Chapter 151: A Mother’s Rage
Chapter 151: A Mother’s Rage
(Celeste’s POV)
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a blade. Matthew Sterling lingered in my quarters, the aftermath of the wolfsbane poisoning still looming over us. His usually composed demeanor faltered for the first time, betraying the unease that hung between us.
His eyes, a typically guarded blue, avoided mine. His hands fidgeted with his warrior’s cloak draped loosely around his shoulders. The same cloak he’d used to shield me just yesterday.
I couldn’t help but notice the faint flush creeping up his neck, a detail Nina’s sharp, observant gaze immediately caught. The soft rumble of amusement from her wolf made my ears twitch, and I shot her a pointed warning glare.
“Miss Celeste,” Matthew said suddenly, his deep voice breaking the moment. The roughness in his tone caught my attention immediately. “I… I should go.”
He cleared his throat, as if trying to swallow whatever conflicted energy hung around him. His boots shifted awkwardly against the wooden floorboards as he gestured vaguely toward the door with a hand that wouldn’t stay still.
“There’s urgent pack business that needs my attention,” he muttered stiffly. His words were rushed, his posture tense, like he couldn’t get away fast enough.
“Of course,” I replied, nodding a little too quickly to mask my own unease. “You’ve already done far more than you needed to, Matthew. Thank you again for…”
I trailed off, unsure how to conclude without dredging up the mess of emotions that lingered
unspoken between us.
Without waiting for me to finish, Matthew gave a short, stiff bow. The motion was brief but pained, a sharp wince crossing his face as he straightened. My eyes instinctively caught the slight tremor in his arm as he pressed against the bruises on his ribcage. He was trying to
hide it, but the marks from Alexander’s obvious fury seemed impossible to ignore now.
Though he turned before I could respond further, his retreat felt far too abrupt. The door
closing behind him left an awkward stillness in its wake, the kind that made my wolf stir
uncomfortably under my skin as if his absence itself were unsettling.
The silence didn’t last long. Nina wasted no time with restraint, her smirk all but blooming
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Chapter 151: A Mother’s Rage
now that we were alone. She crossed her arms, leaning casually against the corner of the
dresser, her wolf practically howling in amusement.
“Well, well,” she began, drawing out the words in a sing–song tone that immediately made me
regret dismissing Matthew so soon.
“Nina!” I snapped, already bracing for her inevitable teasing. “Don’t start.”
“Start what?” she asked innocently, though her tone betrayed her mischievous intent. “I didn’t
even say anything yet.”
My glare was warning enough, but it didn’t stop her. Instead, Nina dropped the façade of innocence entirely, her grin widening as she tilted her head in mock thought.
“It’s just… the way he looks at you,” she teased, letting her words hang intentionally in the air.
I rolled my eyes, though the heat rushing to my face betrayed the irritation in my tone. “It’s nothing,” I snapped sharply. “He saved me, Nina. For that, I’m grateful. That’s all.”
“Gratitude.” She hummed the word thoughtfully as if chewing on it, her smirk smug like she’d
already won. “If you say so, Mistress.”
I pointed a sharp finger at her, mustering every ounce of authority in my voice. “Drop it, Nina.”
Her silver–gray wolf growled in amusement again, but her smirk obediently dimmed, settling
into a quiet grin.
“It’s not funny,” I continued, my tone lowering as my earlier irritation ebbed into apprehension.
“You forget how precarious Matthew’s position is. He’s practically Alexander’s shadow, and I…”
I caught myself pausing, my heartbeat faltering before my mind forced me to spit out the
obvious truth.
“And I’m Marcus’s claimed mate,” I finished bitterly. Even in the privacy of my quarters, where
no eyes or ears could exploit my circumstances, the words still tasted like venom on my
tongue.
Suddenly, Nina’s grin vanished. The realization of my position sunk in, turning her wolf
protective rather than playful.
“You’re right,” she admitted quietly, extending a thoughtful nod. “Those are dangerous rumors
to let circulate.”
“Exactly,” I replied firmly, cutting off any chance for more careless remarks. “This isn’t just
some idle flirtation we’re talking about. A single whisper could ruin him–and me.”
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Chapter 151: A Mother’s Rage
Nina nodded again, her wolf bowing submissively within the bond. “I’ll keep my mouth shut, Mistress. It won’t happen again.”
