Chapter 99 Bastard
Alberto stormed into his room in the main pack house and slammed the door shut behind him. He walked straight to the mirror, peeled off the silicone mask stuck to his face, and dropped it into the disposal bin without a second glance. His skin felt raw underneath, flushed and marked with shallow cuts from the fight outside the gate. Blood stained the collar of his dress, dark and sticky.
He stripped the dress off, tossed it into the burn pile by the door, and turned on the faucet. Cold water splashed over his face as he cleaned the cuts with quick, sharp motions. He didn’t wince. He didn’t pause. He just worked, methodically, like everything else in his life was a task to be finished.
From the wardrobe, he pulled out a high-collared, long-sleeved shirt dark, thick, meant to hide bruises and bites and anything else that might betray weakness. He was buttoning it up when the door burst open.
Fernando stood there, breathing hard, eyes wide with relief. Without a word, he crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Alberto, holding him tight.
"I missed you," Fernando said, voice rough against Alberto’s ear.
Alberto stiffened. Pain shot through his ribs where Fernando’s grip pressed too hard. He shoved him back, stepping out of reach.
"Why are you here?" Alberto asked, voice clipped. "And how did you even know I was in this room?"
"I smelled your scent," Fernando said. "Followed it. You always leave traces, even when you think you don’t."
"Then leave," Alberto said. "I’m not in the mood for this."
Fernando didn’t move. He took a step closer. "You’ve been avoiding me for days."
"I’ve been busy."
"Too busy to answer my calls? Too busy to show up to even see how I was fairing or give some support?"
"That was politics," Alberto said. "This is personal. And right now, I don’t want you here."
Fernando looked at him for a long moment, then reached out and cupped his jaw. "You say that, but your body says something else."
Before Alberto could respond, Fernando kissed him.
It wasn’t gentle. It was desperate, hungry, like Fernando had been starving for this for him and couldn’t wait another second. And despite everything, the anger, the silence, the way Fernando had dismissed him in front of the council Alberto kissed him back. His hands gripped Fernando’s coat, pulling him closer even as his mind screamed at him to stop.
Then Fernando pulled away, just enough to look into his eyes. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"How did you feel?" Fernando asked, voice low, teasing. "Didn’t you just tell me to leave?"
Alberto stared at him, breath uneven, heart pounding. The warmth of the kiss still lingered, but it curdled fast into something bitter. He raised his hand and slapped Fernando across the face. The sound cracked through the room.
Fernando’s head turned slightly from the force, but he didn’t step back. He just looked at Alberto, stunned, hand rising slowly to his stinging cheek.
Alberto’s voice was quiet, trembling with fury. "You might be the alpha. And yes, I might just be your slave, your bed warmer, like you so kindly tagged me in front of the council last week. But my feelings aren’t yours to play with. My pride isn’t something you can take whenever you feel lonely or guilty or bored."
He took a step back, then another, his eyes never leaving Fernando’s. "Don’t ever kiss me again like I’m something you can just pick up and put down when it suits you."
Without another word, Alberto turned and walked out of the room, leaving Fernando standing alone in the silence he’d shattered.
Alberto stormed out of the room, his chest tight, eyes burning. He didn’t look where he was going. The hallway blurred around him, his vision swimming with unshed tears he refused to let fall. He turned the corner too fast and collided hard with someone standing in the corridor.
Hot liquid splashed everywhere.
Eliana gasped as her cup of hot chocolate spilled all over her dress. The ceramic shattered on the floor, shards skittering across the tiles. She stared at Alberto, stunned for half a second then her face twisted in fury.
"Are you blind?" she snapped.
Before Alberto could respond, she raised her hand and slapped him once, twice hard across both cheeks. The sound cracked through the hallway like gunfire.
Alberto staggered back, blinking, still dazed from everything that had just happened. He opened his mouth, but no words came out instead tears rolled down his face.
Just then, Darius and Samael rounded the corner. They took in the scene in an instant Eliana fuming, Alberto pale and trembling, cocoa dripping from her sleeves and moving without hesitation.
Darius stepped between them while Samael pulled Alberto behind him, shielding him with his body.
"Have you lost your mind?" Darius demanded, voice sharp. "You’re just a guest here. A contestant in the mate duel. You don’t get to slap anyone especially not him."
Eliana’s eyes widened. "He ran into me! Poured hot chocolate all over me and didn’t even apologize!"
Samael tightened his grip on Alberto’s arm. "He didn’t pour it on you. You were holding it. Accidents happen."
"This isn’t about accidents," Eliana shot back, voice rising. "It’s about respect!"
The argument escalated fast, voices overlapping, tempers flaring until Fernando appeared at the end of the hall.
Eliana saw him first. Her expression shifted instantly. Tears welled in her eyes as she rushed toward him, arms outstretched.
"Fernando!" she cried. "This filthy thing here hit me! After he poured that drink on me, he just… struck me!"
Fernando’s gaze snapped to Alberto, who stood frozen in Samael’s hold, face still stinging from Eliana’s slaps, eyes red-rimmed and raw.
Fernando’s voice was low, controlled but disappointment dripped from every word. "If you want to vent out your anger, direct it at me. Not at others."
Alberto stared at him. Stunned. Betrayed. Again.
Without thinking, he wrenched himself free from Samael’s grip and strode straight up to Eliana. Before anyone could react, he slapped her once, twice matching the force she’d used on him.
Then he turned to Fernando, eyes blazing, and kicked him hard in the groin.
"You bastard," Alberto said, voice shaking.
Fernando doubled over with a choked gasp, collapsing to one knee. The hallway fell dead silent.