Chapter 134: A Guard’s True Bond
Chapter 134: A Guard’s True Bond
(Celeste’s POV)
Victoria’s emerald eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity, her wolf practically snarling as she faced Grace. The trembling beta wolf visibly shrank against the wall, flattening herself in submission. Her wide, tearful eyes darted nervously, searching for some form of reprieve.
“How dare you!” Victoria’s voice, usually calm and composed, now cracked like a whip through
the room.
Before anyone could react, Victoria’s hand whipped through the air, striking Grace’s cheek with an audible c***k. The sound of the slap echoed, sharp and unforgiving, as Grace stumbled
slightly from the impact.
Her hand shot up to cradle her reddened cheek, her breaths shallow and panicked. A small bead of blood glistened at the corner of her lip where Victoria’s hand had split the skin.
“Thirty silver–laced lashes!” Victoria barked, her tone laced with unyielding authority. Her wolf surged forward in a sharp display of dominance. “And banishment from pack territory!”
Grace gasped audibly, collapsing to her knees under the tremendous weight of the command. Her wolf whimpered pitifully, cowering beneath the intensity radiating from Victoria. Her trembling frame shook as silent tears streamed down her face.
“Please, Luna,” Grace whispered, her voice trembling as though the sound alone might shatter
her. She didn’t dare meet Victoria’s piercing gaze.
My silver–scarred wolf remained utterly stoic as I watched the pathetic display. The sight of Grace groveling might have stirred pity in others, but my wolf remained unmoved. Compared to the years of torment I had endured in Moon Shadow Prison, her tears held no power here.
Before anyone else could speak, Scarlett fell to her knees, the sound of her abrupt collapse onto the polished wooden floor sending ripples through the tense air.
Her wolf whimpered audibly, her emerald eyes filled with tears as she clung to the hem of
Victoria’s dress.
“Mother, please!” Scarlett pleaded, her once–controlled voice now shaky and raw with emotion. Her tear–streaked face tilted upward, desperation written in every line.
Victoria’s wolf snapped back, momentarily startled by Scarlett’s uncharacteristic display. Her
1/4
+8 Points
Chapter 134: A Guard’s True Bond
usually composed daughter, who took such careful measures to protect her image, was now groveling openly before her.
“Darling, stand up,” Victoria murmured, her tone softening just a fraction. But Scarlett
stubbornly shook her head, her trembling hands grasping at Victoria’s skirt as though her
sheer will could anchor her to the moment.
“Grace didn’t mean any harm!” Scarlett continued, her voice rising in a crescendo of
desperation. She shifted upward slightly onto her knees, still clinging to Victoria like a child
pleading for mercy. “She wasn’t thinking clearly! Please, Mother, you can’t banish her!”
Scarlett’s emerald eyes darted toward me fleetingly, her wolf radiating unease as though gauging my reaction. But she quickly returned her focus to Victoria, doubling down on her
performance.
“I’ll take full responsibility,” Scarlett sobbed, the words rippling through the room. “I’ll oversee
her personally. I won’t let her act out again. Please, just let her stay!”
Amusement flickered briefly through my chest at the sheer dramatic flair of her plea. My wolf remained cold, unyielding as Scarlett’s wolf flailed desperately, writhing beneath the pressure
Victoria employed.
Victoria regarded Scarlett with an expression somewhere between confusion and disbelief. For all her calculated intelligence, Scarlett’s display today must have rattled her. This was blatant overkill, even by her usual standards.
“Why?” Victoria asked, her tone sharp and cutting as she narrowed her emerald gaze. Her lips curved slightly downward in disapproval. “Why are you groveling like this for her? She’s just a beta guard. Why does she matter so much?”
The question sent a ripple of visible tension through Scarlett. Her wolf froze entirely, the usual quick wit and excuses conspicuously absent.
Scarlett’s emerald eyes darted around the room, panic creeping into her features as she fumbled for an answer. Her dramatic sobbing faltered for a split second before she resumed, louder this time. The exaggerated display only highlighted her desperation.
“She’s… she’s innocent!” Scarlett stammered out, her trembling lips barely forming the words. Her wolf whimpered louder beneath Victoria’s scrutinizing gaze.
Victoria remained silent, waiting, but Scarlett didn’t elaborate further. That didn’t go unnoticed.
“Scarlett.” Victoria’s voice was soft now, but sharp with suspicion. “Don’t lie to me.”
2/4
+8 Point
Chapter 134: A Guard’s True Bond
Her emerald gaze bore into her daughter, pressing her for answers that Scarlett clearly didn’t
want to give.
Her hesitation spoke volumes. My wolf watched with interest as the cracks in Scarlett’s mask
widened.
Nina stepped forward on instinct, her silver–gray wolf exuding quiet dominance as she took
hold of Grace’s arm firmly. Her efficient movements sent a clear message to everyone present:
this farce was over.
“The pack doesn’t tolerate such open disrespect of hierarchy,” Nina declared coldly, her tone
filled with authority. She began to drag Grace out of the room with little ceremony.
As Grace’s arm was pulled upward, she yelped pitifully. Her knees slid against the polished
floor, leaving faint streaks where wood met trembling limbs.
“No!” Grace cried out, her voice breaking as she thrashed weakly against Nina’s hold. Her hand
reached out blindly, desperately seeking salvation.
Scarlett surged forward immediately, seizing Grace’s outstretched hand, her fingers
intertwining with her guard’s. Her emerald eyes brimmed with fresh tears as she screamed, ”
Wait! Don’t take her away!”
Her cries were loud, unrestrained, and wholly unlike the composed Scarlett the pack once
knew. The air grew electric with tension as her voice broke apart into sobs.
Victoria’s hesitation now teetered into outright disbelief as she watched her seemingly
polished daughter unravel. Her wolf’s confusion created an almost visible ripple across her
poised exterior.
“Enough,” Victoria managed, her wavering composure breaking slightly as she leveled Scarlett with a hard stare. “What is wrong, Scarlett?”
Her voice had softened again, though now the maternal warmth contained an edge of icy
disbelief.
Scarlett’s fingers trembled around Grace’s, her usually pristine composure shattered as her
emerald gaze locked onto Victoria’s.
“She’s… she’s important,” Scarlett managed to whisper hoarsely, but the words fell flat,
unsatisfying.
Victoria leaned in slightly, her curiosity sharpening her tone further, as though demanding
more detail through sheer force. “Enough with these shallow excuses. If she’s truly so vital,
3/4
Chapter 134: A Guard’s True Bond
then explain why.”
Scarlett’s breaths grew shallow, staggered as the scrutiny closed in around her. My wolf
watched, silent but interested, as Scarlett fell completely apart.
“She’s… she’s my sister,” Scarlett suddenly confessed.
The words seemed too big for her mouth, choking her as they escaped.
The gasp that escaped Victoria was audible. Shock painted her every feature as her wolf
blinked in stunned confusion.
For once, the entire room fell completely silent.
Scarlett dropped her head in shame, her grip on Grace loosening as she clung instead to
Victoria’s hemline.
“She’s my foster mother’s blood daughter, Scarlett managed in a choked whisper. Her words
stumbled out in disjointed phrases between sobs.
“She’s my sister.”
Victoria took an unsteady step backward, her wolf flinching visibly under the weight of the
revelation.
“Repeat that,” Victoria demanded softly, her voice barely above a whisper but trembling.
Scarlett inhaled shakily as though steeling herself.
“She’s my foster mother’s blood daughter,” Scarlett choked out through her sobs. Her eyes flickered toward me cautiously before finally lowering. “She’s my sister, and… Celeste’s true
sibling.”
