Chapter 177: Blood Moon’s Bitter Dance
Chapter 177: Blood Moon’s Bitter Dance
(Diana’s POV)
The Blood Moon Gathering carried an unsettling tension. The grand hall, usually alive with laughter and mingling, felt heavy, like a storm was brewing just beneath the surface.
I watched Celeste from across the room. She stood alone, her violet eyes simmering with a
cold detachment that sent shivers down my spine.
Her expression, once proud and fiery in our shared youth, now carried a bitterness that cut deeper than I expected. Gone was the confident she–wolf who had never backed down from any challenge.
Now, she was an isolated figure, her lone silhouette speaking volumes.
Something twisted in my chest as I observed her. I didn’t know what it was–was it pity?
Regret? I wasn’t sure.
Even with our long–standing rivalry, I couldn’t shake the unease.
“This isn’t right,” I muttered under my
breath.
The Celeste I remembered, surrounded by people who once adored and praised her, was now starkly alone. Worse, she didn’t seem to care–or maybe she’d mastered the art of indifference.
Like an invisible string pulling me, I found myself walking toward her. My heels clicked softly against the polished floors, each step heavier with hesitation.
Celeste noticed me before I could greet her. Her violet eyes narrowed sharply, and a cold smirk tugged at her lips.
“What do you want, Diana?” Her tone was sharp, disinterested. Guarded.
“I need to warn you,” I said quickly, deciding against beating around the bush. “Don’t do anything reckless. Whatever you’re planning involving Scarlett–it could backfire badly.”
Her laughter was hollow and filled with resentment. “Planning? What an assumption. Since
when have I ever needed your concern?”
I forced myself to hold her icy stare. “That’s not the point. You-”
She cut me off with another cold chuckle. “Save it, Diana. We both know why you’re here. Guilt suits you poorly.”
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I blinked at her accusation but pushed forward. “It’s not guilt, Celeste. It’s observation. You’re
standing here, isolated. Alone.”
Her smirk vanished, replaced by a curious expression, though her tone remained sardonic.
“Observation, huh? And what brilliant conclusion have you drawn from your oh–so–wise
perspective, Diana?”
I crossed my arms tightly, holding my ground. “It’s different now. You’re not the Celeste I remember. Then, you always had Lucas, Alexander–everyone hanging onto your every word.
Now…” I gestured vaguely around her empty space.
Her silence was loaded. Finally, she responded, but her voice was tinged with bitterness as her gaze swept the room. “Noticed that, did you? How quickly they abandoned me once Scarlett showed up?”
For a second, I thought I saw cracks in her icy composure, but it quickly solidified once more.
Before I could respond, sharp, commanding voices disrupted the tension between us.
“Move!” A beta’s voice carried across the hall.
Princess Katherine stormed out from an adjacent chamber, flanked by royal guards, her violet eyes blazing, her wolf radiating pure fury.
Most wolves scrambled to clear her path, stepping back hurriedly to avoid her wrath. The pulse of her aura, commanding and suffocating, hung in the air like the stroke of a bell.
“Well, that’s my cue.” Celeste’s voice was low and teasing, but there was no humor in it. She turned with her head held high and slipped past the shifting crowd.
I stayed behind and watched as Princess Katherine’s angry march cleared the space.
Moments after, the grand hall began to disperse. Wolves murmured anxiously, no one eager to be caught in more confrontation tonight.
I hesitated. Then, something inside me compelled me to action.
(Diana’s POV)
The Steele family’s private training grounds were quiet except for the rhythmic clang of weapons striking steel dummies.
Alexander’s powerful form moved with calculated precision, his movements aggressive and full of purpose. His breaths came heavy as he switched techniques midway, now focusing on
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an offensive maneuver.
Leaning against the side of the arena, I watched for several moments, debating if I should interrupt. After what I’d seen tonight in the hall…and Celeste… the questions swirling in my head demanded more clarity.
“You’re working out some frustration, huh?” I finally called, stepping forward.
