Chapter 54: Mate–To–Be
Chapter 54: Mate–To–Be
(Celeste’s POV)
Nina returned to my side, her hands full of items wrapped in delicate silvery tissue and tied
with small strands of enchanted twine.
She cradled them like fragile treasures as she approached, her silver–gray wolf’s aura clearly
satisfied.
“Lady Celeste.” Her voice was firm but lighter than usual. “The vendor had moon–blessed
berries and healing crystals. I thought they might help, especially with your burns.”
I glanced at the bundle, my brows lifting slightly. The faint, familiar glow of howlstone crystals peeked out from the wrapping, enhanced by soft streaks of moonlight.
I tilted my head, a faint smirk playing at my lips. “You’re spending your guard allowance on me
now?”
Her wolf rumbled softly in a gesture almost like a purr, stubborn pride radiating from her posture. “You know better than to question my priorities.”
I shook my head, my smile lingering longer than I expected. “Generous, aren’t we?”
She shot me a mock glare, a rare light streaking through her otherwise intense gaze. “And you’re welcome.”
For a fleeting moment, the heavy tension of the Blood Moon Market faded. Wolves bustled around us in wide, circular rhythms; every stall carried a distinct energy of its own. The dense auras, however suffocating, seemed far enough removed in this sliver of peace.
But nothing at this festival would remain calm for long.
“Nina.”
The familiar, clipped tone sent ripples of unease down my spine.
Alexander.
I kept my expression neutral, forcibly steadying my breathing as I turned to see him. His tall frame cut through the market like a blade through fog, his ice–blue eyes as sharp as daggers. Standing a step behind him was Scarlett, her emerald eyes wide with feigned delicacy. And, of course, Diana. Her wolf bristled beside Scarlett, every step an assertion of her dominance.
I
Chapter 54: Mate–To–Be
“Lady Celeste. Nina.” Alexander’s voice carried that icy politeness that set my wolf on edge.
Nina immediately stiffened, her silver–gray wolf sliding instinctively back into professional alertness. “Lord Steele,” she replied curtly, her tone far cooler than mine could ever manage.
Diana didn’t bother with politeness. Her glare burned into me like molten silver. “What is she doing here?” she spat, her voice sharp and loud enough to draw attention from the nearby
wolves.
Scarlett leaned closer to Alexander, her falsely submissive posture carefully calculated. “We
thought you might’ve gotten caught in the crowd,” she murmured, her voice oozing concern.
Her eyes darted toward me as though the thought of my safety truly mattered to her.
Nina’s wolf rippled with restrained disdain. I caught a faint whisper beneath her breath-
Territorial wolves blocking our path“-and barely suppressed a wince.
Alexander’s gaze snapped toward Nina, brief but cutting. His enhanced hearing undoubtedly
caught her muttered words. His ice–blue eyes flicked back to me, lingering longer than they
should have, though his expression gave none of his thoughts away.
Diana took his silence as an opportunity to escalate. “You shouldn’t be wandering the market
alone,” she barked, her wolf surging dangerously toward me. “You’re a disgrace to the Winters
name!”
I calmly stepped back, preventing Nina from responding as I raised a hand for silence.
Confrontation in this crowded place would spell disaster, especially under the watchful eyes
of too many wolves.
“Lord Steele.” I spoke formally, intentionally ignoring Diana’s outburst. My voice remained
steady. “Marcus expects me at the Silver Creek tavern. If you’ll excuse us.”
Nina followed before Alexander could reply, though I felt his stare drilling into my back as we
moved through the crowd.
We broke through the thick current of milling wolves, and for the first time since arriving, I
exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.-
“You handled that well,” Nina muttered as she adjusted her pace beside me. Her wolf radiated its usual protectiveness, bristling even as the tension slowly eased between us.
I shrugged faintly, unwilling to voice my thoughts. Confronting Diana would’ve been satisfying,
but I couldn’t afford unnecessary chaos–not now.
When I glanced at Nina, she met my gaze with a raised eyebrow.
