Chapter 80: A Wolf’s False Devot…
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Chapter 80: A Wolf’s False Devotion
Chapter 80: A Wolf’s False Devotion
(Celeste’s POV)
I stood silently in the dimly lit hallway outside Eleanor’s chambers. Her emerald eyes glistened with tears, perfectly catching the dim light, as she knelt gracefully on the floor.
The way the moonlight kissed her auburn hair could have made her seem angelic–if the act
hadn’t been so contrived. Scarlett knelt as if she bore the weight of the world, her hands
resting limply in her lap, her figure deliberately angled for sympathy.
Her soft voice broke the heavy silence, shaking just enough to pull at someone’s heartstrings.
“Please, Sister,” she pleaded, her voice cracking. “All I want is to fix the pain I’ve caused. For
Grandmother’s sake…”
Her trembling was impeccable, a performance perfected over time. Every word was soaked in
faux vulnerability.
Behind her, Grace, ever the loyal beta, hovered like a shadow. Grace’s honey–blonde hair
framed her hard–set face, her sharp eyes glancing at Scarlett before subtly adjusting her
position. I caught the small shift. Grace gently moved to shield Scarlett’s fragile facade, her
movements designed to highlight Scarlett’s supposed vulnerability while ensuring an
audience always saw her at her best angle.
Scarlett’s wolf gave a weak whimper, projecting sorrow that seemed to hover in the air
between us.
I clenched my jaw, the silver burns on my face pulsing with fresh heat. If Eleanor’s wolf weren’t already too weak to sense such deceit, my grandmother would surely call out this mockery.
Scarlett’s eyes flickered, briefly locking onto mine. Beneath the shimmering tears, I saw it.
That cold, calculating glint her wolf couldn’t completely mask.
The tears weren’t real, and neither was the remorse.
“Alex…” Her trembling voice broke my thoughts. She barely turned her head toward him, enough to ensure her profile remained visible to everyone, that same tear–veiled illusion of
delicate sorrow.
Alexander moved without hesitation.
The familiar weight of his ice–blue eyes finally left mine, shifting fully to Scarlett. His
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Chapter 80: A Wolfs False Devot…..
expression softened as his white wolf surged forward protectively.
In two steps, he was beside her. Kneeling down. Shielding her.
“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Alexander said with quiet firmness, his voice steady. “You’re
trying, Scarlett.”
My wolf snarled internally, but I didn’t dare make a sound. I couldn’t. Watching him side with
her was nothing new, but that didn’t make it sting any less.
Scarlett sniffled, clenching the edges of her dress as if she was drawing strength from her
own sorrow. Her emerald eyes shimmered as she turned her gaze upward, catching his face
with her tear–filled expression.
“I didn’t mean to cause division between the pack,” she whispered, just loud enough for
everyone nearby to hear. “I only wanted to make things right…”
There it was. That pause–barely a second, but timed so well it pulled him closer, like gravity
drawing in the stars. Her head bowed slightly, hiding just enough of her features to make him
wonder what she wasn’t saying.
Alexander’s ice–blue eyes softened further. His white wolf let out a low, reassuring growl, as if Scarlett’s cries required his immediate defense.
I clenched my fists tighter until my nails dug into my palms.
Scarlett glanced at me.
The glimmer of triumph in her eyes was subtle. But it was there.
“I suggested earlier that she reflect in the prayer hall,” I interjected, my voice colder than frost. “Perhaps it would give her time to actually think about her supposed accountability.”
Scarlett’s head snapped up, and for a moment, visible panic flickered across her face.
Her wolf’s restless energy radiated lightly, a clear tell she wouldn’t dare enter such a sacred place. Buildings dedicated to spiritual energy didn’t take kindly to deception.
She recovered quickly, ducking her head again as her lip quivered just right.
“Celeste,” Alexander cut in sharply. His voice wasn’t raised, but the steel in it spoke volumes.
His ice–blue gaze locked onto mine, unyielding. His white wolf’s energy bristled against the
cold wall I held firm.
“She’s apologized,” he said with finality, his tone a warning. “There’s no need for this.”
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Chapter 80: A Wolf’s False Devot…
“No need?” I asked, my voice sharp and laced with bitterness. “Forgive me, Alexander, but I wasn’t aware forgiveness was so cheap these days.”
The corner of his jaw ticked.
Scarlett’s trembling breath filled the silence. “All I’ve ever done is try to do what’s best for Grandmother,” she murmured, her voice growing thinner with each word. “I didn’t realize how fragile she’d become. I… I didn’t mean to upset her.”
