Chapter 68 The Alpha's Cruelty
Alberto stood in the center of the elite training yard, the midday sun casting harsh shadows across the packed earth. The chalk circles from the previous matches were still visible, scuffed and blood-stained from the violence that had unfolded. The elites formed a loose ring around him, their faces a mix of confusion and awe. Kael knelt nearby, rubbing his newly healed wrists, his reformed eyes blinking in the light. Lucia stood beside him, her tunic still open at the back where Alberto had revealed the scar. Fernando remained on the podium, flanked by Darius and Samael, his expression unreadable. Mira hovered at the edge, her healing bag slung over her shoulder.
Alberto's voice rang clear, steady despite the blood on his lips from the earlier cough. "This evidence shows Kael cannot claim anyone as his mate nor reproduce. The scars prove he sacrificed those abilities to save Lucia from the midnight wolf. The lady who testified against him surely lies. She accused him of fathering a child, but Kael is incapable."
The yard fell silent. The elites exchanged glances, some murmuring in low tones. Kael looked up at Alberto with gratitude, while Lucia clutched his arm, tears in her eyes.
Fernando's face darkened, his eyes narrowing as he processed the words. He stood slowly, his presence commanding the yard's attention. "Bring the lady from the prison. Now."
Two guards bowed and rushed toward the keep's lower levels where the prisons were located. The yard waited in tense silence, the only sound the wind rustling the banners on the walls and the distant calls of birds circling overhead.
Minutes stretched like hours. Fernando paced the podium, his boots thudding against the wood, his fists clenched at his sides. Darius and Samael stood ready, their expressions grim. The elites shifted uneasily, the revelation hanging heavy in the air.
The guards returned at a run, faces pale. They dropped to one knee before Fernando. "Alpha, the lady is dead. She bit her tongue and bled out in her cell."
Fernando's anger exploded. He slammed his fist into the podium railing, splintering wood. "Dead? How convenient."
The yard recoiled at the outburst. Darius stepped forward. "She took the secret with her."
Fernando's voice was a low growl. "She lied to frame Kael. But why?"
Alberto spoke up. "To weaken you, Alpha. To break the bond by killing me. The plot runs deeper."
Fernando turned to Alberto, his expression softening slightly for a moment before hardening again. "I appreciate your intervention, Alberto. You risked much to reveal this. But that does not mean you will not be punished for defying me in the yard."
Alberto bowed his head. "I accept whatever judgment you deem fit."
Fernando looked at Kael and Lucia. "As for you two, I would have banished you for keeping this secret. But you have sacrificed much for the pack and your lives. You will remain in the elite warriors, but you will not be granted freedom. You are reduced to common slaves. You will serve the pack in any way required."
Kael and Lucia dropped to their knees. "Thank you, Alpha. We are grateful for your mercy."
Fernando waved a hand. "Rise and return to your duties."
They stood and left the circle, heads low but relief evident in their postures.
Fernando's gaze returned to Alberto. "Guards. Tie him to the wooden platform. Fifty lashes."
Two guards stepped forward, seizing Alberto by the arms and dragging him to the center of the yard where a wooden platform stood, equipped with posts for binding. They tied his wrists to the posts, stretching his arms wide, and ripped his tunic from his back, exposing his skin.
Darius and Samael screamed in unison. "Alpha, no!"
Fernando's eyes flashed. "You question me? Tie them up as well. Seventy lashes each for defying the Alpha's decision."
Guards rushed forward, binding Darius and Samael to nearby posts. They struggled briefly, but Fernando's command held them still.
Alberto looked at Fernando, his voice steady. "Thank you for the mercy, Alpha."
The elite training yard fell into a heavy silence after Fernando's order, the midday sun casting harsh shadows across the chalk circles and blood-stained ground. The wooden platform stood stark in the center, its posts scarred from past punishments, ropes hanging limp and ready. Alberto stood bound to it, wrists tied high above his head, back exposed to the air. His tunic lay in shreds at his feet, the scars from the past wounds still visible beneath the fresh cuts from the matches. The elites formed a loose ring, their faces a mix of shock and unease. Darius and Samael were tied to nearby posts, their arms stretched wide, backs bared, expressions grim but defiant. Mira stood at the edge of the circle, her hands clasped tightly, pity etched in every line of her face.
Fernando sat on the podium, his gaze fixed on Alberto, unyielding. Two guards held whips of braided leather, tips embedded with small metal barbs designed to tear flesh with each strike. The crowd of pack wolves who had gathered to watch murmured softly, but no one dared speak against the Alpha's decision.
