Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 100: 100

POV Fenrir Dăneşti

I stood transfixed, my eyes locked on the flames as they roared to life before me, curling and leaping with relentless hunger as they consumed Anton’s body.

The fire was a living thing, its tendrils of orange and gold feeding on the wood and flesh, detaching his spirit from the mortal shell that had housed it.

I imagined it rising with the smoke, carried upward on an invisible current to the vale of the dead—a place of peace beyond our reach, where he could finally rest.

The pyre crackled and hissed, the sound a solemn hymn that filled the air, marking the passage of a soul I’d known too well and lost too soon.

A heavy silence blanketed the village and the surrounding forest, as if the world itself paused to mourn. No birds sang, no wind rustled the skeletal branches overhead; even nature seemed to bow its head in reverence for the fallen wolf.

The stillness was profound, broken only by the soft pops of the fire, and it pressed against us all—Dăneşti and forest alike—uniting us in a shared grief that words couldn’t touch.

The pyre bore the Dăneşti runes, their angular shapes etched deep into the wood by my own hands and Andrei’s. Every plank, every splintered edge, had been shaped with care, a labor we’d undertaken together in the dim hours before dawn.

I’d refused to let anyone else touch it—Anton’s final tribute was mine to craft, a duty I claimed with a fierceness I couldn’t explain.

He’d been more than a packmate; throughout his life, he’d been a steadfast friend, a male whose loyalty ran as deep as his blood, someone I could trust without hesitation, eyes closed, heart open.

Building his pyre, carving the runes that would guide him to the beyond, was the least I could do—the only way left to honor the bond we’d shared, now severed by silver and betrayal.

The scent of burning wood wafted through the air, sharp and acrid, mingling with the faint undertone of charred earth as dense smoke billowed upward. It formed a thick, gray cloud that hovered briefly above our heads before dissipating into the overcast sky, carrying with it the last traces of Anton’s presence.

I breathed it in, the smell grounding me even as it stung my eyes, a tangible reminder of what we’d lost.

Alexandra was to my left, tears overflowing from her eyes, while Mihaela tried to console her, but to no avail. Andrei occupied the chair to my right, his expression stern, jaw clenched, and his gaze fixed on the fire that made the last tribute to our oldest friend.

The heat of the fire warmed my face, contrasting with the cold that was setting in.

When the flames dwindled, the pack members walked in silence towards the center of the village, where the celebration in honor of Anton's life would take place.

I didn’t stand up; I remained still before the flames.

I felt Savannah in the last moments. Not enough to locate her, but enough to know which direction I should take.

A small snowstorm formed, and frozen droplets fell onto our heads. All of them had gone, except for me, Alexandra, Mihaela, and Andrei.

No one said anything, no one uttered a single word. There was nothing to say that would be enough, nothing that would represent what we felt for Anton.

"Did you locate Savannah?" Alexandra sniffled, after long minutes of sepulchral silence.

I watched the snow melt upon contact with the heat of the flaming embers. Anton's body no longer existed, and his soul should have already reached the vale where he would spend the rest of his days hunting and feeling pure happiness, but still, I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t accept his untimely and imminent death.

"Just a little," I whispered. "They’re keeping her sedated. I think the lapses I feel are the moments when the sedative fades and she wakes up."

"And now? What are you going to do?" she asked.

I blinked, feeling the sting in my eyes from staring at the fire for so long.

"I’ll go get her and bring her back home."

Andrei sighed.

"I’ll go with you," he said, determined. "I need to clear my mind and tear some hearts out of the Eclipse wolves."

I nodded in agreement.

I finally turned my gaze away from the pyre and faced Alexandra.

"I won’t be around, and neither will Andrei. I don’t trust anyone else, except you two. I need you to look after the pack while I’m gone."

She rubbed the tip of her finger across her eyes, wiping away the new tears that had gathered.

"As long as you promise me you’ll bring Savannah home and that you’ll kill every single one of those damn wolves." Her lips trembled with a sob. "Just killing Marilyn isn’t enough to avenge Anton’s death."

