Chapter 75: Silver Wounds and Shattered Bonds
Chapter 75: Silver Wounds and Shattered Bonds
(Celeste’s POV)
The sacred silver from Victoria’s ceremonial dagger scorched through my veins, its unbearable
fire unrelenting. Yet I stood as still as a statue, my face calm and void of emotion.
The only visible evidence of betrayal was the angry red line that stretched across my cheek,
its imprint burning into my memory as deeply as it marked my skin.
Victoria’s wolf emitted pitiful whimpers, the sound soft but deliberate. Her maternal aura
projected waves of guilt meant to pierce me, to bring me to the brink of forgiveness.
Once, that guilt would have reached my heart instantly. A single sound of distress from her
would have broken through my defenses.
But no longer. Four years in Moon Shadow Prison had reshaped me. The daughter who trusted
and loved unconditionally had died within its silver–lined walls.
Lucas stood nearby, uncertain but alert. His wolf’s golden eyes narrowed as it studied me
cautiously, searching for cracks in the armor I now wore so well.
The brother I had once adored now seemed more confused than confrontational. He couldn’t
fathom the calmness in me, the cold indifference I showed even as my body bore Victoria’s violent betrayal.
—
The slightest shift of my neck betrayed my only concern a fleeting glance toward Eleanor’s
quarters. My wolf whined softly within me, worried that the cascade of turbulent emotions
radiating through the pack house could disturb my grandmother’s fragile wolf.
Eleanor’s health was already dangerously unstable, and the chaos surrounding my wounds
could only make it worse.
“Your wolf should be howling in pain from the sacred silver,” Lucas muttered suddenly,
breaking the terse silence. His tone had a biting edge, but I detected nervousness beneath it.” Stop pretending it doesn’t affect you.”
I turned my head to meet his golden gaze. My violet eyes held the emptiness Moon Shadow Prison had carved into my soul.
“Being locked in prison teaches many useful skills, brother,” I said lightly. My voice was as sharp as steel, yet disturbingly serene. “Pain tolerance happens to be one of the most useful.”
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Victoria flinched audibly at my words, her shoulders shaking slightly. Guilty whimpers escaped from her wolf, just enough to be heard but not enough to overwhelm her composure.
Lucas turned his head toward his mother as though seeking comfort or stability. He opened his mouth but said nothing, his wolf emitting a conflicted growl.
Lucas eventually stepped toward Victoria, intending to escort her away and to end the tension hanging in the air like a poised blade. But just as his hand moved to guide her, Victoria’s demeanor shifted dramatically.
The conflicted, guilt–filled mother melted away. In her place stood the commanding Luna of the Winter Pack, every inch of her posture now emanating cold calculation. Her wolf growled softly, its earlier vulnerability gone.
“Celeste,” she began, her voice steady and deliberate, “as Marcus Blackwood’s claimed mate,
you must understand the delicate position we’re in.”
The subtle change in strategy did not escape me. My silver–burned wolf snarled internally at
her manipulative tone, and even Scarlett shifted uneasily where she stood nearby. Lucas’s
wolf straightened, sensing both confusion and unease in the sudden change of atmosphere.
Victoria continued unabated. “Any retaliation for… this unfortunate incident could bring the
Alpha King’s wrath upon our pack.”
She raised her chin slightly, aligning her words with her formal Luna tone. “Think of what that
stress would do to Eleanor’s already failing health.”
Her audacity made fresh waves of silver fire ripple through my blood. My internal wolf snarled,
furious at her attempt to wield Eleanor as a weapon against me.
I said nothing immediately, letting her words echo in the quiet. The sharp contrast between her calculated tone and my stillness spoke volumes.
“So, Luna,” I finally said. My voice was cold and laced with bitter mockery. “Was attacking me with silver just preparation for this emotional manipulation?”
Victoria did not falter. Her wolf maintained steady dominance as she ignored my pointed sarcasm. Instead, she pressed forward with her prepared narrative, cloaking her words in
fabricated concern.
“I’m simply trying to prevent you from destroying pack harmony with rash actions,” she stated firmly, channeling authority she no longer deserved.
