Chapter 124: A Brother’s Bitter Protection
Chapter 124: A Brother’s Bitter Protection
(Third person’s POV)
The Silver Creek Tavern was unusually quiet tonight. The faint hum of distant chatter filled the large wooden space, accompanied by the clinking of glasses from nearby tables. But for Lucas Winters, the noise dissolved into the background, drowned out by the storm brewing in
his chest.
Golden eyes dulled with the weight of moon–blessed wine, Lucas sat hunched over the scarred
surface of the tavern table. His broad shoulders sagged under the force of guilt and alcohol, creating a picture of a wolf brought low by his own inner turmoil.
Beside him, Alexander sat with a silent composure that spoke volumes. He hardly touched his
wine, his ice–blue eyes sharp and calculating as they rested on his companion. His expression
betrayed nothing, unreadable as always, while his white wolf’s presence lingered just below
the surface, undisturbed.
Lucas broke the heavy silence with a bitter snarl. He slammed his glass on the table, wine
sloshing onto his hand. “She’ll never forgive me for this,” he muttered, though his voice barely
traveled beyond their small, dimly lit corner.
Alexander didn’t move, his cold gaze fixed on the other man.
Lucas didn’t seem to notice–or care. His hand trembled slightly as he poured another glass.
“But I can’t watch him destroy her,” he added, his voice hoarse.
Alexander tilted his head, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the rim of his untouched glass. “She might understand one day,” he said evenly, though there was no conviction in his
tone. His words were spoken more as a formal observation than offered as reassurance.
Lucas let out a bitter laugh, short and humorless. It carried through the tavern like the sound of shattering glass. His wolf growled softly, the anguish rolling off him thick enough to
suffocate.
“Understand?” he scoffed, his lips curling into a grimace. “Do you think she’ll understand that I
let Marcus take her to that den? That I knew what he would do and still stood there like a
coward?”
His golden eyes flashed with self–loathing, and he downed his drink in one, sharp motion. The alcohol barely dulled the ache, but the ritual of pouring and drinking gave him something to
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Chapter 124: A Brother’s Bitter P…
focus on.
He slammed the empty glass down again. “She hates me. She doesn’t even see me as her brother anymore.” His voice cracked. “And honestly? Maybe I don’t deserve to be.”
Alexander exhaled slowly, his ice–blue eyes unblinking. “But you’d rather her hatred than her death,” he stated with cold precision, leaning back slightly in his chair. His presence radiated calm, though his white wolf stirred faintly at the raw emotions swirling around Lucas.
“Of course I would,” Lucas snapped, his voice rising slightly. “I don’t care if she despises me for the rest of her life, as long as she’s alive to do it!”
His wolf howled lowly, the pain in Lucas’s voice mirrored in the animal’s keening. He tightened his grip on the glass in his hand, as though holding on to it gave him something solid.
“You didn’t see her,” Lucas hissed finally, his golden eyes burning with a mix of fury and helplessness. “You didn’t see what Marcus did to her in that cursed den of his.”
Alexander’s ice–blue eyes flickered briefly with something unreadable, though his expression
remained fairly neutral.
“Tell me, then,” he said smoothly, his tone calm despite the tension in the air. “What did you
see?”
Lucas hesitated, his grip on the glass faltering slightly. The words caught in his throat, and for a moment, he looked as though he might shatter.
“Her wrists,” he began hoarsely, the image burning fresh in his mind. “They burned her wrists. with wolfsbane. The skin–her skin–looked like it was melting. She didn’t even scream. She
just… stood there.”
The glass in his hand trembled. His wolf whined pitifully, unable to reconcile with the memory.
“Her back…” Lucas’s voice cracked again, softer this time. “Those silver lashes tore into her
like she wasn’t even human to them.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened ever so slightly, his fingers still tapping steadily against the table. His wolf shifted faintly, the calm rippling briefly, though his face betrayed little.
“She walked back to her room under her own power,” Lucas continued with bitterness thick in every word. “After all that. No healer. No one came for her.”
His golden eyes snapped up suddenly, locking onto Alexander with fervent intensity. “Do you know what she told me when I finally came to check on her that night?”
Alexander’s gaze didn’t waver as he waited for Lucas to finish.
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Chapter 124: A Brother’s Bitter P…..