"Begin with Alberto," Fernando said, voice flat. "Fifty lashes."
The first guard stepped forward, uncoiling the whip with a snap that echoed like a crack of thunder. Alberto closed his eyes, his body tensing for the impact. The whip whistled through the air and landed across his back with a wet crack. Flesh tore open in a line of fire, blood welling immediately. Alberto's body jerked, but he bit back the scream, his teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.
Mira winced, her hands covering her mouth as she watched the wound open, deep and ragged. She knew the pain would be excruciating, the barbs designed to rip rather than cut clean.
The second lash followed quickly, crossing the first in an X that split skin further. Blood sprayed with the impact, spattering the ground. Alberto groaned low in his throat, but still no scream escaped.
The guard alternated sides, the third lash landing on his lower back, tearing through muscle. Alberto's knees buckled slightly, the ropes holding him up. Blood ran in rivulets down his legs, soaking his breeches.
Mira's eyes filled with tears. She had healed him so many times, watched him suffer in silence. This was cruel, unnecessary. She wanted to protest, but the Alpha's word was law not when the person his annoyed with refuse to beg for mercy.
The fourth lash opened a gash across his shoulders, the barbs catching and pulling flesh as the whip withdrew. Alberto's head fell forward, sweat mixing with blood.
By the tenth lash, his back was a lattice of open wounds, skin hanging in strips. Blood pooled at his feet, the ground turning muddy. Alberto's breaths came in short gasps, his body shaking.
The elites shifted uneasily. Kael and Lucia stood at the front, faces pale, knowing they owed their freedom to Alberto's intervention.
The fifteenth lash crossed an existing wound, reopening it with a fresh spray of blood. Alberto finally cried out, a sharp sound of agony that echoed across the yard.
Mira's pity deepened. She could see the wounds opening wider with each strike, the flesh raw and exposed. Her hands itched to heal him, but she could only watch.
Samael and Darius hung silent, their own backs bared, waiting for their turn. Samael's face was a mask of controlled rage, a low groan escaping his lips as he watched Alberto endure. Darius's jaw clenched, a silent groan of frustration building in his chest. They had questioned the Alpha, and now they would pay alongside the one they had tried to protect.
The lashes continued, the guard's arm rising and falling in rhythm. By the thirtieth, Alberto's back was a ruin, wounds overlapping in a mess of torn flesh and exposed muscle. Blood flowed freely, his body sagging against the ropes.
He fainted after the forty-fifth lash, head lolling forward, body limp.
The guard stopped and looked to Fernando. "Alpha, he has fainted."
Fernando's expression remained unmoved. "Wake him up. Pour cold water on his face."
A guard grabbed a bucket from the well and dumped icy water over Alberto's head. Alberto jerked awake, gasping, water mixing with blood and running down his face.
Fernando nodded. "Complete his punishment." He said looking unfazed.
The yard was stunned. Whispers rippled through the elites. "Does the Alpha not care about the keeper?" one murmured. "He favors him, yet this?"
The final five lashes landed on his ravaged back, each one reopening wounds and drawing fresh blood. Alberto screamed with the last one, his voice hoarse and broken.
The guards released him. He fell forward onto his knees, then face-first into the bloody mud, body covered in blood and open wounds, barely breathing.
Alberto pushed himself up slowly, tears falling from his face, mixing with the blood. He crawled forward a few steps, then staggered to his feet. He dragged himself to the podium and bowed low to Fernando, blood dripping from his chin.
"Thank you for the mercy, Alpha," Alberto said, voice weak but steady.
Fernando waved a hand. "Dismissed."
Alberto turned and dragged his feet away, each step a trail of blood.
Kael and Lucia rushed forward to help him.
Fernando's voice stopped them. "No one assists Alberto. He walks alone."
They froze, pity in their eyes.
Fernando stood. "And Alberto, you are assigned to watchnight guard duty tonight. Go prepare."
Alberto bowed again, tears falling freely, and dragged his feet out of the yard falling on the way.
Mira rushed after Fernando as he walked away. "Alpha, was that not too cruel? Even if you were mad at what Alberto said" She accused him with her voice slightly raised
Fernando stopped, turning to her. "I am only treating him as the slave he claims he is. Do not question my decision again, Mira. I let this go today."
He walked away, leaving Mira standing in silence.
The yard emptied slowly, the pack whispering about the Alpha's cruelty.