Her trembling hands gave away her true fear: not for me, nor even for Eleanor, but for the
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Chapter 75: Silver Wounds and S…
Alpha King’s looming reprisal. She hoped to use her Luna image and Eleanor’s fragile state to deflect accountability.
Scarlett, ever the opportunist, inserted herself perfectly into the moment. “Mother…” Her voice cracked, imitating childlike innocence flawlessly.
The single word carried the same emotional undertones I used to use when calling Victoria after nightmares or injuries. Victoria’s hopeful eyes immediately flicked toward Scarlett, finding comfort in her false tears.
She looked up expectantly but met the cold emptiness in my gaze instead. My violet eyes bored into her, unwavering and unforgiving.
The pulsing silver burns across my cheek seemed to synchronize with her trembling breaths.
“Anything else to say, Luna?” I asked, my tone devoid of warmth yet heavy with finality.
Victoria, perhaps emboldened by Scarlett and Lucas’s proximity, straightened her spine and tried again. The emotional cracks from earlier gave way to tempered authority as her voice regained its commanding lilt.
“You will leave Eleanor’s quarters at once,” she stated coldly. Each word dropped purposefully, as if I were nothing more than a disobedient subordinate. “Your hostile presence disturbs her rest.”
A corner of my lip quirked upward in humorless amusement.
“Hostile presence?” I echoed. The phrase left a bitter taste in my mouth. “An interesting choice of words,” I continued, my voice growing impossibly colder, “from someone who attacked their child with silver.”
Victoria visibly flinched, her composure faltering slightly at my accusation. Yet she recovered quickly, regaining what control her position offered.
Lucas instinctively stepped closer to shield her once more. His wolf bristled protectively, warning me away from a confrontation.
“You provoked her, Celeste,” Lucas said defensively. His tone was laced with a hint of impatience, as though my actions were somehow unreasonable. “By attacking Scarlett. You pushed her too far.”
I touched the angry red mark on my face deliberately. The sacred silver scar felt colder and more permanent by the second.
“Did I provoke her, Lucas?” My tone dripped with icy sarcasm. “Strange how defending myself
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Chapter 75: Silver Wounds and S…
against Scarlett’s manipulations earned me this,” I gestured to my burn, “…while her deliberate
provocations earn nothing but tears and protection.”
Victoria’s wolf bristled once more, masking her guilt with stubborn indignation. “Everything I’ve done was to protect my daughters!” she declared forcefully.
“Daughter,” I corrected sharply. “Singular. You made your choice clear with that silver dagger.”
Scarlett, as expected, leaped into the growing chasm. “Sister, please!” she cried, the practiced whimper in her voice breaking slightly. “Mother never meant to hurt you! She would never-”
“Save your tears, Scarlett.” My voice cut through hers effortlessly, each carefully chosen word
laced with venom. “We both know they’re as false as Victoria’s maternal concern.”
Victoria’s wolf growled lowly in displeasure at my insult. Her aura spiked with frustration as she finally showed open annoyance. “You will not speak to my daughter that way!” she
snapped.
“Your daughter.” I let the cold words sink in, each syllable emphasizing their meaning. “The
only one you’d never strike with silver.”
Lucas shifted uncomfortably, his wolf now visibly conflicted as it watched the interaction
unfold.
“You’re breaking Eleanor’s heart with this behavior,” Victoria said finally. Her tone turned condescending, weaponizing my grandmother’s name in one last attempt.
I laughed this time – entirely mirthless and unrestrained.
“Eleanor’s heart broke long before this,” I replied evenly. My words were soft, a stark
contradiction to their sharpness. “She broke seeing you choose silver over pack bonds, Luna.
Don’t pretend to care about her feelings now.”
Victoria’s posture stiffened at the word Luna, finally dropping the worn act of a mother hoping for forgiveness. Her hands curled at her sides as raw frustration engulfed her wolf.
“As long as you maintain this hostile attitude,” she said quietly but firmly, “you are not welcome near Eleanor’s quarters. Her health is too fragile for your bitterness.”
