Chapter 41: Full Responsibility
Chapter 41: Full Responsibility
(Celeste’s POV)
The Alpha King’s grand council chamber was as suffocating as I imagined. Every inch of the
room radiated power.
The walls lined with towering wolf carvings seemed to stare down at me, their stony gazes
pressing against my trembling form.
The air was heavy, thick with the dominance of the Alpha King himself, whose violet eyes
made even the fiercest warriors lower their heads.
Alpha James knelt in submission before the royal throne. The sight of my once–proud adoptive father, his golden aura dimmed under the crushing force of the King’s dominance,
made my heart ache.
I couldn’t tell whether it was guilt or anger swirling in my chest. Perhaps both.
“My King,” James began, his voice steady despite the heavy oppression in the chamber. “As Alpha of the Winters Pack, I bear full responsibility for my son Lucas’s impulsive actions. He acted out of turn at the Sacred Moon Temple. I do not deny his error.”
James’s wolf lowered itself completely to the ground in total submission. It was agonizing to
watch.
He continued, “However, Royal Highness Marcus’s response was within reason given the circumstances.” His head remained bowed low, his every word calculated, cautious.
I swallowed hard. James had no choice. He couldn’t afford to challenge Marcus, not as the nephew of the Alpha King. The Winters Pack, despite its strength, would crumble under the weight of royal wrath.
The Alpha King’s piercing violet gaze shifted, sweeping across the room. When his cold eyes landed on Alexander, I felt a shiver run through me despite the distance separating us.
“Beta Steele,” the Alpha King said, tones crisp with authority. “You were present. What is judgment on this… incident?”
your
Alexander’s white wolf flickered beneath the surface. It was subtle, but I could sense its
tension. His ice–blue eyes were unreadable as he stepped forward.
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18 Point:
Chapter 41: Full Responsibility
“My King,” Alexander said, his voice even, firm. “The fault lies with both parties.”
Every word that followed felt deliberate, as though he had weighed his response for days.
instead of mere moments.
“Celeste,” Alexander glanced my way, his icy gaze cold and detached, “was unwise in her
words and actions. She provoked Lucas’s anger, though his reaction far exceeded what is
acceptable under pack code.”
I froze, his words slicing through me like a blade. The tight, shameful silence following his
statement made my scars burn anew.
He didn’t stop. “Similarly, Royal Highness Marcus’s intervention, while justified to prevent
further harm, escalated the situation unnecessarily. Both parties suffered injury. Allowing this
matter to rest may prevent further upset between the Winters Pack and royal bloodline.”
His diplomatic tone barely masked the tension rippling through the room. Or perhaps it was
just me who noticed the strain in his posture, the faint bristle of his wolf beneath his icy
exterior.
The Alpha King shifted slightly on his throne, his expression impassive. For a moment, the
tense silence lingered, wrapping around the chamber like a vice. Then, he nodded.
“Very well,” he declared, his deep voice resonating. “The matter shall rest here. No further
action will be taken.”
The collective exhale from the pack leaders was nearly audible. I ought to have felt relief. But
dread still churned in the pit of my stomach.
Suddenly, the heavy chamber doors creaked open. Heads turned in unison as two royal guards
half–carried Marcus into the room. Every breath I took stilled as they lowered him onto a chair
near mine.
Blood soaked through his once–pristine shirt. The bitter, metallic scent filled the air, mixing
with the sharp tang of wolfsbane that still clung to his weakened form.
For a man as arrogant as Marcus, to see him in this state should have brought me relief.
Instead, it made my wolf whimper quietly.
Silver scars crisscrossed his back, glowing faintly under the moonlight filtering into the
chamber. My scars burned in response, the phantom pain clawing at my mind. The same
chains that had broken me now marked him.
“Pathetic,” I whispered under my breath, too quiet for anyone to hear.
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*8 Point
Chapter 41: Full Responsibility
Marcus, slouched slightly, turned his head toward me. His violet eyes–those cruel, calculating eyes that always held the upper hand–softened ever so slightly. Or he wanted me to think. they had.
“My wolf endures worse,” he murmured for my ears alone. Yet the corners of his lips quirked into what I could only describe as a performance of tenderness.
The room seemed to hold its breath. From the outside, I realized what this looked like. A
dangerous royal wolf and the disgraced daughter, both bound by silver scars that told a story nobody else truly knew.
As Marcus offered me a mirage of vulnerability, I caught sight of a brief, knowing glance
exchanged between Regina and Victoria along the chamber walls. Their silent communication
made my stomach tighten. They saw through this game, just as I did.
“Enough,” Regina’s clear, cold voice broke the long silence. She stepped forward, her
authoritative presence demanding everyone’s attention as she addressed the Alpha King.
“Marcus and Celeste are clearly in need of care. I request that the council excuse them to the
royal healing chambers until both are properly attended to.”
The King gave a curt nod, waving his hand dismissively. “Make it so.
I didn’t wait for another word. Relief mingled with unease as I obeyed the royal attendants who
came to escort me.
Each step out of the suffocating chamber felt like shedding a weight I had carried for far too
long.
The healer’s skilled hands worked swiftly, redressing the silver burns that lined my arms and
back. I grit my teeth, suppressing every wince.
Pain flared with each movement, but I remained silent. I wouldn’t give anyone here, not even
the healer, the satisfaction of seeing my weakness.
“Your pain threshold is impressive,” the healer commented softly. I didn’t answer. What could I
say? That four years of imprisonment had turned me numb to it?
The healer briefly mentioned Marcus’s condition as she worked. He had been moved to
another section of Regina’s chambers to recover. Apparently unconscious or fainted, though I
could hardly summon the will to care.
When she finished, I rose to leave with careful, deliberate movements. Every step was a quiet
revolt against the intense exhaustion threatening to claim me. I needed to return to the Winter
Pack house. To Eleanor.
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Chapter 41: Full Responsibility
I hoped against reason that none of this would reach her ears. The thought of her wolf
enduring the strain of these events was unbearable.
A royal guard escorted me through the lavish estate. The estate’s grandeur felt more sinister, suffocating rather than inviting. My wolf remained quiet, exhausted by everything that had
transpired.
As we passed the ancient moonstone formations that marked the northernmost border of the royal grounds, a powerful hand gripped my arm, jerking me sharply into the shadows.
I gasped, panic rising, but a familiar scent–both comforting and maddening–washed over
- me.
Alexander.
The moonlight filtering through the jagged moonstones illuminated his features. His ice–blue eyes glowed faintly against the dark, filled with something too complicated to name. Anger? Frustration? Desperation? Perhaps all three.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” His voice was low and furious, brimming with restrained
emotion.
His words stung, more than I wanted to admit. “What do you think I’ve been doing for the past
four
years, Alexander?” My voice, brittle and sharp, forced him to flinch slightly.
We stood too close. His hands hovered near my injured back, careful not to brush against the still–raw burns. There was barely enough space for me to breathe, yet neither of us moved to
widen the gap.
“Why do you keep throwing yourself into this madness?” His voice cracked slightly, though his ice–blue eyes remained fiercely locked on mine.
“And what about you? Playing the neutral warrior at every turn as if you-” My voice broke, anger and unspoken words choking me before I could finish.
His wolf stirred, a faint growl rumbling beneath his carefully controlled exterior. For a fraction of a second, I thought the space between us would shatter altogether. That words alone
wouldn’t be enough.
But the silence that followed was louder than anything we’d dared to say.
