Chapter 70: An Alpha’s Burden
Chapter 70: An Alpha’s Burden
(Alpha James’s POV)
I stood in the corridor outside the healing chambers, my ears still echoing with the pack healer’s sharp words about silver poisoning. My wolf paced restlessly within me, torn between
anger, guilt, and unease.
Victoria leaned heavily against the wall, her emerald eyes red and swollen. She looked utterly broken, but I couldn’t bring myself to comfort her–nót now.
“I had to protect her, James,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You saw what Celeste did. Scarlett’s face–those bruises! Our daughter–she was in pain!”
Her words hit me like a fresh wound. My gaze shifted to Scarlett, who sat huddled nearby, her petite frame trembling like a fragile leaf.
Her face bore angry purple marks from Celeste’s earlier attack, and though her tears fell silently, her emerald eyes radiated calculated submission.
The sight stirred my paternal instincts, and my wolf growled softly, itching to defend her
further. But logic clawed its way through the emotion.
“You don’t understand what you’ve done,” I said sharply, my voice cutting through the tension. I
took a step forward, towering over Victoria.
Using the pack’s sacred silver ceremonial dagger–it wasn’t an act of mere anger. It was political suicide.
“That dagger wasn’t just a weapon, Victoria. It’s a Winters Pack heirloom. And you used it- against Marcus Blackwood’s claimed mate.”
Victoria flinched as my words sank in. She hadn’t considered the ramifications.
“You keep saying you were protecting Scarlett,” I continued, my voice lowering into an icy growl. “But have you stopped to think about what could happen if the Alpha King hears of
this?”
Victoria’s wolf whined audibly, a pitiful sound of regret and confusion.
“I couldn’t just stand by! I couldn’t, James!” she pleaded. Her hands clenched tightly against her chest, trembling.
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“Celeste was putting Scarlett in danger! She… she wasn’t stopping! You didn’t see her!”
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head as frustration surged to the forefront.
“Our daughter?” I bit out, the words laced with venom. “The same daughter you called your
‘Little Moon‘ for fourteen years?”
Victoria stiffened, her emerald eyes widening in disbelief.
“The daughter you threw aside-” I stepped closer, my presence looming over her, “-the second Scarlett returned, calling her the ‘true heir‘?”
“That’s not fair!” Victoria’s voice cracked as her wolf snarled submissively. “We didn’t have a
choice! Scarlett is-
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“Scarlett is what?” I interrupted harshly. “Our real daughter? And Celeste isn’t?”
The weight of my words crushed the silence that followed, leaving only the sound of Victoria’s
soft, anguished whimpering.
Before I could continue, Lucas stepped forward abruptly, placing himself between Victoria and
- me.
His tall, confident figure radiated unapologetic energy, and his golden eyes burned with
resentment.
“I arranged it,” Lucas declared, his tone defiant. His wolf bristled beside him, as if daring me to challenge his next words.
“The k********g,” he clarified, lifting his chin. “The mercenary wolves–the entire plan. It was
me.”
My wolf froze mid–step, a stunned silence taking over. It took a moment for his confession to
register.
“You…” I started, but my voice trailed off.
Lucas met my gaze squarely, unapologetic. His wolf seemed emboldened by the tension, as though ready to argue his point further.
“I told them not to harm her,” he added, his voice sharp. “They weren’t supposed to…”
His words faltered as my Alpha aura surged, authority rolling off me in waves. My fists clenched at my sides, the veins in my neck bulging with contained rage.
“You dare admit to attacking Marcus Blackwood’s mate?” My voice was low, dangerously
controlled.
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)
Lucas crossed his arms, his posture defiant. His wolf mirrored his stance, unflinching under the weight of my dominance.
“He’s a tyrant!” Lucas snapped. “Everyone knows what Marcus does to his claimed mates.
He’s violent!”
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“You think that’s an excuse?” I roared, stepping closer. My wolf surged to the forefront, barely
contained.
“I was protecting her,” Lucas shouted back, his voice trembling with frustration. “You saw how
he treated me! You think he’d treat Celeste any better?”
His words were like gasoline on a growing fire. I surged toward him with blistering speed, my wolf ready to assert dominance.
“Enough!” My voice rang out, electrifying the air.
Victoria immediately threw herself in front of Lucas, shielding him with her smaller frame. Her
emerald eyes filled with fear as I advanced.
“James, don’t,” she begged. “His wounds from Marcus’s punishment haven’t even healed yet!”
Her hands clutched Lucas’s arms protectively, her wolf whimpering in maternal distress.
I froze mid–motion, my chest heaving with rapid breaths. Logic pushed through the haze of
fury clouding my judgment.
Even now, Victoria defended him–her son. The image of her shielding Lucas reignited my
frustration.
“You defend him every time,” I hissed, my voice dripping with disapproval. My eyes bored into
hers, demanding she see reason.
“That’s why he thinks he can defy even the Alpha King’s authority!”
Lucas’s body tensed, his fists clenching tighter at my accusations.
“I won’t apologize for protecting our pack from Marcus’s influence,” he retorted adamantly. His
wolf stood firm, refusing to submit.
I sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, the mounting tension pressing down on me from all
sides. My own wolf shifted restlessly, torn between disciplining my heir and protecting my
family.
Unable to bear the sight of my shattered family any longer, I walked away.
The air of the corridor suffocated me, so I retreated to the sacred training grounds.
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Chapter 70: An Alpha’s Burden
The moon hung high in the sky, casting silvery light across the open clearing. My boots
crunched softly against the moon–blessed earth as I approached the place where everything
felt simpler.
Here, I had once trained Celeste. Vivid memories from years ago surged through me, unbidden
but welcome.
“Again, Father!” her voice echoed in my mind. I could see her petite figure, bruised and covered
in dust, but unwavering.
She refused to quit, demanding to try each move until she mastered it. That determination
had always made me so proud.
Now her vibrant violet eyes only held cold defiance when they met mine.
Those same precious eyes had looked up to me once, so full of innocence and trust.
The sweet, calming fragrance of moon flowers carried by the breeze drifted around me. Glancing down, I saw small clusters of their silvery petals blooming in patches.
She used to gather them, meticulously arranging each one for pack ceremonies. I could still picture her bright smile as she presented them, glowing with pride.
My wolf released a low, mournful whine deep within me, acknowledging a truth we had
ignored for far too long.
In our desperate, unyielding efforts to reunite with and protect Scarlett, we had broken
something in Celeste–irreparably so.
Returning to my private chambers, I sank into my chair, staring blankly at my desk.
The Alpha King would require a report. I had no choice but to formalize the incident.
My hand trembled as I pressed pen to parchment, carefully choosing each word.
I described Victoria’s attack as a regrettable lapse in judgment–an emotional loss of control rather than premeditated malice.
The ceremonial dagger was labeled an unfortunate proximity to the event, rather than an
intentional weapon.
The scroll, sealed with the Winters Pack emblem, now bore the truth that could determine our
pack’s future.
The moon shone through my window, its silver rays highlighting the fatigue rising in my eyes.
It reminded me of Celeste’s unique violet gaze. Once so full of light, they now burned with
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Chapter 70: An Alpha’s Burden
bitter resentment each time they landed on me.
Guilt crushed me like a weight I couldn’t escape.
What kind of Alpha had I become to allow such fracture within my pack?
What kind of father?
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