Satisfied with her sincerity, I let the matter rest, though a lingering heaviness remained in the air.
“Good,” I replied sharply before redirecting her focus. “Now. What’s the report on Grace?”
The instant I spoke her name, Nina’s entire demeanor soured. Her teasing edge disappeared entirely, replaced by an intensity that radiated disgust.
Her lips curled back slightly, revealing teeth as her wolf growled low under the surface.
“She’s been crying endlessly,” Nina reported. “Constantly begging for mercy and loyalty to Scarlett, as if that would earn her any favor now.”
My jaw tightened hearing her name. Scarlett’s role in the wolfsbane poisoning hadn’t slipped my attention yet. Still, there were bigger problems to address first.
“Typical for a coward,” I muttered coldly. My silver–scarred wolf twitched at the mere thought of Grace’s betrayal. “She’ll learn what loyalty to Scarlett gets her.”
Nina tilted her head, cautious in her wolf’s protective stance. “What do you want done with
her?” she asked bluntly, though the question carried careful weight.
“Prepare the punishment grounds,” I ordered evenly. My voice carried no hesitation now, only finality. “Thirty silver lashes before her banishment. Make it public.”
“Mistress,” Nina began, reluctant yet understanding. “Scarlett isn’t going to take this quietly.”
“She can scream herself hoarse for all I care,” I shot back. “Grace knew the risks when she
helped poison me. If anything, I’m being merciful.”
Soft footsteps interrupted my thoughts before I could elaborate further. A knock at the
chamber door immediately snapped both our heads toward the sound.
Nina’s silver–gray wolf tensed beside me, her protective instinct rising sharply. But before she
could act, the door burst open. One of the royal Winter messenger wolves entered, panting and wide–eyed from an obvious sense of urgency.
“Miss Celeste,” he wheezed, his voice rushed but steady enough to carry impact. “An urgent
summons from royal territory. Lady Regina Blackwood demands your presence immediately!”
A cold pit formed in my stomach, sharp and leaden.
I forced a steadying breath, yet everything about this messenger’s hurried tone and Regina’s
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*** Pract
sudden demand felt ominously wrong.
“She summoned me?” I asked, my words slow and deliberate.
“Yes, Mistress,” he confirmed, wolf trailing uneasily. “The Lady insists it cannot wait.”
My wolf stirred hesitantly beneath its scarred layers, sensing the buried urgency coursing from messenger’s tone to mine.
“— go at once,” I decided, pinching my cheeks lightly to hide any lingering weakness from the wolfsbane poisoning.
Nina stepped forward instinctively, offering silent support. But I waved her back. “Stay here. Make sure Grace doesn’t try anything stupid.”
Her eyes filled with concern, but she nodded her understanding.
Victoria’s private chambers seemed eerily quiet as I arrived. The royal guards stationed nearby
didn’t even acknowledge me as they parted to let me through.
I stepped inside cautiously, tension radiating from my wolf as I scanned the room.
What met me was sudden and startling. A sharp, stinging pain exploded across my cheek, accompanied by a loud c***k that echoed through the chamber.
Blinking against the sting, I realized Regina Blackwood had slapped me. Her violet eyes
blazed with an intensity that made my lungs feel heavy.
“You!” Her voice was shrill, trembling with rage. Her wolf surged forward aggressively, fueled
by her obvious grief.
“This is YOUR fault!” she screamed, shaking as salty tears trailed down her noble face. “You
drove my Marcus away!”
My cheek still burned, but the fury in her tone burned deeper.
“If anything happens to him,” she continued, her voice rising dangerously, “I’ll end your miserable life myself!”
I should have felt anger at her audacity. Fear at her wolf’s threatening energy. But instead, I
stood frozen, silent and confused.
Regina stepped closer, grabbing the fabric of my sleeves roughly. Her voice broke into a desperate wail, echoing around the room. “Those rogues are savages! Now he’s with them!
TORTURED by them!”
Her words barely registered. I was too busy wondering how best to respond without drawing
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Chapter 151: A Mother’s Rage
more of her misplaced rage.
“How dare you just stand there?” she shrieked, her breath hitching with suppressed sobs. Tears streamed freely, blurring her regal facade. “Say something! SAY SOMETHING!”