I nodded.

"I’ll kill all of them, Alexandra. Every single one who, in some way, was responsible for what happened. And I won’t rest until my hands are covered in their blood."

"What’s the plan?" Mihaela asked.

I glanced at Anton’s pyre, the fire was growing weaker, with only a little left to keep it burning.

"I’ll gather a team, some trustworthy men, and then we’ll march to Savannah. I don’t know where Hunter is with her right now, but I’m almost certain he’ll take her to his pack."

"Are we killing them all?" Andrei hissed.

"All of them," I confirmed.

He stood up in one motion, staring at the pyre one last time before turning to me. The hardness in his expression was something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Andrei was always laid-back and playful; it was as if a part of him had died along with his friend.

"Can I call the men? We can start getting things ready."

"Yes. I need you to summon the men you trust most to accompany us, and another group to be responsible for the village’s security. I’ll be gone, and we can’t risk being attacked while I’m away."

He nodded and turned away from Anton’s pyre, walking toward the celebration in his honor. He was determined and thirsty for revenge, just as I was.

I needed to go after Savannah; the longer I stayed still, the farther away she’d get from me. But I had a duty to fulfill for my friend, one last tribute.

Savannah was sedated, and so far, fine. If what Marilyn had said was true, Hunter would try to break our bond to have her back as his fiancée and future wife.

But I would never, ever allow that. She was mine, and she belonged to me.

I looked at Alexandra and Mihaela.

"I don’t believe anything will happen in my absence, but if you need help, call for Jax," I instructed. "Of the Carpathian alphas, he’s the only one I trust, and he won’t hesitate to come help you."

"Are you going to inform the elders of your departure?" Alexandra inquired.

I shook my head.

"I don’t need approval for what I’m about to do. Whether they consent or not, I’m going after Savannah. Informing them would only delay my departure, and I won’t allow that to happen."

"We’re here to support you, Fenrir, whatever your decision," Mihaela declared.

Alexandra sighed.

"Just, please, bring Sava back home." She swallowed hard. "Our family will never be complete without Anton, but we can’t lose her too. Her place is here, with us."

"Savannah will come back to us," I promised.

The fire from the pyre dwindled at last, its once-fierce flames guttering into embers that glowed faintly before surrendering to ash. Anton’s tribute was complete, the final threads of his presence severed, taking him from our lives forever.

A hollow stillness followed, the crackling hymn of the fire replaced by the muted rustle of wind through the trees.

I tilted my head back, my gaze lifting to the dark sky above—a vast, starless expanse shrouded in thick, roiling clouds that pressed down like a weight on the world below.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I closed my eyes and prayed.

The words came haltingly at first, a silent offering whispered from the depths of my soul. I thanked Anton—for the years of unwavering partnership, for the loyalty that had bound us tighter than blood, for the friendship that had steadied me through storms, and for the trust he’d placed in me without question.

I prayed he’d find peace in the afterlife, that the vale of the dead would cradle him in serenity, granting him the eternal happiness he deserved after a life cut too short.

My chest tightened with each thought, gratitude and grief twisting together, and I held onto the image of him—smiling, free—until the prayer faded into the quiet.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me from my reverie.

I opened my eyes to see Andrei returning, his broad frame leading a considerable group of men through the shadowed clearing. They moved with purpose, their boots crunching softly against the frost-kissed earth, and stopped before me in a disciplined line.

Silence fell again, thick and expectant, as they stood waiting, their gazes fixed on me.

I knew each face—every weathered line, every scar earned in battles past—names and stories etched into my memory from years of standing shoulder to shoulder.

Their eyes burned with anticipation, a shared fire flickering within them: a thirst for vengeance, a raw, unspoken desire to strike back at the Eclipses, to make them feel the same gut-wrenching loss that now gnawed at us.

It was a hunger I recognized, one that mirrored the ember smoldering in my own chest, stoked by Anton’s death into something fierce and unyielding.

I straightened, and I cleared my throat.