Chapter 164: A Desperate Gambit
Chapter 164: A Desperate Gambit
(Celeste’s POV)
Shadow, the infamous Alpha who led the rogues, stood before me, his aura of cruel
dominance suffocating yet sharp as ice. His pacing was deliberate, his boots crunching
against the dirt–covered floor.
Every step sent a ripple through my silver–scarred wolf, who bristled, caught between fear and
defiance.
“The Alpha King will not negotiate for his pathetic nephew,” Shadow sneered, his deep voice dripping with venom.
He turned to glance at Marcus, who lay slumped against the wall like discarded prey. With a
bored flick of his wrist, Shadow kicked Marcus’s side, eliciting a pitiful yelp.
“But you,” Shadow said, his eyes settling on me with an unnerving gleam, “you’re far more
interesting.”
I swallowed hard, keeping my expression unreadable. My wolf coiled tightly, retreating at the weight of his gaze, but I forced her to hold her ground. A flicker of motion from behind Shadow caught my attention. His pack lounged nearby, their eyes alive with menace, like predators
savoring a fresh kill.
Shadow’s lips twisted into a cruel smile as he spoke again. “Let me make this simple,” he said, his voice dropping to a menacing purr. “Kill Marcus. Kill him with your claws, and I’ll consider
letting you join us.”
The room seemed to contract around me. Time froze for a fleeting moment before rushing
forward with clarity.
“Kill him?” I repeated, my voice even and disbelieving.
Shadow chuckled, low and mocking, gesturing toward Marcus without sparing him a second glance. “A fitting end for a royal coward, don’t you think? Use your claws. Isn’t that poetic, considering all he did to you in his private den?”
The words struck like a physical blow, dredging up memories I fought to bury. The silver cuffs that had burned into my flesh. The cruel laugh as Marcus circled me like a vulture, savoring
my screams.
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Chapter 164: A Desperate Gambit
I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms, grounding myself against the flood of rage and nausea those memories brought with them.
Marcus scrambled forward suddenly, a panicked light in his violet eyes. Dirt clung to his once–pristine royal attire, smudging the image of his so–called superiority. He crawled
pathetically toward me, his hands trembling.
“Celeste, please!” he begged, his voice rising into a mixture of desperation and fear. His royal
tone, honed to command all lesser wolves to submission, cracked like fragile glass.
His violet gaze implored me, darting between my face and Shadow’s looming figure. “You can’t
listen to him! Remember our mate claim! I’m your mate! I can protect you from the Winter
Pack’s schemes.”
For a split second, everything stopped. The rancid air of the den seemed to still.
Then a bitter laugh bubbled unbidden from my chest. It tore through the uneasy silence, harsh
and sharp.
“Protection?” I repeated, my voice flat and hollow, laden with disbelief. “Did you just say you’d
protect me, Marcus?”
He froze. The pathetic hope smeared across his face faltered as my voice rose, laced with
scorn so sharp it could cut through steel.
“You dare to speak of ‘protection‘?” I spat, my silver–scarred wolf growling low in my chest. “Do
you think I’ve forgotten? Don’t insult me.”
I stepped closer, my eyes burning through his façade of salvation. “You tortured me in your
private den. You kept me in silver chains. You broke me
–
or at least, you thought you did. And
now, after everything, you dare to beg for a scrap of mercy from me?”
Marcus whimpered like a scared pup, his violet eyes glistening with tears. His wolf attempted
to surface, flickering weakly in a desperate display of dominance that only spotlighted his
pathetic state.
“Celeste!” he cried, desperation stretching his voice tight. “I had no choice! You don’t
understand! Everything I did-”
“Silence,” Shadow growled, his commanding voice cutting Marcus off like a blade slicing
through air. His disinterest in Marcus bordered on outright derision.
“The question,” he purred, his dark eyes shifting back to me, “is not about his excuses. What I want to know, little silver wolf, is whether you’re going to take this golden opportunity I’ve so
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Chapter 164: A Desperate Gambit
generously offered you.”