She looked at Alexander again, as if seeking assurance solely from him.
And, of course, she got it.
“You’re doing your best,” he said softly. His white wolf’s protective aura surged forward,
blanketing Scarlett in quiet strength. “No one’s perfect, Scarlett.”
Somewhere deep inside me, something twisted.
I stepped forward, the burning pain beneath my skin rising with every step. “I think it’s
interesting,” I started, my voice low but steady, “how her ‘best‘ always seems to leave
destruction in its wake.”
Scarlett flinched visibly. But even that reaction seemed tailored, perfectly timed to catch the
attention of the pack servants nearby. Always creating witnesses to discomfort that she could
twist against me later.
“I love Grandmother!” Scarlett suddenly exclaimed. Her emerald eyes widened in what could
only be described as painful sincerity. “I’d never hurt her intentionally!”
I scoffed without thinking. The sound broke through her words like a whip in the rain.
Alexander was on his feet in an instant, his towering presence immediately cutting into my line of sight. His ice–blue gaze burned fiercely.
“Enough, Celeste,” he said, his tone brimming with warning. His white wolf bristled like a storm above us. “Scarlett isn’t the type to cause harm. She wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose.”
I stared at him, the laughter rising bitterly in my throat before it could stop.
“On purpose?” I repeated, my voice dripping with disdain. Every syllable was a dagger.
His jaw clenched. Beside him, Scarlett’s sobs deepened. She pressed herself closer to him, her
tiny figure looking like it might crumble under the weight of my
words.
He glared at me, his ice–blue eyes colder than I had ever seen. “What’s happened to you,
Celeste?”
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Chapter 80: A Wolf’s False Devot…
For a moment, his words almost broke through the wall. Almost.
“What happened to me?” My voice didn’t waver. My violet eyes didn’t flinch.
“Four years of silver chains in Moon Shadow Prison, Alexander,” I said sharply. “That’s what happened to me.”
The brief flicker of something–guilt? Recognition?-flashed in his ice–blue eyes. But Scarlett’s
trembling voice shattered the moment.
“Please!” she cried, her hands clutching Alexander’s arm as if she were holding on for dear life.
“I don’t want to fight anymore…”
I clenched my teeth so hard the muscles in my jaw began to ache.
Alexander moved closer to her, his white wolf’s protective energy growing almost suffocating
in its force.
“She’s asking for peace, Celeste,” he said, his voice cold but measured.
“Peace?” The laugh that escaped me this time was low, bitter, and raw. “Is that what you’re
calling this?”
Alexander stiffened. His wolf’s energy shifted like a storm trapped beneath his skin. Before he
could respond, Scarlett raised her trembling voice once more.
“I’ll complete my silver punishment,” she vowed suddenly, her words heavy with desperation.
Her trembling wolf surged forward, its wavering energy almost believable. “I’ll do it, and I’ll prove myself. Anything to give Grandmother peace.”
My lips.curled into a faint smile, one that didn’t reach my eyes.
“You barely lasted one night, Scarlett,” I said quietly. The venom in my tone needed no extra
bite. “Do you really think you could endure more now?”
Scarlett flinched again, the tears in her emerald eyes threatening to spill over. Her small frame
seemed to crumple further until Grace stepped in to steady her.
For a moment, something raw and unguarded flickered in Scarlett’s face. Fear. A real emotion
hidden beneath layers of performance.
It was gone the next second. Replaced with more trembling. More tears.
“But Lucas said I should conserve my strength,” Scarlett stammered faintly. Even now, she pushed the blame to her brother. “I was only following his advice.”
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Chapter 80: A Wolf’s False Devot…
I slowly shook my head, ignoring the sharp throb in my temples. “Of course,” I said, my voice dropping.
The conversation, the scene, the weight of all of it crushed the air around me. But as Scarlett slumped into Grace’s arms with yet another exaggerated whimper, I turned away.
Eleanor’s chambers waited, and her health demanded my focus.
The hallway blurred as I forced my legs forward. My wolf growled faintly within me, but my body betrayed my effort.
My steps faltered. The effects of the silver, compounded with the wolfsbane poisoning from the mercenary attack, finally caught up with me.
The ground tilted beneath my feet. My balance wavered, and I hated the inevitability of it–the weakness that exposed itself despite my best efforts.
Before I could hit the ground, a strong hand caught me.
The scent of pine–frost surrounded me, steady and grounding.
Alexander’s presence was there.
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