Chapter 136 Welcome Back Alpha!!!
While Darius positioned his men in every corner of the pack, taking over everything in one night, the transition happened with ruthless efficiency. Guards loyal to him replaced those who had served Vorn, patrols were reassigned, and key positions filled with wolves who had sworn allegiance during the chaos of the breach. By dawn, the packhouse flew a new banner of Darius's colors and the elders who had not fled were quietly confined to their quarters under house arrest.
Three days later, a scout burst into Darius’s temporary command room, breathless but careful with his words.
“Sir, Fernando and his crew have arrived at the eastern border. They’re requesting entry. Mira, Lucia, Alberto all of them. What are your orders?”
Darius froze for a heartbeat, the report hitting him like cold water. He swallowed the surge of anger that rose in his throat, forcing his face into a mask of calm control.
“Escort them in,” he said quietly. “No delays. No hostility. Make it look welcoming. And inform the pack quietly that the former alpha has returned.”
The scout nodded and hurried off.
Darius stood, straightened his tunic, and walked out to the main gate to greet them personally. When Fernando’s group appeared, Fernando walking slowly but under his own power, Alberto supported on one side by Lucia, Mira flanking the other Darius forced a smile and stepped forward.
“Fernando,” he said, voice warm enough to pass as genuine. “You’re back. The pack has missed you.”
Fernando met his gaze steadily, eyes sharp despite the months of recovery. “Darius. I see you’ve made yourself comfortable in my absence.”
Darius ignored the edge in the words and turned to Alberto, opening his arms. “Alberto. It’s good to see you on your feet again.”
He pulled Alberto into a brief embrace, holding just long enough to test for recognition. Alberto stiffened slightly but did not push away; there was no spark of old anger, no flash of memory, just polite confusion.
Alberto stepped back. “Darius. Thank you for… holding things together.”
Darius studied his face for a moment longer, then nodded once. The rumors were true Alberto had forgotten large parts of what had happened before his collapse.
He turned back to Fernando and gestured toward the packhouse. “Come inside. You must be tired from the journey. Tell me how are you? Are you fit? The healers did good work, I see.”
Fernando walked beside him, pace measured but deliberate. “I’m fine. Sight returned. Legs are healing. The wolf is still weak, but I can stand and speak. That’s enough for now.”
Darius nodded, keeping his tone concerned. “Good. The pack will be relieved. We’ve had… challenges while you were gone.”
Fernando glanced at him sideways. “I can imagine. Give me a rundown. What happened after we left?”
Darius exhaled as if the memories still weighed on him. “It was chaotic at first. Vorn tried to take control declared himself acting alpha, demoted half the council, started making deals with outside packs behind closed doors. But the worst part was his connection to the Southern Ember.”
Fernando stopped walking. “Connection?”
Darius met his eyes. “We found letters in his quarters after the breach proof he’d been feeding them information. Coordinates, guard rotations, weak points. The attack that nearly killed you? Vorn orchestrated it. Wanted you gone so he could step in unchallenged.”
Fernando’s jaw tightened. “And you killed him for it.”
Darius spread his hands. “I had no choice. He released Samael from confinement and set him loose to create more chaos as you're aware of that before. He lunged at me. I defended myself. One slash. It was over.”
Fernando studied him for a long moment. “You didn’t wait for me to return. You didn’t wait for a trial.”
Darius lowered his voice. “There wasn’t time. The pack was fracturing. If I’d waited, Vorn would have consolidated power. You’d have come back to a coup already complete.”
Fernando looked away, jaw working. “You overstepped.”
“I saved the pack,” Darius countered. “You can hate me for it later. Right now, they need to see you strong.”
Fernando exhaled slowly. “Gather the pack members. Urgent announcement. Now.”
Darius bowed his head slightly. “As you command.”
Within the hour, the pack gathered in the central square. Wolves filled every available space, murmurs running through the crowd like wind through grass. Fernando walked to the raised podium under his own power, Alberto at his side, Lucia and Mira close behind. The sight of them alive, returned sent a ripple of shock and relief through the assembly.
Fernando raised both hands for silence. The crowd quieted instantly.
“I have returned,” he said, voice carrying clear and strong across the square. “I stand before you healed in sight, healing in body, and still your alpha. My mate Alberto stands with me alive, awake, returned to us.”
He placed a hand on Alberto’s shoulder. Alberto lifted his chin, meeting the eyes of the pack.
“In three days’ time,” Fernando continued, “we will host a remembrance for our fallen brothers and sisters. We will honor Kael, and every wolf who gave their life defending this pack during the invasion. Their names will be spoken. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.”
He paused, letting the weight settle.
“Lucia has proven herself beyond doubt. She fought when others faltered. She carried Alberto when he could not walk. She stood guard over us when we were weakest. Therefore, I name Lucia as the newly elected gamma wolf. Her crowning will be discussed and held soon.”
A murmur of approval rose from the crowd, though some faces remained wary.
Fernando looked out over them. “There will be more to say. More to settle. But today, know this: we are back. The pack endures. And we will rebuild stronger than before.”
He raised one hand in dismissal. “The gathering is ended. Prepare for the remembrance. We honor our dead in three days.”
The crowd began to disperse, voices rising in a mix of relief, confusion, and speculation.
Fernando stepped down from the podium, Alberto and Lucia flanking him. Mira stayed close behind.