Chapter 8: Scarlett’s Apology
Chapter 8: Scarlett’s Apology
(Celeste’s POV)
Eleanor’s hand in mine felt like holding air. The strength that had once defined her, the power that kept the Winters Pack united, was nearly gone.
Her wolf let out a weak, mournful whine, one that broke what little was left of my heart.
I gripped her frail hand with both of mine, afraid that letting go might somehow make her
disappear altogether.
“Please, stop talking about the others, Elder,” I said softly, almost begging. Her golden eyes,
dulled by time and pain, still held that unmistakable fire.
She smiled faintly, though even that seemed to take effort. “I can’t stop, my dear. The heart
doesn’t know how to stop feeling,” she murmured, her voice cracking.
“Then tell it to learn,” I replied quietly but firmly. My voice wavered, betraying the raw anger burning deep in me. Anger that this pack, this family, was responsible for the state she was in.
Eleanor studied me, her gaze never leaving mine. Her thumb trembled as it brushed against
the scars lining my hand.
“You’re carrying so much, Celeste,” she whispered. “Too much for one wolf to bear.”
I shook my head, my wolf stirring uneasily at her words. “We manage,” I said simply. “There
isn’t another choice.”
She coughed lightly, her body trembling slightly as she leaned back against the chair. Her eyes fluttered closed briefly but opened again with surprising determination.
“There’s always a choice,” she said, her voice firmer now despite the obvious toll it took on her.
“Have you considered… finding your true mate? Perhaps they could ease your burden–help
heal what has been taken from you.”
Her words cut deep, sharper than any blade could. I let out a bitter laugh, short and harsh, the
sound louder than it should have been in the quiet room.
“A true mate?” I repeated coldly, glaring at the floor like it had personally insulted me.
“Yes,” she said softly, her voice kind but persistent.
My laugh turned hollow, bitter. “Elder,” I said, shaking my head. “My wolf doesn’t trust anyone
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Chapter 8: Scarlett’s Apology
anymore. Trust isn’t something we can offer anymore.”
Her face softened with unspeakable sadness. She didn’t try to convince me. She didn’t argue
or push. She simply nodded, her gaze heavy with unspoken sorrow.
“Then you’re staying with me,” I added, breaking the silence. My voice was steady, but my
hands trembled faintly as I spoke. The weight of her frailty was unbearable. “I’ll stay right here by your side. That’s all I need.”
Her wolf whined softly again, a sound barely more than a whisper, but it carried so much
sadness that my chest tightened.
She squeezed my hand lightly, her grip weak but determined, and I held on like my life
depended on it.
Later that night, a knock shattered the uneasy silence of my room. It pulled me from the haze
I’d been left with after sitting beside Eleanor, my thoughts a whirlwind of rage, sadness, and
exhaustion.
I turned toward the door, every part of me bracing instinctively. My voice came out sharper
than I intended. “Nina?”
“No,” came the voice on the other side. Soft. Familiar. Unwelcome.
Scarlett.
My body tensed immediately. My wolf stirred faintly but didn’t rise. She was too tired, too
broken to show anything but faint irritation.
“Leave,” I said without hesitation. My voice was like ice, cold and unfeeling.
“I came alone,” Scarlett’s voice answered quickly, almost defensively. “I… I didn’t bring Sarah. Not anyone.”
Her mention of her personal guard, who had so gleefully helped frame me, only fueled the fire inside me.
“Do you want applause, Scarlett?” I bit out, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Her response came quietly, almost too quietly. “I just need to talk, Celeste.”
My grip tightened on the chair beside me, the wood groaning faintly under the strain. “I have
nothing to say to you,” I spat, turning my back to the door. “Go away.”
There was silence for a moment, but her next words surprised me.
“I’ll wait outside,” she said simply. “Even if it snows. I’ll wait.”
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Chapter 8: Scarlett’s Apology
I froze, unsure if I wanted to laugh at the absurdity or scream at her audacity. My wolf stirred more aggressively this time, protesting the idea of her standing out in the cold, the snow biting at her delicate frame.
Against my better judgment, I inhaled deeply and walked to the door, pulling it open with more force than necessary.
Scarlett stood there, arms wrapped around herself, shivering lightly. Her emerald eyes lifted to meet mine, wide and cautious, her face framed perfectly by the soft moonlight behind her. It would have been poetic if I wasn’t so angry.
“Get in,” I muttered, stepping back.
She moved quickly, slipping inside like she thought I might change my mind if she hesitated. Once inside, she stood awkwardly by the doorway, looking small and unsure.
“I… thank you,” she said softly. Her voice trembled faintly but lacked the sincerity I once believed she was capable of.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the edge of the desk, making no effort to put her at
ease. “Say what you came to say,” I said bluntly, my voice a flat blade cutting through the stale
air.
Scarlett fidgeted with the hem of her dress, her delicate fingers trembling faintly. She cast her
gaze downward, her emerald eyes avoiding mine like they were magnets repelling her.
“I wanted to…” she started, her voice faltering. “I wanted to talk about… the Sacred Moon/
Crystal.”
The moment the words left her lips, something inside me snapped. My fangers dug into the
wood of the desk behind me, my nails biting harsh crescents into the smooth surface. Rage boiled under my skin, threatening to explode.
Of course, she came here for that. That.
“I-” Scarlett continued, rushing the words now. “I wanted to say–if it would help you–if it
could fix what’s broken between us-”
My lips curled into a bitter snarl. “Spit it out, Scarlett.”
Her voice grew softer, more fragile. “You can punish me. If it makes you feel better. If it makes
things… right.”
The hollow laughter that erupted from me startled even myself. I couldn’t help it.
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“Punish you?” I repeated mockingly, standing straighter as I glared at her. My violet eyes bore
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Chapter 8: Scarlett’s Apology
into her tearful emerald ones. “Do you think that’s why I’m angry, Scarlett? Do you think that
would fix anything?”
Her bottom lip trembled, her frame visibly shaking under the weight of my words. But I didn’t
stop. I couldn’t.
“Is that all, Scarlett?” I asked sharply, stepping closer. My wolf stirred faintly, adding to the
pressure building in the room. “Was that your only betrayal?”
She froze like a deer caught in the headlights, her crying worsening now as though she could
drown me in pity.
“When I accepted losing my place to the true daughter, when I tried, despite everything, to hold
onto the bond between us… why did you destroy me?” My voice cracked slightly, but I held
firm.
Her wolf whimpered sharply, its sound faint but pitiful. It sank into me–it sank into the hurt I’d
carried for years.
“My wolf,” I continued, stepping closer, towering over her now as she shrank away slightly, ”
never showed aggression to yours. Never challenged your place here.”
Scarlett gasped softly, her lips parting like she had no idea what to say. Good. For once, she
didn’t have a perfectly rehearsed lie to give me.
“You could’ve had everything,” I said, my voice dropping to a low growl. “Everything without
harming me. Without taking my life. My freedom. My future.”
Her wolf gave another sharp whimper, her entire demeanor trembling like a failed attempt to
stay upright.
I leaned in closer, my voice lowering even more.
“Tell me, Scarlett,” I demanded. “Explain it to me. Why? Why did you choose to break not just the crystal but our bond as well?”
Tears fell freely down her cheeks now, her emerald eyes shimmering pathetically with sadness
-or maybe guilt. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter.
I waited for an answer.
But deep down, I knew she didn’t have one.
