Chapter 193: A Confrontation and a Misunderstanding (Celeste’s POV)
Chapter 193: A Confrontation and a Misunderstanding (Celeste’s POV)
“Alex!”
The high–pitched cry shattered the moment. I jerked my head toward the doorway where Scarlett stood, her face a mask of shock.
Alexander didn’t release my wrist. He merely turned his head lazily, those ice–blue eyes now directed at the intruder. The look he gave her wasn’t the warm protectiveness I’d grown accustomed to seeing. Instead, there was a cold flicker of displeasure, as if she’d interrupted
something important.
Scarlett’s emerald eyes widened at his expression. In all the years I’d known her, I’d never seen Alexander direct anything but gentle concern toward her. Now, receiving this cold gaze for the
first time, she crumpled.
Tears welled in her eyes instantly, spilling down her cheeks in dramatic rivulets. Her shoulders trembled as she stood frozen in the doorway.
“S–Scarlett?” Lucas’s voice came from behind her. “Why aren’t you going in?”
His tall figure appeared in the doorway. It took him only seconds to assess the scene- Alexander’s hand gripping my wrist, our faces uncomfortably close, the empty wine bottles scattered across the table. His golden eyes flashed dangerously, the familiar fury I’d seen so often rising to the surface.
With a roar that was more wolf than human, Lucas charged forward. His fist connected with Alexander’s jaw before either of us could react. The force of his rage–fueled punch sent Alexander staggering back.
“You bastard!” Lucas snarled, his wolf surging beneath his skin. “You’re supposed to be marking my sister, and I find you like this with her?”
Alexander recovered quickly, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. His white wolf’s aura filled the room with dangerous energy.
“You don’t understand what’s happening,” he growled.
“I understand perfectly,” Lucas spat back, lunging for another attack.
In his haste to dodge Lucas’s attack, Alexander finally released my wrist. The sudden freedom, combined with how hard I’d been pulling away, sent me tumbling backward. I hit the floor hard,
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my head connecting painfully with the polished wood.
My silver–scarred wolf whimpered at the impact. I closed my eyes briefly, pushing away the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm me.
When I opened them again, chaos had engulfed the room. Alexander and Lucas were locked in a violent struggle, their powerful wolves lending them inhuman strength. Furniture crashed to the ground as they grappled, snarls and growls filling the air.
Scarlett remained at the doorway, her tears flowing unchecked, making no move to stop the
fight.
Neither of the men had even glanced my way after I fell. Typical.
I pushed myself up slowly, rubbing the tender spot on the back of my head. There would be a bruise, but nothing serious. I’d endured far worse in Moon Shadow Prison.
The sight of them fighting sickened me. After everything–after abandoning me to four years of torture, after pushing me aside for Scarlett–they still managed to make every situation about themselves. Even now, neither spared me a thought.
I straightened my clothing and started toward the door, intending to escape this ridiculous drama. My violet eyes must have reflected my disgust as I approached the exit where Scarlett
stood weeping.
As I tried to slip past Scarlett, her hand shot out suddenly, gripping my arm with surprising
strength.
“Let go,” I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance. My silver–scarred wolf bristled at the
unwanted contact.
If anyone should be confronting someone, it should be her confronting Alexander. Why was
she latching onto me?
Scarlett’s tear–streaked face turned toward mine, her emerald eyes filled with something I’d
never seen directed at me before–raw, unfiltered hatred.
“You,” she hissed through her tears. “Explain this.”
I stared at her, genuinely confused by her reaction. “Explain what?”
Her grip tightened painfully on my arm. “Don’t play innocent! I saw you–with my–with
Alexander!”
Before I could respond, something in Scarlett snapped. Her composure shattered completely.
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*STAY HERE AND EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!” she shrieked, her voice rising to a hysterical pitch that cut through the room like silver.
The effect was immediate. The fighting stopped, both men freezing mid–struggle. Their wolves‘ aggressive snarls died in their throats as they turned to stare at Scarlett.
I was equally stunned. In all our years together, I’d never heard Scarlett raise her voice like this. Her carefully cultivated image of fragile sweetness had cracked, revealing something darker
beneath.
Her emerald eyes bored into mine, filled with tears and unveiled hate. Her delicate hand still
clutched my arm in a bruising grip.
“Fine,” I said quietly, surprised by her intensity. “I’ll explain.”
I gently but firmly removed her hand from my arm and walked back to the table. With
deliberate calmness, I righted a fallen chair and sat down, arranging myself with the dignified
composure I’d perfected during my years in Moon Shadow Prison.
I gestured to the chair opposite me. “Shall we discuss this like adults?”
(Scarlett’s POV)
I followed Celeste to the table, my legs shaking with each step. I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face, but I forced myself to move silently now, swallowing the sobs that threatened to erupt from my throat.
Sitting across from her, I kept my eyes locked on her face. How could she look so calm? So unmoved? Alexander–my Alexander–had been moments away from kissing her, and she sat there as if we were about to discuss the weather.
