Chapter 51 How It All Started
The sun hung high over the northern pack lands, casting golden light across the courtyard where young Fernando played. At five years old, he was a bundle of boundless energy, his dark hair tousled by the breeze as he chased a worn leather ball across the cobblestones. Laughter bubbled from his lips each time the ball bounced unpredictably, evading his small hands. The keep loomed behind him, its ancient stone walls etched with the symbols of Alphas who had ruled for generations, a constant reminder of the legacy he was born to inherit. His father, Rafael, the current Alpha, was a figure of awe and strength, commanding respect from every wolf in the pack. Fernando idolized him, dreaming of the day he would stand as tall and powerful.
The courtyard gates swung open with a creak that echoed through the air. A woman entered, her steps hesitant, leading a boy by the hand. She was thin, her clothes simple and patched, her face lined with worry and exhaustion. The boy was taller than Fernando, perhaps eight years old, with the same dark hair and sharp features that mirrored Rafael in a way that made Fernando tilt his head in curiosity. The boy clung to his mother's side, his eyes wide and fearful, darting around the unfamiliar surroundings.
Fernando stopped his game, the ball rolling to a halt at his feet. He watched as his mother, Luna Elara, emerged from the keep's main doors. Elara was a vision of grace and strength, her long hair braided with silver threads that caught the sunlight, her presence calming and commanding. But today, her eyes filled with tears as she approached the woman and the boy, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.
The woman fell to her knees before Elara, her voice trembling. "Luna Elara, please. I beg mercy for my son. He has done nothing wrong."
Elara reached out a hand, her voice soft but steady. "Rise, Seline. We will speak inside. Rafael awaits."
Seline stood, clutching her son closer. The boy looked up at Elara with a mix of fear and defiance, his small frame tense.
Fernando toddled closer, curiosity overriding any sense of caution. He looked up at the boy, who stared back with a similar expression. "Want to play?" Fernando asked, holding out his small hand. "The ball is fun. Come, I will show you."
The boy glanced at his mother, who nodded through her own tears, her voice breaking. "Go, Vagus. Play with him. It is all right."
Fernando took the boy's hand and pulled him toward the courtyard's edge, away from the adults who seemed wrapped in a cloud of tension he did not understand. "I am Fernando. What is your name?"
"Vagus," the boy said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Vagus," Fernando repeated, testing the name. "Like my father's name but different. Come, kick the ball high. I bet you can make it fly over the wall."
They played as the adults disappeared into the keep. Fernando laughed when Vagus kicked the ball too hard and it sailed over the low wall into the gardens beyond. Vagus smiled for the first time, a tentative curve of his lips, and chased after it with Fernando at his heels. For that brief afternoon, they were just boys, running and shouting, the weight of the world forgotten in the joy of the game.
Later that night, as the moon rose full and bright over the pack lands, Elara called Fernando to her private chambers. The room was warm, lit by candles and a crackling fire in the hearth. Elara sat on a cushioned bench, her eyes red from crying, her usually composed demeanor cracked. She pulled Fernando onto her lap, holding him close.
"My son," she said gently, her voice thick with emotion. "Today you met a boy named Vagus."
Fernando nodded, snuggling against her. "He is nice. We played ball. He kicked it really far."
Elara took a deep breath, her arms tightening around him. "Vagus is your brother, Fernando. Your father sired him with Seline, a concubine in the pack. He is three years older than you, but you are the true heir. You are the one born to lead. From now on, you must train hard. You must prove yourself worthy to be crowned Alpha when the time comes."
Fernando frowned, his young mind struggling to understand. "Why? Is Vagus bad?"
Elara shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. "No, my love. But he is a threat to your position. Your father loves you both, but the pack follows the strongest. You must be that strength. Vagus's existence means you cannot take anything for granted."
Fernando hugged his mother tightly. "I will train. I will be strong for you and Father."
From that day, resentment took root in Fernando's heart. He hated Vagus for coming into his life and making everything harder. Training sessions that were once play became grueling hours of swordwork, strategy lessons, and endurance drills. Rafael pushed Fernando relentlessly, his voice stern. "You must be better than any who challenge you, son. Vagus is blood, but you are the heir."
Vagus, on the other hand, hated Fernando for stealing every bit of shine. The younger boy was the favored one, the subject of praise and attention, while Vagus endured ridicule as the concubine's son. Whispers followed him through the halls: bastard, second-born, unworthy. "Look at the omega's pup," the other children sneered. "He will never be Alpha."
The hatred festered as they grew. Fernando excelled in every lesson, his father's pride evident in every nod and word of approval. "You will be a great Alpha," Rafael told him after a particularly grueling training day. Vagus grew tall and strong, but his mother's position made him a target for mockery. He trained in secret, pushing himself to outdo Fernando, but every time he succeeded, the pack dismissed it as luck.
A time came when Vagus acted stupidly. At twelve, he snuck into the armory with a group of older wolves who dared him to prove his bravery. He started a fire to show he could handle danger, but the flames spread quickly, consuming the building in minutes.
Fernando's mother, Elara, was nearby and heard the cries. She rushed into the burning armory without hesitation, shielding Vagus with her own body as beams collapsed around them. She dragged him out, but a falling ember struck her eyes, blinding her instantly. The pain was excruciating, but she never screamed, only clutched Vagus and pulled him to safety.
Vargus's mother, Seline, teamed up with some pack members and protested loudly. In the council hall, she argued, "A blind Luna cannot lead. She is unfit. Remove her and appoint a new one who can see the threats to our pack."
Fernando, hiding behind a pillar, heard the plan and got so pissed off he burst into the room. "You are liars!" he shouted at Seline. "My mother is stronger blind than you will ever be! You want her gone because you hate her!"
Vagus reported Fernando to their father, Rafael, pushing the crimes onto his head. "Fernando started the fire, Father," Vagus said, tears in his eyes. "He was jealous of my bravery and wanted to make me look bad."
Rafael, grieving his wife's injury, believed Vagus. Fernando was whipped for a whole day under the rain, lashes cutting deep into his back while Elara wailed from the keep's balcony, her blind eyes turned toward the sound of her son's cries.
Fernando's father got shot with a poisonous arrows in his best friend's pack during a diplomatic visit. Investigation showed Vagus and his mother were involved in a plot to poison him. Rafael killed Seline before succumbing to the poison himself, but made Fernando promise not to kill Vagus, only banish him.