Chapter 68: A Mother’s Silver Betrayal
Chapter 68: A Mother’s Silver Betrayal
(Celeste’s POV)
The glint of silver flashed in the dim hallway.
Before I could fully process the sight, Victoria lunged, her wolf’s emotions flaring wildly as her
hand directed the blade at me.
My body moved sluggishly, weakened as it was by the wolfsbane burns and lingering
exhaustion. I barely pivoted away in time to avoid a direct thrust.
But the ceremonial blade did its damage nonetheless.
A piercing, searing pain erupted on my cheek as the silver–infused dagger sliced cleanly through flesh.
The burning sensation was unlike any pain I’d felt before. It radiated outwards, far worse than the sharp sting of wolfsbane or the gnawing ache of silver chains.
The sacred silver worked cruelly, invading the layers beneath my skin. Each passing second
felt like fire igniting my nerves.
Instinctively, I staggered back, clutching my face as warm crimson blood spilled between my fingers.
My breaths came in shallow gasps as I pressed my palm against the burning wound, trying—
and failing–to contain the flow.
“NO!” Victoria shrieked, stumbling back in horror. Her wolf recoiled, whining nervously as if
realizing the irreversible mistake.
Her trembling hand released the dagger, letting it clatter loudly onto the floor.
The sound was deafening in the heavy, oppressive silence that followed.
Through her ragged breaths, she whimpered out the words, “No… No, my Little Moon… I didn’t
mean to…”
Her voice cracked, breaking apart under the weight of raw panic and guilt.
She brought her hands to her mouth, shaking uncontrollably as her wolf reflected her internal
chaos.
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+8 Points
Chapter 68: A Mother’s Silver Be…
“I just… I just wanted to stop you from hurting Scarlett.” Her words fell apart further, barely
audible over the rush of blood in my ears.
The pain in my cheek grew unbearable, and I stumbled to the floor as my legs finally gave out.
The silver’s poison had a life of its own, spreading rapidly through my veins. It felt as though it
sought to overpower every part of me.
Victoria’s form blurred before my vision as the poison wreaked havoc. My strength waned with
every passing second.
Even as my body weakened, my mind churned with the bitter truth–the Luna, the woman who
once called me her daughter, had just attacked me to shield Scarlett once again.
“Celeste! Stay awake!” Nina’s voice tore through the suffocating haze.
She reached me in seconds, dropping to her knees as her silver–gray wolf bristled protectively.
Her hands were steady despite her panic. She caught me just as I slumped forward onto my
hands and knees.
“Go get the healer! Now!” Nina barked at the frozen onlookers nearby.
Her tone stabbed like a whip, forcing two young omegas into action. They darted toward the
pack house’s healing wing, their footsteps echoing down the hallway.
“My Lady, can you hear me?” Nina urged, her hands carefully supporting my shoulders.
Her usual composure had cracked. Panic shone brightly in her eyes.
I struggled to respond, but the spreading poison smothered my wolf’s energy. A faint whine
escaped me, but it was all I could manage.
Behind Nina’s frantic efforts to tend to me, Victoria’s muttered words reached my ears like
haunting whispers.
“No… not like this. I didn’t mean to hurt her.“.
Her wolf’s desperate whining–filled the hallway as she crumbled against the nearest wall,
clutching herself tightly.
“Little Moon… Celeste…”
But her voice grated against me now, each word tinged with betrayal.
(Third Person POV)
2/5
- 8 Point:
Chapter 68: A Mother’s Silver Be…
The hallway descended into chaos around them.
The instant Nina’s sharp commands rang out, younger wolves moved gingerly to assist,
though many stole apprehensive glances toward Victoria.
The blood trickling from Celeste’s wound saturated her fingers. Each drop seemed to echo like
a drumbeat against the Winters Pack’s harmony.
Betty, the head pack housekeeper, strode into the chaos, her sharp eyes assessing the situation quickly. She exuded an unusual calm, though her expression revealed a storm
brewing underneath.
When her gaze landed on Celeste’s bloodied form and the glinting ceremonial blade on the floor, something inside Betty seemed to snap quietly. Her wolf let out a low, contained growl.
“You!” Betty pointed to the two youngest wolves. “Lift her gently. Watch her head. Move
quickly but carefully!”
Her voice carried authority that not even the dominant wolves in the hallway dared question.
The omegas immediately crouched down, cautiously positioning themselves to carry Celeste.
“Support her arms! Her wrist is still injured,” Betty snapped again when one of them faltered.
