Chapter 182 I'll Return
A full week passed after the battle, though the memory of it still lingered in every corner of the pack, not as something spoken loudly, but as something carried quietly in the way people moved, in the way voices softened when certain names were mentioned, and in the way the air itself seemed to hold onto what had been lost and what had been won.
The grounds that once bore the chaos of war had been cleared, though traces of it still remained if one looked closely enough, faint marks in the earth, broken structures repaired in haste, and the silence that followed whenever the wind passed through certain paths. Guards had returned to their duties, though their steps were slower, more deliberate, as if each one still measured the weight of survival.
Inside the main quarters, the atmosphere was calmer, though not entirely free from tension. Alberto stood near the window, his arms folded loosely across his chest as his gaze rested outside. His expression held a quiet strength, though there was something beneath it that spoke of everything he had endured.
Behind him, the bed remained occupied.
Fernando had not moved for days.
Mira’s absence had left its own silence in the space, one that no one had attempted to fill, not out of neglect, but out of understanding that some things required distance, even if it came with pain.
Alberto exhaled slowly, his eyes lowering briefly before lifting again as he heard a shift behind him.
It was faint.
Fernando’s hand moved slightly against the sheets, his fingers twitching before his chest rose with a deeper breath than it had in days.
Alberto’s steps were immediate as he moved closer, his eyes fixed on him.
“Fernando?” he called softly, though there was a slight urgency beneath the word.
Fernando’s brow furrowed faintly, his breathing uneven as his eyes began to open slowly, adjusting to the light.
For a moment, he looked disoriented.
Then his gaze found Alberto.
A faint recognition settled.
“You are awake,” Alberto said, his voice softer now, though his relief showed clearly in the way his shoulders eased slightly.
Fernando blinked, his throat moving as he tried to speak.
“How long?” he asked quietly.
“Seven days,” Alberto replied without hesitation.
Fernando’s eyes widened slightly.
“That long?”
Alberto gave a small nod.
“You were not ready to wake up.”
Fernando shifted slightly, a faint wince crossing his face before he pushed himself up, though the movement was slow and careful.
“You should not force yourself,” Alberto said, his hand hovering slightly as if ready to support him.
Fernando shook his head lightly.
“I am fine.”
His gaze shifted past Alberto, landing on the figure standing a short distance away.
Samael.
Or rather, Rhett.
Fernando held his gaze for a moment, something passing through his expression before he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, though his balance was not entirely steady.
Alberto moved instinctively, though Fernando raised his hand slightly.
“I can stand.”
Alberto hesitated, then stepped back slightly.
Fernando took a step forward.
Then another.
Until he stood directly in front of Rhett.
There was a pause.
A silence that held more than words.
Then, without warning, Fernando dropped to his knees.
Alberto’s eyes widened slightly.
“Fernando?”
Rhett’s expression shifted, a faint surprise crossing his face.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his tone low.
Fernando lowered his head slightly, his voice steady though there was a weight behind it.
“I owe you an apology.”
Rhett remained still.
“For what?”
Fernando exhaled slowly.
“For not trusting you,” he said, lifting his gaze slightly, “and for what my father did to your parents and your pack.”
The words were not rushed.
They carried meaning.
Rhett’s eyes held his for a moment, studying him.
“That is in the past,” he said after a pause.
Fernando shook his head slightly.
“It may be in the past, but it still matters.”
Rhett’s expression softened just a little.
“You are not your father.”
Fernando’s gaze remained steady.
“That does not erase what happened.”
Rhett stepped forward, reaching down and gripping Fernando’s arm firmly before pulling him up.
“You do not kneel to me,” he said, his voice calm but firm.
Fernando allowed himself to be pulled up, though his posture remained respectful.
Rhett looked at him closely.
“What matters now is what you do moving forward.”
Fernando held his gaze.
“Then I will make it right.”
Rhett gave a small nod.
“That is enough.”
