Chapter 179: A Grandmother’s Protection
Chapter 179: A Grandmother’s Protection
(Celeste’s POV)
Eleanor stood before the gathered Winter Pack leaders, her small, fragile frame outlined by the
dim light of the main hall. Despite her illness and the walking stick she leaned on for support,
her presence carried the undeniable weight of authority.
Her golden eyes, once warm with love, now burned with a fire that silenced the room. Even Alpha James, whose dominant energy usually made the air thick with submission, hesitated
under her gaze.
“I have heard enough,” Eleanor said, her voice calm but resolute, every word like a blade
cutting through the tension.
Scarlett whimpered softly from where she clung to Luna Victoria’s side, and Lucas shifted uncomfortably, his green eyes flicking between me and his grandmother.
Eleanor’s eyes turned to me.
“Celeste,” she said, addressing me directly, “you were wrong to encourage Scarlett’s
attendance at the Blood Moon Gathering, knowing full well the risks involved.”
I stood tall, my violet eyes meeting hers. I didn’t argue. I wouldn’t argue. Her words held the
weight of a judge delivering a verdict, and I accepted her authority.
“Your punishment,” Eleanor continued, her voice unwavering, “will be one month of
confinement to your quarters in the pack house.”
A collective murmur spread through the room like the wind rustling leaves. Scarlett looked up sharply, her red–rimmed emerald eyes widening in disbelief.
“That’s her punishment?” she whispered, incredulous.
Alpha James’s wolf bristled, his face flushing with restrained anger. He slammed his fist against the oak armrest of his chair, the loud c***k making everyone flinch.
“Mother!” he barked, his wolf’s dominant energy flooding the room. “This is too lenient for such calculated manipulation!”
Eleanor didn’t even flinch. Her golden gaze turned icy as she faced the current Alpha of Winter
Pack–her own son.
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“Silence!” Eleanor snapped, her fragile voice cutting sharper than
any howl.
The sudden sharpness of her tone commanded absolute submission. Even I felt my silver–scarred wolf shudder beneath the power of her words.
“You dare question my judgment?” Eleanor asked, her steps slow but deliberate as she crossed the room, leaning heavily on her walking stick.
Alpha James took a step back instinctively, his wolf retreating, though his frown deepened.
“Or have you forgotten,” she continued, her breathing uneven but her words carrying the weight of a Luna who once led this entire pack, “who taught you pack law?”
Victoria’s lips parted, her voice small as she attempted to interject. “Eleanor, please-”
“Please what?” Eleanor interrupted, lifting her head with slow dignity. Her golden eyes swept
over the room, pinning Victoria in place.
“Please I forgive your silence,” she continued, her normally loving tone now heavy with disappointment, “when that girl,” she pointed her cane toward me, “bore four years of scars
without a single word of support from any of you?”
Victoria flinched, her hand tightening its hold on Scarlett’s trembling shoulder. Scarlett avoided her grandmother’s gaze, looking down at her lap as her lips quivered.
“And yet,” Eleanor continued bitterly, “a torn dress is enough to summon this entire hall into uproar. Tell me, is this fairness? Is this justice?”
No one answered. Not even Lucas, who had been glaring at me earlier with the feral intensity of someone who believed I had betrayed the family.
“One month confinement,” Eleanor repeated firmly, turning her attention back to me. Her golden eyes softened slightly. “No one will disturb her. It begins now.”
I lowered my head slightly in formal acknowledgment, though my chest clenched with a quiet sense of relief. Despite her words and tone, I understood this wasn’t punishment.
This was protection.
Free from debates, whispers, and Scarlett’s constant dramatics, I could breathe in peace. For a short while, I wouldn’t have to defend myself against every swipe and accusation thrown my
way.
Added to the library
“Mother,” Alpha James growled low, h
, “this isn’t fair to Scarlett!”
But Eleanor’s withering glare immediately silenced any further protest.
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“You speak to me of fairness?” she asked softly, her voice laced with quiet fury. Instead of
raising her voice, the sheer control in her tone commanded everyone’s absolute focus.