“She looked straight at me with those frozen, violet eyes and said, ‘Don’t waste your sympathy
on me. Sympathy didn’t save me before.“”
He slammed back another drink, not even bothering to savor it.
“And you know what’s worse?” Lucas growled, his voice low. “Her eyes… they weren’t angry. They weren’t even sad. They were empty. Like she’d finally decided not to care anymore.”
The table rattled when he slammed his fists down, startling nearby patrons faintly.
“She’s my sister,” Lucas said, his voice shaking. “And I let this happen to her. I failed her as her
brother.”
For the first time, Alexander shifted slightly in his chair. His ice–blue eyes gleamed as though
measuring Lucas’s resolve.
“You can’t undo what’s happened,” Alexander said simply, his tone sharper now. “But you can
keep Marcus from doing worse.”
Lucas let out another bitter laugh. “And what do you propose?” he challenged, narrowing his golden eyes. “I can’t challenge the Alpha King’s decree without risking the entire pack. Mother and Father back the claim. Scarlett back the claim. Hell, Marcus probably already ordered
their damn ceremonial outfits for the marking.”
He poured another drink but hesitated before lifting it to his lips.
“Even she backs it,” Lucas muttered, nearly inaudibly. “She thinks… she thinks that as
Marcus’s mate, she’ll be ‘protected.‘ Protected from what?!”
Alexander finally spoke, his voice deliberate. “Not what. Who. Other royal competitors might
hesitate because of his position,” he added quietly.
Lucas barked another bitter laugh. “She doesn’t need enemies to hurt her. Marcus is doing just
fine on his own.”
Alexander’s lips curled into a razor–thin smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Then perhaps she needs a different protector,” Alexander said, his voice deceptively calm,
“What?” Lucas asked harshly, whipping his head toward him.
“A different mate,” Alexander said, almost casually. “Outranked in title but bound by the same
laws.”
Lucas stared at him in stunned silence for a moment, his wolf still as though waiting for the
blow to hit.
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“You think anyone else would challenge Marcus?” Lucas scoffed after a moment.
“Not anyone,” Alexander replied slowly. “But my brother…”
The name hung heavy in the air between them.
Lucas stiffened, his glass forgotten in his hand. He stared at Alexander, his expression
unreadable, until finally speaking.
“You’re insane,” he said hoarsely.
Alexander’s wolf stirred faintly beneath his calm.
“You don’t have to like it,” he replied coolly. “But it’s a possibility.”
Lucas tightened his grip on the glass, struggling with the weight of the idea.
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(Celeste’s POV)
A month after the Sacred Moon Temple incident, I finally regained enough strength to move
around the pack house without constant pain. The silver burns from Marcus’s torture had mostly healed, though the scars remained.
I made my way toward Eleanor’s quarters, my steps careful but steady. Nina walked beside me, her silver–gray wolf alert for any threats.
My enhanced senses detected familiar scents approaching from another corridor – Scarlett’s honeysuckle perfume mixed with Grace’s more subtle aura.
The moment Scarlett caught sight of me, her wolf immediately radiated submission. She grabbed Grace’s arm, quickly steering them both in the opposite direction.
“They certainly run fast now,” Nina commented with satisfaction, her silver-gray wolf pleased by their retreat. “Second Daughter seems properly afraid of you after the temple incident.”
I shook my head slightly, watching Scarlett’s hasty departure. “She’s not afraid for herself.”
Nina glanced at me curiously, her wolf’s aura questioning.
“She avoids me because she’s protecting Grace,” I explained, my violet eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “She knows I could summon her guard for… discipline… at any time.”
Nina’s expression shifted with understanding. “Ah yes, I heard about how she threw herself at
your feet in the temple, begging you to spare Grace.”
The information sparked something in my mind. My silver–scarred wolf stirred with interest as
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I recalled Scarlett’s dramatic display.
“She did seem rather… desperate to protect Grace,” I mused aloud. “Even offering to take the punishment herself.”
Nina nodded, her silver–gray wolf radiating curiosity now. “It was quite extreme, even for Second Daughter’s usual theatrics.”
My wolf contemplated this carefully. Such devoted protection seemed excessive for mere guard loyalty. Perhaps there was something deeper beneath Scarlett’s dramatic displays.
“Nina,” I said suddenly, my violet eyes gleaming with calculation. “Have Grace brought to my quarters within thirty minutes.”
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