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* Pinte
Chapter 54: Mate–To–Be
“What?” I asked.
“You’re actually smiling.”
I blinked, startled, then realized she was right. A faint, genuine smile curled at the corners of
my lips, unbidden and unrestrained–something I hadn’t felt in years. Maybe not since the
prison.
“It’s been a challenging day.” My tone carried more warmth than I realized. “This counts as a
small victory.”
Nina smirked, her sharp features softening slightly. “I’ll take what I can get.”
As we prepared to re–enter the tavern’s outskirts, I caught a shift in energy behind us–one that
made the hairs along the back of my neck stand on edge.
(Diana’s POV)
“What in the Moon Goddess’s name are you looking at?”
My question came out heavier than I intended, my frustration bubbling so furiously that my
wolf strained against my restraint.
Alexander didn’t answer. No, of course, he wouldn’t. He was Alexander. Always too composed,
too cold, too indifferent. But this time was different.
I followed his line of sight and scowled at what caught his attention.
Her.
Celeste Winters.
The pathetic mess of a wolf who should’ve stayed buried in whatever prison cell she crawled out of. What could she possibly have done to refocus Alexander’s attention?
“Brother.” My voice cracked like a whip through the momentary silence. “Stop staring at her.”
His eyes didn’t snap to me immediately–a decision I registered as both an insult and an
audacity.
When Alexander finally turned his head, his gaze carried an edge sharper than one of the ceremonial daggers coated in wolfsbane.
“I wasn’t staring,” he finally said coldly.
“Don’t you dare try lying to me.” My wolf strained against his dismissive tone.
“You shouldn’t care whom I look at, Diana.” His tone had turned clipped, precise, the ice in his
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Chapter 54: Mate–To–Be
voice laced with disapproval.
Scarlett, always tactical, stepped forward to smooth things over. “Diana, it’s alright,” she said. softly, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “Alexander only has your safety in mind.”
Her wolf whined faintly, the false vulnerability seeping from her like warm honey. Still, it was
enough to settle my anger momentarily.
“Stay with Diana,” Scarlett added in that saccharine tone she reserved solely for diplomacy.”
She and I will need your protection against the rogue wolves that could be in the area.”
I
Alexander’s ice–blue eyes flickered momentarily with something I refused to name–agitation
or defiance, I couldn’t tell. Yet his shoulders stiffened, and his aura surged sharply.
For a mere moment, the stoic Beta transformed into something unmistakably human.
“You were right earlier,” Alexander said suddenly, his words cutting through my expectations
entirely. “She was my mate–to–be.”
Scarlett’s wolf trembled faintly beside me, though her reaction barely registered amidst the
chaos surging in my chest. His tone. His words. Everything about him carried an undercurrent
of regret so visceral it pierced into my mind like a claw. My wolf snarled inwardly, pushing
against the constraints of my composure.
Somewhere–behind the disciplined facade–Alexander wanted something he wasn’t allowed.
His white wolf pulsed in my direction one final time before finally falling silent.
(Celeste’s POV)
The farther I moved from them, the deeper the ache settled in my chest.
Their voices had traveled farther than expected–even in a dense market like Silver Moon. Hearing Alexander confirm what had once been my fate twisted something old and fragile
inside me.
But it didn’t matter now. Nothing about that mattered anymore.
Marcus held the claim. One I hadn’t wanted. One sealed by necessity. But even necessity
couldn’t overshadow the weight of the words Alexander had uttered.
My wolf clawed faintly against the edges of its shrinking presence, though even her strength
waned under years of scarred submission.
“We should move faster,” Nina urged quietly, her tone weighted by an unspoken
understanding.
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Chapter 54: Mate–To–Be
Her hand brushed mine briefly–not as a gesture of control, but of grounding.
“Just keep moving,” I told her. My voice, though level, carried a faint tremor.
Nina didn’t respond directly; she didn’t need to. Her touch was understanding enough. Her
presence was enough.
And as we walked toward Marcus’s claim and further away from everywhere we once
belonged, I tried pretending it was enough for me too.
