict protocol. The banners, the oaths, the blood-binding—”
Fernando held up a hand. “Before we proceed with any of that, Samael’s case must be resolved. I want his execution carried out. Then, a new Gamma Wolf appointed. Only then will I stand for coronation.”
The elders exchanged uneasy glances.
Elder Vorn stepped forward. “That’s… complicated. The Southern Ember Pack hasn’t responded to our last message. Their Alpha hasn’t acknowledged receipt of the evidence. And since we refused to send Samael to them, they demand representation before any execution occurs.”
“We can’t wait forever,” Fernando snapped.
Darius folded his arms. “Then let him rot in a cell. Death parole. No trial. No spectacle. Just… gone.”
Alberto stiffened.
Before anyone could react, he spoke voice quiet but clear.
“May I put in my opinion?”
All eyes turned to him.
Fernando frowned. “Alberto…”
Alberto ignored him. He faced the elders directly. “I believe Samael is innocent. Yes, there’s evidence pointing to him. But none of it has been verified by neutral parties. Mira hasn’t examined the ink. Kael hasn’t traced the cipher origins. And the timing?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t add up. He was collecting Ashenbloom in the Veil Thorne a place that takes exactly three days to reach and return. There’s no way he ambushed Eliana, slaughtered her retinue, and made it back in time to deliver live herbs.”
Elder Soje scoffed. “Sentimentality doesn’t erase treason.”
“It’s not sentimentality,” Alberto said sharply. “It’s logical. And if we execute an innocent wolf especially one who served this pack since puphood we don’t deserve to call ourselves honorable.”
Silence fell.
Fernando stared at Alberto, pride and frustration warring in his chest.
Darius narrowed his eyes. “You’re risking everything for a traitor.”
“I’m risking nothing,” Alberto replied. “I’m demanding the truth.”
Elder Vorn sighed. “The law requires either execution or handover. We cannot hold him indefinitely.”
“Then delay the coronation,” Fernando said firmly. “Until we have certainty. Not convenient. Certainty.”
The elders murmured among themselves.
Finally, Elder Soje nodded reluctantly. “Three more days. If no response comes from the Southern Ember Pack, and if no new evidence clears Samael… the execution proceeds.”
Alberto opened his mouth to argue but Fernando placed a hand on his arm.
“Take it,” Fernando murmured. “It’s better than nothing.”
Alberto looked at him, then at the elders, then at Darius who gave him a barely perceptible nod.
He bowed his head once. “Agreed.”
But as they turned to leave, Alberto whispered so only Fernando could hear, “If they kill him, I walk.”
Fernando didn’t answer.
He just tightened his grip on Alberto’s hand and prayed the truth would find them before it was too late.
Alberto removed his hand from Fernando’s grip once they got out. He released the air he didn't know he had been holding in.
“Do you still believe Samael to be guilty?” Alberto asked and Fernando only rolled his eyes nodding his head.
“Can I go see him?” Alberto asked pouting his lips together.
Fernando lips formed a small smile as he grabbed Alberto waist closer. “If I say no, would you listen?”