Chapter 38: Jealousy
Chapter 38: Jealousy
(Celeste’s POV)
+8 Points
Marcus didn’t move. His predator’s gaze swept over the scene, cold and calculating as if he were deciding exactly how to play his next move. His violet eyes lingered on Lucas, pressed to
the ground with Scarlett wrapped protectively over him, then slid to me.
The suffocating weight of his dominance pressed against every inch of my battered body. My wolf whimpered timidly, too weak to resist, too scarred to trust the one claiming to protect us.
I tried not to stagger as I stood, my silver–scarred body trembling with effort. I wouldn’t give
him the satisfaction of seeing me collapse. Marcus tilted his head slightly, the shadow of a
smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
Then Alexander’s voice cut through the suffocating tension like a blade.
“This is a disciplinary matter, Royal Highness,” he said steadily, his tone calm but laced with
authority.
All heads turned sharply. The controlled, deliberate way Alexander spoke reminded me why he
was the Alpha King’s strongest warrior. Even Marcus paused, raising one dark brow in faint
amusement.
Alexander’s ice–blue eyes locked with Marcus’s violet ones without flinching, as if daring him
to push further. “It’s internal to the Winters Pack. You’re interfering in pack business.”
The air shifted, crackling with unsaid threats. My breath stalled as Marcus chuckled lightly,
the sound both condescending and deadly.
“Pack business?” Marcus’s smirk widened. His voice dripped with mockery. “Is that what you
call it, Alexander Steele?”
Alexander didn’t react outwardly, but I noticed his jaw tighten ever so slightly.
Marcus crossed the room with deliberate slowness, each step echoing against the temple’s polished stone floor. When he stopped inches away from Alexander, the stark difference between their wolves‘ aura filled the space.
His voice dipped into a venomous whisper meant for everyone to hear. “Was it also ‘pack
business‘ when the Winters chose silence while she was dragged to Moon Shadow Prison?
When she endured years of silver chains and wolfsbane water? Tell me, Beta Alexander, was
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Chapter 38: Jealousy
your silence then… discipline?”
A ripple of unease fluttered through the crowd, muted whispers breaking out from the
surrounding wolves.
I stiffened, the raw truth of Marcus’s words cutting through me. My violet eyes darted in
Alexander’s direction, trying desperately to read his expression.
But his face remained a mask of neutrality. Except for his wolf. It surged beneath his skin,
briefly flickering in his ice–blue eyes before he wrestled it back under control.
“Your attempt to deflect the severity of your actions is interesting, Royal Highness,” Alexander
said finally, his voice colder than ice. “But let’s not confuse theatrics with justice.”
I glanced between them nervously, my heart racing as their unspoken battle simmered.
“Justice?” Marcus repeated with a soft, mocking laugh. He turned sharply, his violet eyes
locking onto me.
“Justice would be ensuring no wolf dares lay their hands on you again, my chosen mate.”
His words struck like a whip, making me flinch visibly. His gaze darted to Lucas, still shackled under the guards, and the smirk on his face dropped into something dangerous.
“Guards,” Marcus barked, his tone like steel.
The guards immediately snapped to attention.
“Show him what discipline feels like under the weight of silver,” he commanded sharply.
“No!” Scarlett screamed, lunging forward with renewed desperation.
But the guards moved swiftly, dragging Lucas to his feet despite Scarlett’s sobbing protests. His golden eyes burned stubbornly, his wolf snarling weakly against the weight of their shared dominance.
“Stop! Please!” Scarlett begged, clawing at the guards.
Nina moved silently to stand near me. I could feel her trembling despite her stoic posture. Her silvery–gray wolf bristled with unrest as Marcus continued.
“Let this be a lesson,” Marcus declared, addressing the gathered wolves. His violet eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Disregard for royal choices comes at a price.”
I swayed slightly. My legs barely held steady beneath the venomous tension lingering in the
air.
+9 Point!
Chapter 38: Jealousy
Marcus turned toward me once more, his sharp features softening into something almost resembling faux concern. He stepped closer, and I flinched when his hands wrapped firmly
around my shoulders.
“Too much excitement for one night, little wolf,” he murmured, low enough for only me to hear. His grip was steady but suffocating, his fingers pressing into the edges of my silver scars.
Without waiting for acknowledgment, he lifted me into his arms with unnerving ease.
The sudden movement jarred my already aching body, and I bit my lip to stifle a cry. My arms were pinned against his chest, every scar along my wrists burning from the pressure.
I froze, unsure whether to struggle or submit against the overwhelming display of control.
When I dared glance at the crowd, my stomach twisted.
All eyes were on me.
My gaze locked with Alexander’s, and for the first time, his icy exterior cracked. His ice–blue eyes burned with suppressed emotions–anger, frustration, guilt–things I didn’t dare to
interpret.
But he didn’t move.
Scarlett grabbed at his arm, her tear–streaked face pleading with him. “Help Lucas,” she
whispered urgently.
His fists tightened audibly at his sides before his gaze flicked away.
And just like that, whatever fragile hope I clung to between us shattered completely.
Scarlett had always been his choice. Not me.
Behind me, I heard Lucas’s strained voice escalate into guttural howls as the guards dragged
him away. Each sound stabbed through me, a visceral reminder of everything I couldn’t fix.
Marcus’s grip tightened, his lips by my ear. “See how powerless they are?” he murmured, his tone darkened by possessiveness.
The murmurs of the crowd seemed distant as he carried me from the courtyard–out of the
temple’s suffocating shadows and into the night.
And still, Lucas’s howls haunted me, chasing us into the darkness.
(Alexander’s POV)
I should’ve stopped it earlier.
3/4
8 Points
Chapter 38: Jealousy
My fingers trembled with suppressed rage as Marcus lifted Celeste–a vision of battered
strength–into his arms and carried her from the temple.
My wolf howled inside me, clawing desperately against the walls I’d built.
Not her.
Not Marcus.
But Scarlett’s trembling grip on my arm yanked me back to reality.
“Alec,” she sobbed, her voice cracking against the weight of the moment. Her emerald eyes shimmered with tears that clawed at something deep.
“Please. Please help Lucas. Protect him… the way you always have.”
I glanced toward the guards dragging Lucas’s thrashing form away, his howls piercing the night air. Scarlett buried her face against my arm, clinging tighter.
“You’re the only one who can.”
My fists clenched tightly at my sides, bleeding from the sharp crescents my claws had carved
into the flesh.
I couldn’t look back at Celeste as Marcus disappeared with her. The sight of her fragile body cradled between his predator’s hands burned into my mind like an open wound.
But Scarlett’s voice grew fainter–desperation spilling over, raw and pleading.
“You’re all I have left.”
The words rooted me to the ground. Somewhere in the chaos of my mind, two rising conflicts
clashed brutally within me.
I stayed silent, my wolf quietly keening as decisions we’d continue regretting began to solidify.
