Chapter 200: A Twisted Accusation (Celeste’s POV)
Chapter 200: A Twisted Accusation (Celeste’s POV)
The tension in Scarlett’s private quarters was suffocating. Four pairs of eyes fixed on me with varying degrees of accusation.
“Did I say something wrong?” I repeated, keeping my voice steady.
Alpha James stepped forward, his powerful frame vibrating with rage. The Alpha’s dominance
filled the room like a physical force.
“Wrong?” he growled. “You deliberately upset Scarlett with lies about Alexander, causing her to
flee the restaurant alone!”
I remained silent, watching Scarlett bury her face against Victoria’s shoulder, her body shaking
with sobs. The performance was impressive.
Alpha James turned to Alexander, his golden eyes flashing dangerously. “I want an
explanation, Steele. Now.”
His voice dropped lower. “If I don’t like what I hear, consider your engagement to my daughter
terminated.”
Scarlett’s head shot up at this. “Father, no! Please don’t say that!”
She clutched Victoria’s arm. “I don’t want the engagement broken. It was just a
misunderstanding.”
The perfect victim. Always appearing to want the opposite of what she truly desired.
Alexander’s expression remained neutral as he addressed Alpha James.
“The fault is mine,” he stated. “I allowed the situation to escalate unnecessarily.”
Lucas seized the opening, stepping between us with an aggressive stance.
“You knew exactly what you were doing,” he accused, jabbing a finger in my direction. “You
told Scarlett that Alexander’s kiss wasn’t a mistake from the moon–blessed wine.”
His voice rose. “You deliberately revealed his lingering affection for you, knowing it would devastate her!”
I raised an eyebrow. “If speaking the truth is now considered a crime in the Winter Pack, perhaps you should add it to your extensive list of pack laws.”
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Chapter 200 A Twisted Accusat…
Lucas’s face flushed. “Your ‘truth‘ sent Scarlett running from the restaurant in tears, making
her vulnerable to attack by those rogue omegas!”
This caught my attention.
“What exactly happened with these omega wolves?” I asked, turning toward Scarlett. “Perhaps
you could explain?”
Scarlett remained silent, pressing herself more firmly against Victoria’s shoulder.
Victoria wrapped a protective arm around her biological daughter.
“My poor girl was so distraught after your cruel words that she fled the restaurant alone,” Victoria explained. “She wasn’t thinking clearly, wandering too close to the territory borders.”
Victoria’s eyes hardened. “That’s when those omega wolves surrounded her. If Lucas hadn’t
arrived when he did…”
She let the sentence hang unfinished.
“They would have attacked her,” Lucas finished. “Or worse.”
I turned back to Lucas, growing increasingly suspicious.
“And where are these omega wolves now?” I asked. “I’d like to hear their side of the story.”
A heavy silence fell over the room. Lucas’s jaw tightened.
“They’re dead,” he stated flatly.
The blunt admission surprised me. “All of them?”
Lucas nodded. “I killed them when I found them surrounding Scarlett.”
I stared at him, truly horrified. “You killed them? Without questioning them? Without a trial?”
Lucas’s nostrils flared. “They were surrounding my sister! What was I supposed to do–invite
them for tea while she cowered in fear?”
“You could have subdued them,” I countered, my voice rising. “You could have brought them back for questioning. You could have done anything except rashly take lives without
understanding the situation!”
My silver–scarred wolf surged beneath my skin, outraged at the casual disregard for life.
“They were threatening Scarlett,” Lucas insisted. “That’s all I needed to know.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “So now you’ve taken lives based on what? Scarlett’s tears? A
single moment’s observation?”
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Lucas’s wolf bristled visibly. “I don’t need to justify protecting my sister to you.”
I turned to Scarlett, anger burning through my carefully maintained composure. Dead wolves. Actual lives lost because of whatever game she was playing.
“Enough of this,” I snapped. “Tell them the truth, Scarlett. Lives have been lost.”
Lucas moved with surprising speed, placing himself between me and Scarlett. His golden eyes flashed dangerously.
“Don’t you dare accuse her of lying,” he growled. “You’ve done enough damage.”