My wolf whimpered pathetically inside me. The pain in my chest was almost unbearable.
Lucas and Alexander joined us at the table, taking seats on either side. I could feel Alexander’s gaze on me, but I couldn’t bear to look at him. Not yet. Not when the image of his face so close to Celeste’s was seared into my mind.
I continued to cry silently, letting my tears fall unchecked. Usually, my tears brought immediate comfort–soothing words, gentle embraces, reassurances. But now, no one moved to comfort me. Lucas seemed too angry, Alexander too guilty, and Celeste…
Celeste simply met my gaze without flinching, her violet eyes cool and unreadable. But just for a moment, I caught something else there–a flicker of satisfaction. She was enjoying this, I realized. Enjoying watching me experience the pain of having something precious taken away.
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Just as she had felt when the pack had thrown her into Moon Shadow Prison.
(Lucas’s POV)
The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken accusations. I could smell the
emotions filling the room–Scarlett’s distress, sharp and bitter; Alexander’s frustration, heavy
and pungent; Celeste’s cold detachment, like frozen stone.
I couldn’t stand it anymore. My wolf was howling for answers, for action, for something to
direct my rage toward.
I slammed my fist against the table, making the empty wine bottles jump. “What the hell did
you do, Celeste?”
My wolf surged with protective fury. After everything–after the sacrifices we’d made to protect
Scarlett, after the arrangements for her future–how dare Celeste try to ruin it all?
Celeste’s violet eyes flashed dangerously. She opened her mouth to respond, but Alexander
cut her off.
“It wasn’t her,” he said, his voice steady despite the trickle of blood still visible at the corner of
his mouth. “It was me, Lucas. My fault entirely. It has nothing to do with Celeste.”
His white wolf’s aura seemed strangely protective as he spoke, shielding Celeste from my
accusation. I’d never seen him defend her so openly before.
Scarlett’s tears intensified at his words, her wolf keening with distress. I could see the
heartbreak in her eyes as Alexander took responsibility.
“I–I’ll return it,” Scarlett sobbed suddenly, her voice breaking. “The mate claim. I’ll return it to
Celeste.”
She wiped furiously at her tears, but they kept flowing. “It always belonged to her anyway,
didn’t it? The marking. She’s my elder sister, and I… I only stole it.”
Her emerald eyes, swimming with tears, darted between Alexander and Celeste. “Why didn’t
you just tell me? Why this… whatever this is?”
My heart twisted at Scarlett’s tears. I moved immediately to her side, wrapping a protective
arm around her shoulders.
“No, Scarlett,” I insisted, my golden eyes flashing with determination. “Nothing belongs to Celeste. Nothing.”
I squeezed her gently, my wolf’s aura enveloping her like a shield. “You are the true daughter of the Winter Pack. You are the one who spent years unfairly in human territory, your wolf
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weakening because of it.”
My voice grew stronger, more insistent. “Everything–Mother and Father’s love, my brotherly affection, the mate marking with Alexander–it all rightfully belongs to you. Only you.”
I glared at Celeste as I spoke, daring her to contradict me. “Don’t cry, Scarlett. I’m here for you.
I won’t let anyone wrong you.”
The words flowed easily, comfortingly. I’d said them countless times before–but to a different
sister, in a different time.
I saw something flicker in Celeste’s violet eyes as I spoke. Pain, perhaps. Recognition. These were the same words I had once used to comfort her, when we were children and someone
had hurt her.
But that was in the past. Everything was different now.
“You see, Celeste,” I continued, unable to stop myself, “Scarlett is the rightful heir. You’ve been living a stolen life.”
Celeste flinched slightly at my words, but her expression remained impassive.
“And yet, after everything we did for you, raising you as our own, you remain ungrateful and
heartless.”
Celeste’s silver–scarred hands tightened into fists on the table. When she spoke, her voice was remarkably controlled.
“If I’ve been living a ‘stolen life, as you put it, then I’ve returned everything, haven’t I?” she asked with biting precision. “I’ve returned my identity, my pack position, my parents, my
brother, and the potential mate claim.”
Her violet eyes met mine with chilling intensity. “What else would you have me give, Lucas?
There’s nothing left.”
She took a deep breath before continuing. “And regarding the current situation, Alexander has already taken responsibility. Why are you still blaming me?”
Her question was logical, her tone reasonable, but it only fueled my anger. I was focused on comforting Scarlett, on protecting her from further hurt.
“Be quiet,” I snapped, my wolf growling in warning. “This isn’t about you.”
“Actually,” Alexander interjected, his ice–blue eyes unnervingly steady, “it is about me. The fault is entirely mine, Lucas.”
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Chapter 193: A Confrontation an…
He ran a hand through his dark hair, looking genuinely contrite. “I’ve had too much moon–blessed wine. In my intoxicated state, I… I mistook Celeste for someone else.”
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