“Yes,” Eleanor said, her gaze intensifying. “After Celeste leaves, we’ll discuss fairness.”
I bowed slightly again out of respect, stepped out of the room, and disappeared down the
hallway toward my quarters. My only regret was leaving Eleanor to face the pack politics
alone.
(Alpha James’s POV)
As the heavy echoes of Celeste’s footsteps faded into the silence of the hall, the tension that
lingered became nearly unbearable.
Eleanor, my own mother, stood before me, her frame a shadow of its former strength, but her presence still luminous and commanding.
“You’re showing obvious favoritism,” I accused, unable to restrain my words any longer.
Her golden eyes snapped to mine, and the razor–sharp disappointment in her gaze scalded me
worse than any silver chain ever would.
“Favoritism, James?” she repeated, her tone cutting. The frail but undeniable energy of her wolf pulsed across the room.
“Shall we discuss favoritism?” she demanded, her sharp tone making Victoria glance away in discomfort.
Eleanor gestured clearly toward where Celeste had stood moments ago.
“Did you see the scars on her arms?” she hissed, her voice trembling with restrained fury. “Those burn marks from silver. Did you?”
My throat closed. I had seen them, yes, but I hadn’t let myself think too deeply about them.
“Tell me,” Eleanor pressed on, taking a step forward despite her frailty. “How quickly did react when Scarlett’s torn dress was reported to you tonight?”
you
“That’s different!” I burst out, unable to hold back my wolf.
“Different how?” she demanded. The fire in her gaze made my wolf bow its head in submission.
My jaw tightened, but I couldn’t answer her.
“Different because Scarlett is your blood?” Eleanor continued, her voice softening marginally but never losing its edge. “While Celeste–the girl we raised as our own for fourteen years-
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isn’t?”
Victoria raised a tentative hand, her lips trembling. “Eleanor, we truly care about Celeste. You
know we do-”
“Do I?” Eleanor interrupted sharply. “Did your actions show that care when she was sent to
Moon Shadow Prison for four years?”
Scarlett, now red–faced with tears, whispered softly, “Grandmother, please don’t upset
yourself…”
“Upset myself?” Eleanor repeated, her hand visibly trembling as she used her cane for support. Her strength was clearly waning, but her resolve didn’t falter.
“I am beyond upset. I am filled with shame,” Eleanor spat, turning her attention back to me. “Shame that my own son, the Alpha of this pack, let this happen to someone who called him
father.”
Victoria whispered something under her breath, trying to reason, but Eleanor dismissed her
with a simple flick of her wrist.
The room went silent, save for the sound of Eleanor’s uneasy breathing.
“Do better, James,” she said finally, her words low but piercing. “Otherwise, this pack’s unity will break under your hypocrisy.”
With that, she walked out of the hall, leaning heavily on her cane. The soft thud of it against
the floor echoed louder than my heartbeat.
(Lucas’s POV)
As the hall cleared, Scarlett approached me cautiously. Her soft hands wrapped around my
forearm, and her emerald eyes shimmered with gratitude.
“Thank you, brother,” she said, her voice quiet but sincere. “For protecting me tonight. If you hadn’t… I might have ended up in Moon Shadow Prison, like…”
She trailed off, her lips trembling slightly as she hesitated to mention Celeste by name.
The name she didn’t speak burned like fire in my chest.
I met her gaze, but all I could see was the depth of my shame reflected back at me.
“You’re my sister,” I said finally, my voice thick. “Of course I would protect you.”
The words rang hollow even to me.
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As Scarlett leaned her head against my arm, I felt a cold wave of realization crash over me.
Four years ago, someone else had called me brother. Someone who smiled at me with
warmth, trust, and a love so innocent it didn’t need to be spoken.
Now, when I faced Celeste, I saw nothing but the top of her bowed head as she greeted me
formally, her wolf subdued and distant.
Had I really shown favoritism all along?
I turned to Scarlett, her delicate features filled with gratitude.
And I wondered: Had I truly allowed one sister’s light to burn so brightly that it snuffed out the other’s entirely?