I stood my ground. “If she has nothing to hide, why can’t she speak for herself?”
Lucas stepped closer, his hand rising. Before he could move further, Alexander was suddenly
there, his larger frame blocking Lucas’s path to me.
“Enough,” Alexander’s voice commanded, his white wolf radiating protective dominance.
The unexpected intervention silenced the room. Alpha James’s eyes narrowed at the scene.
“What is the meaning of this, Steele?” Alpha James demanded. “Are you defending her over
your own mate–to–be?”
Alexander didn’t back down. “I’m preventing a situation from escalating unnecessarily.
Something isn’t right here.”
Alpha James’s face darkened with fury. “My daughters are not toys for you to play with,
Steele.”
A sharp knock interrupted us. A beta wolf messenger entered, bowing deeply to Alpha James.
“My apologies for the interruption, Alpha,” he said quickly. “Matthew Sterling has arrived and
requests an audience. He says it’s urgent.”
My heart skipped a beat. Matthew was supposed to be resting. What was he doing here?
“Send him away,” Lucas ordered immediately. “This is a family matter.”
“Wait,” Alexander countered. “Bring him in.”
With a curt nod, Alpha James authorized Matthew’s entry.
I felt a pang of worry as I remembered the severity of Matthew’s injuries.
(Matthew’s POV)
The walk to the main hall had been excruciating. My head throbbed with each step. But I
couldn’t delay. Not with what I’d discovered.
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Chapter 200 A Twisted Accusat
I entered the hall, painfully aware of the eyes that turned to assess me. But all I could focus on
was Celeste. Her violet eyes widened when she saw me, quickly scanning my bandaged head.
“You should be resting,” she said softly, her hands clenched at her sides.
“This couldn’t wait,” I replied, then turned to Alpha James. “Alpha Winter, thank you for seeing
me.”
Alpha James’s expression remained stern. “State your business, Sterling.”
I nodded, ignoring the pain that shot through my skull. “I believe there’s more to the story
regarding Miss Scarlett’s encounter with the omega wolves.”
Lucas immediately stepped forward. “How dare you question my sister’s word?”
“I’m not questioning her word,” I clarified. “I’m suggesting there may be additional information that could shed light on what truly happened.”
I gestured to someone waiting just outside the door. “Which is why I’ve brought someone who
might help clarify things.”
A young omega wolf, no more than sixteen, cautiously entered the hall. His clothes were worn and patched, his thin frame suggesting regular meals weren’t guaranteed.
I noticed Lucas stiffen, a flicker of recognition crossing his features. Scarlett’s reaction was
even more telling–her emerald eyes widened with fear.
“This is the same omega who came to the Moon Silver Restaurant with news of Miss Scarlett’s supposed k********g,” I explained, placing a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder.
The young wolf trembled beneath my touch. “It’s alright,” I told him quietly. “Alpha James is a just leader. He will hear the truth.”
I could feel Celeste’s gaze on me, her eyes constantly scanning my face with concern.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Alexander observing Celeste’s reaction to my presence. His white wolf bristled slightly beneath his controlled exterior.
“Why have you brought this omega here?” Alpha James demanded, his wolf’s dominant aura making the boy cower further.
“He has something important to tell you,” I answered, giving the boy an encouraging nod.
With shaking hands, the young omega reached into his shirt and pulled out a small leather pouch. The distinctive sound of clinking metal confirmed what I’d suspected–it contained silver coins.
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“I don’t want this anymore,” the boy said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Not after what happened to my father.”
Scarlett took an involuntary step back, her face paling visibly.
The boy’s eyes filled with tears as he continued, his voice growing stronger. “She paid us,” he said, pointing a trembling finger at Scarlett. “The she–wolf with the emerald eyes. Paid us to pretend we were attacking her.”
A collective gasp filled the room. The young omega clutched the heavy pouch of silver coins.
“It was supposed to be simple,” he continued, tears now streaming down his face. “We were to surround her, look threatening, and then run when her brother arrived. That’s all. But then he came at us like a monster. My father tried to explain, but he… he…”
The boy’s words dissolved into sobs. “He killed my father. And now he’s gone. I don’t want the money. I just want my father back.”