Alexander didn’t pause, his focus never faltering as he swung a heavy strike, splitting the training dummy in two.
“Go back to the gathering, Diana,” he replied coldly.
Ignoring his clear dismissal, I crossed my arms. “Not until I get answers.”
This time, he turned, his ice–blue eyes locking onto mine, his wolf present and menacing just
beneath the surface. “What do you want?”
“Why didn’t you defend her?” I demanded bluntly.
He didn’t flinch, but his white wolf stirred restlessly. “You know why,” he said, his voice quieter
but no less intense.
. “Do I?” I stepped closer, my tone insistent. “Because from where I’m standing, what happened
tonight doesn’t match what happened four years ago.”
Alexander’s glare darkened, and he let out a low growl. “Celeste’s situation was–different.”
His words only fueled my frustration. “How? Enlighten me.”
He exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on his training blade. “Celeste wasn’t innocent back
then. She broke sacred pack law. The Alpha King had no choice but to act.”
“Scarlett broke sacred rules tonight too,” I countered sharply. “But she was protected. By you,
by Lucas. Where were you when Celeste needed someone to protect her?”
Alexander’s wolf let out a sharp snarl. His frustration finally boiled over.
“It was politics, Diana!” he snapped, his voice echoing through the grounds. “The Alpha King
had to make an example of her to remind the Winter Pack of their submission. Four years ago,
she wasn’t just Celeste! She was a scapegoat!”
His admission rendered me momentarily speechless. I hadn’t expected such raw honesty.
“I had no power back then,” he continued, his voice lower now, almost bitter. “Do you think I didn’t…” His words trailed off, replaced by a sharp swing of his blade.
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I stared in silence. This wasn’t the same Alexander I had known–the man everyone revered as
a battle–hardened warrior now carried a weight I hadn’t seen before. A regret that had chased
him down, clawing at his heels.
“You could’ve done something,” I said softly. “And now, look at her.”
Alexander’s shoulders stiffened. He didn’t reply but struck the nearest dummy with such ferocity that its head rolled off.
(Celeste’s POV)
The moment I stepped through the doors of the Winter Pack house, a beta guard quickly approached me, bowing low.
“The Alpha requests your presence in the main hall, Miss Winters.”
My wolf bristled, sensing trouble, but I nodded curtly. “Lead the way.”
The main hall was heavy with tension the moment I entered. Scarlett sat near Victoria, her
face streaked with tears, while Lucas loomed nearby like an executioner.
Alpha James stood at the head of the room, his dominant aura suffocating.
“Submit,” came his harsh command the second I stepped into his line of sight.
I stood firm, refusing to bow. “I’d rather not.”
A growl erupted from his throat as his wolf surged forward, but I didn’t flinch.
“You know why you’re here,” he said, his tone almost a snarl.
“Oh? Do tell,” I said calmly, letting my voice carry a defiance I knew would irritate him.
Victoria stepped forward, her brows pinched with worry. “Celeste… Scarlett told us about the
robe. You knew it would cause issues!”
“Did I?” I tilted my head mockingly. “All I did was ensure the rightful recipient got her dress.
What’s so wrong with forwarding a misplaced package?”
Lucas’s wolf growled low, stepping closer. “It wasn’t just a misplaced package. That robe
almost sent Scarlett to-‘
“Moon Shadow Prison?” I cut him off, feigning surprise. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
Victoria gasped, her eyes wide with shock. “Celeste, please! You’re being unreasonable.”
“Oh, I am the unreasonable one?” My voice rose slightly, my violet eyes narrowing. “Tell me,
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Victoria. Was I unreasonable when I was sent to that very same prison for four years while you
all did nothing to stop it?”
“Enough!” Alpha James’s sharp bark echoed in the hall, silencing everyone.
“You deliberately put Scarlett in danger, Celeste,” he declared. “What do you have to say for
yourself?”
I smiled coldly, folding my arms as my voice turned sharp and dry. “I ask again: what wrong have I done? The robe wasn’t mine to keep, so I gave it back–you’re welcome.”
