Chapter 121 Good luck Engima
Fernando and Alberto sat side by side on the low stone wall at the edge of the garden, legs dangling, shoulders brushing. The afternoon sun filtered through the willow branches above, casting dappled light over their faces. For once, there were no titles, no duties just two wolves breathing the same air.
Alberto plucked a blade of grass and twirled it between his fingers. “I heard your father was killed by his closest friend.”
Fernando didn’t look at him. He picked up a smooth river stone and turned it over in his palm. “Yeah.”
“What was the pack name?” Alberto asked casually, as if asking about the weather.
Fernando shrugged. “Don’t really remember. They didn’t use real names after the betrayal. My father and him… they had a code name for each other. Something from their youth. ‘Ash and Ember,’ I think it was.”
Alberto nodded slowly. “Ash and Ember. Sounds poetic. For something so brutal.”
“It wasn’t poetic,” Fernando said quietly. “It was a warning. Never trust someone who shares your fire too closely. They’ll either warm you… or burn you down.”
He finally looked at Alberto. “Why do you ask?”
Alberto met his gaze, eyes calm. “I found some old journals in the east library. Hidden behind a false panel. One of them mentioned ‘Ash and Ember.’ Said the betrayer didn’t act alone that he was backed by a council of elders from three packs. Including one that still sits on our council today.”
Fernando’s grip tightened on the stone. “You shouldn’t be digging through those.”
“I’m not digging,” Alberto said, tossing the grass aside. “I’m remembering.”
Before Fernando could respond, Alberto grinned and shoved him lightly. “Race you to the oak tree.”
Fernando blinked. “What?”
“You heard me.” Alberto was already on his feet, backing away with a playful smirk. “Last one there is a rotten egg.”
Fernando rolled his eyes but stood. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Says the Alpha who cried during the thunderstorm last week,” Alberto shot back, already sprinting.
Fernando laughed a real, unguarded sound and chased after him.
They were halfway across the lawn, laughter echoing between them, when a guard came barreling around the hedge, breathless and wide-eyed.
“Alpha! Luna!” the beta gasped, skidding to a halt. “Samael… he’s gone. Escaped from the prison cell. No sign of struggle. Just… vanished.”
The laughter died instantly.
Fernando straightened, all warmth draining from his face. “When?”
“Less than an hour ago. The guards found the cell empty. Bucket overturned. Tray gone. And…” The guard hesitated. “There was a note. On the cot. It just said: ‘Truth doesn’t bleed it burns.’”
Alberto went very still.
Fernando turned to him slowly. “Did you know about this?”
Alberto held his gaze, expression unreadable. “No,” he said simply. “But I’m not surprised.”
Fernando studied him for a long moment, the shifting colors in his eyes, the quiet certainty in his voice. Then he turned back to the guard.
“Lock down the borders. Alert every outpost. But…” He paused. “Don’t call it a manhunt. Call it a retrieval.”
The guard bowed and ran off.
Alberto crossed his arms. “You’re not going to hunt him.”
“I’m not,” Fernando said, voice low. “Because if he’s innocent and you clearly believe he is then someone helped him escape. Someone inside this pack.”
He looked at Alberto again. “And I need to find out who before they frame someone else.”
Alberto stepped closer. “What if the truth is worse than betrayal?”
Fernando’s jaw tightened. “Then we burn it all down.”
They stood in silence as the wind rustled the leaves above them.
Somewhere beyond the walls, Samael was running.
And somewhere deeper, the real enemy was watching.
The council chamber was packed elders, even senior guards stood shoulder to shoulder, their faces hard, voices sharp with accusation. Fernando sat at the head of the table, expression unreadable, while Alberto sat beside him, arms crossed, gaze steady.
Elder Vorn slammed a fist on the table. “It’s obvious! He’s the only one who defended Samael. The only one who visited him alone. And now Samael’s gone? Who else could’ve helped him?”
Lucia stepped forward, voice trembling but firm. “Alberto had access. He brought food. He dismissed the guards. He had motive, he believes Samael is innocent. That’s enough.”
“I didn't believe you will also suspect me” Alberto said shaking his head as he stare at Lucia.
Both Lucia and Kael had been promoted to senior guards who work directly under Darius and temporarily hold Samael's office.
Kael shook his head. “That doesn’t make him a traitor.”
“It makes him complicit,” Elder Soje snapped. “He undermined Alpha authority. He aided an accused murderer in escaping justice. That’s treason.”
All eyes turned to Alberto.
He didn’t flinch.
“Fine,” he said, voice calm. “Lock me up. Chain me. Torture me like you did with Samael. But I won’t confess to a sin I didn’t commit.”
Fernando stood abruptly. “Enough.”
The room fell silent.
“He knew nothing about the escape,” Fernando said, voice low but carrying. “And if any of you lay a hand on him, you answer to me.”
Elder Vorn opened his mouth to protest, but Fernando cut him off.
“The news of Samael’s escape stays here. No word leaves this room. Not yet. We don’t know who’s watching or who’s listening.”
Murmurs spread, but no one argued.
The meeting ended with tense bows and narrowed eyes.
\---
Afterward, Alberto walked alone through the east corridor, needing air, needing silence. He stopped beneath the arched window overlooking the courtyard, resting his forehead against the cool stone.
“You’re not as subtle as you think,” a voice said softly.
Alberto turned.
Mira stood a few paces away, arms crossed, a knowing look in her eyes.
“I knew it was you,” she said. “You helped him escape.”
Alberto didn’t deny it. “I couldn’t watch him get executed for something he didn’t do. Not when I know he’s innocent.”
Mira shrugged. “Honestly? I was looking for a way to help him myself. You just made it easier.”
She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “The vial you gave him the sleeping draught it was my recipe. I left it in your infirmary kit last night. Knew you’d find it.”
Alberto stared at her. “You… you planned this?”
“I planned an option,” Mira corrected. “You chose to use it. That’s on you.”
She smiled faintly. “Good luck, Enigma. You’ll need it.”
With that, she turned and walked away, robes whispering against the floor.
Alberto exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
He didn’t see Darius step out from the shadowed alcove behind the pillar didn’t hear the quiet click of his boots as he melted back into the corridor.
But Darius had heard everything.