There was a brief silence.
Then Fernando’s expression shifted slightly, something lighter touching it.
“So,” he said, glancing briefly at Alberto before returning his gaze to Rhett, “should I send a delegation and gifts to you?”
Rhett raised a brow slightly.
“For what?”
Fernando’s lips curved faintly.
“To honor the Alpha of another pack.”
Rhett let out a small breath, something close to a quiet laugh.
“You are already doing too much.”
Fernando shrugged slightly.
“It is expected, is it not?”
Rhett shook his head.
“Take care of my brother,” he said instead, his gaze shifting briefly to Alberto.
Fernando’s expression softened.
“That I will do without question.”
Alberto watched them both, his posture easing slightly as the tension that had existed between them faded into something more stable.
Then his gaze shifted back to Rhett.
“You are leaving?” he asked, his voice carrying a faint edge of reluctance.
Rhett looked at him, his expression calm.
“I have responsibilities now.”
Alberto frowned slightly.
“You just came back.”
Rhett nodded.
“And I cannot stay long.”
Alberto stepped closer.
“You could stay a little longer.”
Rhett’s gaze softened slightly.
“I would if I could.”
Alberto’s shoulders dropped just a little.
“You are an Alpha now?”
Rhett nodded.
“The pack needs me.”
Alberto exhaled quietly.
“I understand.”
There was a brief pause before Rhett stepped forward, placing a hand on Alberto’s shoulder.
“You are not alone anymore,” he said.
Alberto nodded once.
“I know.”
Fernando stepped closer, his posture steadier now.
“Before you leave,” he said, his voice regaining some of its earlier strength, “there is something we must do.”
Rhett looked at him.
“What is it?”
Fernando’s gaze shifted toward Alberto briefly before returning.
“We make it known.”
Rhett’s expression did not change.
“Known?”
Fernando nodded.
“That your pack and ours stand together.”
Alberto’s eyes lifted slightly.
Rhett studied them both before giving a small nod.
“Then say it.”
Later that day, the pack gathered.
The courtyard filled once more, though this time not for battle, but for something else, something steadier, something that spoke of what would come next rather than what had been lost.
Lucia stood near the front, her posture composed as she observed the gathering, while the guards lined the space, their presence strong though no longer strained.
Alberto stood beside Fernando, his expression calm though his eyes held depth.
Rhett stood opposite them, his posture straight, his presence carrying the quiet authority of someone who had endured and returned stronger.
Fernando stepped forward.
His voice carried clearly.
“Today is not about war,” he said, his gaze moving across those gathered, “it is about what we build after it.”
The pack listened.
“We have lost,” he continued, “but we have also gained.”
His gaze shifted to Rhett.
“A brother whom we all know to be our gamma but today I announce and introduce him as the alpha of the Dark Crest.”
Rhett remained still, his expression steady.
Fernando continued.
“From this day forward, the Dark Crest stands as our brother pack.”
A murmur moved through the crowd, though it was not one of resistance.
It was one of acceptance.
“Not just in word,” Fernando added, his voice firm, “but in trade, in protection, and in loyalty.”
Alberto stepped forward slightly, his voice softer but just as clear.
“We stand together,” he said.
Rhett inclined his head slightly.
“And we will answer when called.”
Fernando nodded once.
“Then it is done.”
The moment settled.
A foundation laid not in haste, but in understanding.
Rhett turned slightly, his gaze meeting Alberto’s one last time.
“I will return,” he said quietly.
Alberto nodded.
“I will be here waiting for you.”
Rhett gave a small nod before turning, his soldiers already prepared as they began to move.
Alberto watched him go, his expression calm though his eyes followed until he was no longer in sight.
Fernando stepped beside him.
“He will come back,” he said.
Alberto glanced at him briefly.
“I know.”
Fernando’s hand brushed lightly against his.
“And until then?”
Alberto exhaled softly.
“We build.”