+8 Point
He gestured toward Marcus once more, all cruel composure as he continued. “Will you slit his
throat? End his pathetic whining and free yourself from his claim? All it takes is a little spill of
blood, no?”
I didn’t respond immediately. My wolf was trembling, pacing restlessly in the back of my mind. Pity wasn’t an emotion I could spare for Marcus. Certainly not after years of his cruelty.
But I knew better. If I killed Marcus now, Shadow would never let me live. My death wouldn’t be drawn out like Marcus’s; it would be swift, but certain.
There was only one other option.
“Fine,” I said sharply, lowering my stance. My intense violet gaze locked on Marcus, and his broken expression wavered between betrayal and hope. Reaching toward the floor, I flexed my claws deliberately as if readying myself for the act.
Marcus flinched, reflexively scrambling backward. His voice cracked with another pathetic plea. “Wait, Celeste! Don’t-!”
As his trembling voice filled the den, I lunged forward.
Shadow chuckled darkly, already overestimating his effect on me. But as I launched myself into the air, my trajectory veered.
My violet eyes burned with cold defiance as I shifted my weight and aimed directly for Shadow’s exposed throat.
The den erupted in chaos.
Shadow reacted almost instantly, his wolf instincts razor–sharp. His muscled arm shot out, catching my neck mid–strike. The force jerked me backward, the air rushing from my lungs. His wolf aura slammed into mine like a tidal wave, crushing, suffocating.
“Foolish girl,” Shadow hissed through clenched teeth, his grip tightening. “I was going to make your death quick. But now, I think you deserve something slower.”
I clawed weakly against his iron grip as his other hand raised toward my throat, his smirk widening with satisfaction. My wolf braced for the inevitable.
But the killing blow never came.
Shadow yelped in pain, his hand tearing away from my throat as hot blood sprayed across the den. His howl shattered the unsettling silence, a chilling sound that sent his subordinates scrambling in confusion.
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Chapter 164: A Desperate Gambit
I fell to the ground, gasping for air, my silver–scarred wolf disoriented from panic. As I looked up, my breath hitched. Claws had raked savagely across Shadow’s back, blood soaking through his dark shirt.
The defensive attack quickly dissolved into chaos.
Wolves flooded the den on Shadow’s orders, shifting between forms in a frenetic battle for survival. Snarls and growls mingled with the sound of claws and teeth rending flesh. My instinct was to flee, but my trembling limbs betrayed me.
I pressed myself against the cold stone walls, shielding myself as best I could from the
pandemonium. Every sound, every scent overstimulated my wolf, leaving us trapped in our
own terrified paralysis.
The chaos stilled as suddenly as it began. The rancid scent of blood overpowered my senses, and the metallic tang filled the dim chamber. Shadow lay lifeless on the den floor, his position
unrecognizable–a jagged corpse among many.
The figure who emerged from the gore–streaked battlefield shocked me to my core.
“Jack?” I whispered hoarsely.
The royal guard, now caked in blood and breathing hard, stood tall above Shadow’s mutilated body. Unlike his stature, his aura seemed to grow larger, as if the shadows surrounding him
were bending to his will.
“You’re safe now,” Jack announced coldly, his tone devoid of emotion.
My legs buckled, and I slid back against the stone wall. Relief blurred my vision, but my
reprieve was short–lived.
A familiar voice broke through the stillness. “Little Moon.”
The words slithered like poison into my ears, and my entire body tensed. I turned slowly, finding Marcus crawling toward me, his features twisted into false relief. His wolf still radiated faint hints of royal arrogance, as though expecting admiration for his survival.
“You came for me,” he said with a weak smile, like a predator disguising itself poorly as prey.
I stiffened as his hand attempted to reach for mine. “Don’t,” I growled lowly.
“Celeste-” he began, his voice pleading again.
Without warning, Jack moved. Swift and silent as a predator. The glint of his black dagger
flashed once.
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Chapter 164 A Desperate Gambit
The sickening sound of steel slicing flesh echoed.
Marcus froze, disbelief and shock in his violet eyes. The blood bloomed like a dark crimson flower, spilling down his royal armor.