As they prepared to lift Celeste’s exhausted figure, Betty turned her attention to Victoria.
The once–composed Luna was now shaking violently, sobbing into her palms as if mourning the consequences of her own actions.
Betty’s voice cut through the air like cold steel. “You poisoned her with sacred silver. Do you
understand what you’ve done?”
Victoria raised her teary eyes briefly, but she couldn’t form words. Her lips quivered, and her
clutched hands trembled.
Instead, Scarlett stepped forward.
“Mother would never hurt her intentionally!” Scarlett shouted, her usual charm cracking as panic bubbled underneath her composure.
Her emerald eyes darted furiously between Betty and Victoria.
“This was an accident!” Scarlett cried, throwing her arms around her mother protectively as if
shielding her from further accusations.
Betty’s narrowed eyes softened slightly as she spoke, her tone biting yet restrained.
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+8 Points
Chapter 68: A Mother’s Silver Be…
“Accident or not, Luna, ceremonial silver isn’t something you wield lightly. She’s your daughter!
How could you raise your hand against her like this?”
Victoria whimpered quietly, unable to meet Betty’s piercing gaze.
“She was going to hurt Scarlett…” Victoria murmured weakly, though each word cracked under
the weight of guilt.
Betty’s jaw tightened as her gaze flicked between Victoria and Scarlett, watching as the younger woman continued to cling to her mother’s frame with perfect fragility.
“You stabbed her,” Betty said coldly, her words sharp and deliberate. “Don’t feign ignorance
about what that blade does. We all know what ceremonial silver was crafted for.”
It wasn’t much longer before Alpha James stormed into the chaos, his commanding presence
instantly silencing the roiling tension.
His golden eyes scanned the hallway, locking onto the bloodied dagger on the floor before
trailing upward to Betty.
“What. Happened. Here?”
His voice was steady, a calm before the explosion waiting to erupt.
Betty straightened her posture slightly and spoke clearly, letting her authority as head
housekeeper shine through.
“The Luna stabbed Celeste with ceremonial silver,” Betty declared. Her tone was sharp enough
to make the nearby omegas flinch, though James kept his expression unreadable.
Victoria let out a muffled whine and shook her head violently, her voice cracking once more as
she stammered, “No! I didn’t mean to! I wasn’t thinking… I didn’t want to hurt her!”
Alpha James turned his piercing eyes toward Victoria now. His wolf radiated dominance that
pressed down on everyone in proximity.
He took one deliberate step forward, his entire body exuding command.
“What?” His question broke through Victoria’s muttered attempts at defense. “If you didn’t
want to hurt her, Luna, then tell me, what exactly did you mean when you plunged that blade
across her face?”
Victoria’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Scarlett jumped in again, her green eyes pleading and wet.
AUS
Chapter 68: A Mother’s Silver Be…
)
+8 Point:
“She was just trying to stop Celeste from hurting me!” Scarlett cried. “She didn’t aim to-” Her
voice faltered as her tears threatened to overwhelm her.
Betty’s expression turned icy.
“Of course, Scarlett,” Betty muttered under her breath, though noticeable enough for several
nearby onlookers to hear.
James’s nostrils flared as his wolf’s growl resonated low in his chest.
His focus moved from Victoria and Scarlett, narrowing sharply as Lucas approached the
scene.
Lucas’s golden eyes flared with both anger and misplaced guilt as he barked, “What’s
happening to the pack?! First the a*******n, now this?”
He turned toward the omegas carrying Celeste’s bloodied form and snarled, “Her condition.
Tell me!”
The pack healer who had just arrived glanced wearily at Lucas. His wolf radiated frustration
as he pressed against Lucas’s demand with a clinical response.
“If we clear the silver poison within the next few hours, she’ll live.” His tone was curt, allowing
no room for misinterpretation.
Scarlett tried to take control of the situation again, wiping her tears dramatically as she
exclaimed to Victoria, “See, Mother? She’ll survive; it’s not too severe! We don’t need to worry-
”
The healer’s entire demeanor shifted. His glare sliced through Scarlett’s words with pinpoint
precision.
“Treatment doesn’t erase intent,” he growled.
The room froze again, the weight of his quiet challenge to Scarlett hanging heavy in the air.
James turned sharply toward Lucas, snarling through gritted teeth, “Enough! Your actions
brought this chaos upon us!”
Lucas attempted to counter, muttering weakly, “I didn’t tell her to stab-”
