Chapter 37 Punishment Of Defiance
The council chamber hummed with the low murmur of voices as the elders filed in and took their seats around the heavy oak table. Fernando sat at the head, his frame still bearing the marks of prolonged weakness, though his eyes burned with renewed focus. Corvin led the group, followed by Sabine, Rolf, Mara, Halric, and Veyne. Darius and Samael flanked Fernando, while Mira stood near the door.
Corvin spoke first, his voice carrying the weight of the gathered elders. “Alpha, we come with a request. Your strength has not fully returned. The pack faces threats on every border, and decisions cannot wait for full recovery. We ask that you go to the ancient home in the high valley, the sanctuary reserved for Alphas in times of trial. Allow Darius to lead the pack in your stead until you are whole.”
Fernando turned his gaze to Darius. “Are you prepared to take command?”
Darius met his eyes without hesitation. “Yes. I will hold the pack together and keep our borders secure.”
Fernando nodded slowly. “Then it is done. Darius will act as Alpha in my absence. You will have full authority over the pack’s affairs.”
Sabine leaned forward. “The ancient home offers isolation and healing resources unavailable here. It will allow you to recover without the constant demands of leadership.”
Fernando looked around the table. “Samael, you will oversee all military matters. Not just your western unit, but every soldier, every patrol, every defense. The borders must remain unbreakable.”
Samael inclined his head. “It will be done.”
Fernando turned to Mira. “Call Alberto. He will accompany me to the ancient home.”
Mira’s expression remained steady. “He cannot come with you. Alberto left with a group of slaves assigned to the deep mines three days ago. The work gang will be gone for two months. There is no way to retrieve him before departure.”
Fernando’s jaw tightened. “Understood. There is one matter that must be settled before I leave.”
He raised his voice to address the guards stationed near the doors. “Bring the slaves who attacked Alberto in the lower corridor. All five of them.”
The guards departed and returned shortly after, forcing five chained figures into the chamber. The slaves knelt in the center of the room, collars of silver biting into their necks, their bodies marked by days in confinement.
Fernando fixed his gaze on the largest among them, the one with the scarred eyebrow and the arm still bound in a crude sling. “You led the attack on Alberto.”
The slave lifted his head. “We sought to end the weakness dragging you down.”
Fernando’s voice cut through the room like a blade. “You presumed to decide my weakness for me. You raised hands against the one bound to my soul. Now you will answer for it.”
He pointed to the scarred slave. “Strip him. Every piece of cloth.”
The guards moved forward, tearing away the slave’s ragged tunic and breeches, leaving him naked and shivering on the cold stone floor.
Fernando continued without pause. “Take your blades and chop away his manhood. Cut it clean from his body.”
The slave’s eyes widened. “Alpha, please—”
“Do it now,” Fernando commanded.
Two guards drew short, heavy blades and forced the slave’s legs apart. The scarred wolf screamed as steel bit into flesh, blood spraying across the floor in a hot arc. The guards worked quickly, severing the organs in brutal, precise strokes. The slave convulsed, bile and blood erupting from his mouth, but he remained alive, gasping through the agony.
Fernando watched impassively. “If he still breathes when the task is finished, cook what you have taken and force him to eat it. Every scrap.”
One of the guards nodded. “Understood.”
The slave writhed, half-choked sobs echoing in the chamber, but Fernando’s attention shifted to the remaining four. “You followed him. You struck blows meant for me through the bond. You will share his punishment.”
He addressed the guards again. “Take them outside. Tear their bodies apart. Divide each one into equal parts. Four limbs, torso, head. Make certain no piece remains whole.”
The four slaves began to beg in unison. “Alpha, mercy—”
“There is no mercy for those who strike at what is mine,” Fernando said. “Execute the order.”
The guards hauled the four remaining slaves from the chamber, their pleas cutting off abruptly as the doors closed behind them. From beyond the walls came the sounds of ripping flesh and snapping bone, the brutal efficiency of wolves carrying out a death sentence.
Fernando rose from his seat. “The matter is settled.”
Corvin spoke carefully. “The punishments are severe.”
“They are necessary,” Fernando replied. “The pack must understand that no one attacks what belongs to me and survives with a whole body.”
Darius stood. “The preparations for your departure will be complete by midday. The ancient home is provisioned.”
Fernando nodded. “I leave today. Mira, you will travel with me.”
Mira inclined her head. “I am ready.”
Sabine addressed the group. “With Darius holding command here and you recovering in the sanctuary, the pack will remain stable.”
Fernando looked to each council member in turn. “Keep the pack from fracturing. Darius speaks with my voice. Obey him as you would obey me.”
Rolf spoke up. “The borders will be held. Your absence will be brief.”
Fernando turned to Darius. “If threats escalate, send word. I will return, recovered or not.”
Darius replied firmly. “I will manage what arises. Focus on your recovery.”
Fernando addressed the room one final time. “There will be no further discussion. The decisions stand. Darius commands here. The traitors to my bond have paid their price.”
The council members rose as Fernando departed the chamber, Mira following close behind. The sounds of the executions continued faintly beyond the walls, a stark reminder of the retribution unleashed.
As Fernando passed through the outer corridors, a guard approached. “The scarred slave still lives, Alpha. The remains have been cooked as ordered.”
Fernando did not break stride. “Force him to eat.”
The guard bowed and retreated to carry out the command.
Mira walked beside Fernando. “The punishments send a clear message.”
“They must,” Fernando said. “No wolf will doubt what happens to those who strike at him through me.”
Later, as preparations for departure continued, Darius spoke to Samael in a quiet corridor. “The executions will quiet any who thought weakness could be exploited.”
Samael nodded. “They will think twice before raising a hand against anything bound to him.”
Fernando paused at the chamber doors and looked back once. “Ensure the pack knows the cost of defiance.”
The council dispersed, the chamber left empty save for the lingering scent of blood and the echoes of screams that marked the finality of Fernando’s judgment.