Chapter 231: A Severed Tie
(Celeste’s POV)
I was sitting by the window in Grandmother Eleanor’s room when Lucas left. The morning sun warmed my face, but did nothing for the chill in my heart.
Grandmother had seemed stronger today, which should have comforted me. Instead, her
sudden vigor felt like the final flare of a dying candle.
“Celeste,” she called softly.
I turned from the window, moving quickly to her side. “Yes, Grandmother?”
Her golden eyes, clearer than they had been in days, studied my face. “How are you feeling, my
dear?”
The question startled me. I had been so consumed with worry for her that I hadn’t considered
my own state.
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “It’s you we should be concerned about.”
She smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. “Always deflecting. You never want to burden others
with your pain.”
I looked down, unable to deny it. My silver–scarred wolf whimpered softly within me.
“I need you to do something for me,” she continued, her voice gentle but firm. “In the cabinet
by the eastern wall, there’s a small wooden box. Can you bring it to me?”
I glanced toward the ornate cabinet she indicated. “Of course.”
The cabinet was beautifully carved with ancient pack symbols–wolves running beneath a full
moon, silver trees reaching toward a starlit sky. I opened it carefully, finding a small, ornately
decorated wooden box inside.
It was exquisite–polished cedar inlaid with silver and moonstone, the Winter Pack symbol
etched into its lid.
“Is this it?” I asked, lifting it carefully.
“Yes.” Grandmother’s eyes lit up at the sight of it. “Bring it here.”
As I placed the box in her hands, a sense of foreboding washed over me. I remembered her
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words from days ago: “In there… my legacy to you. Take it and start your life anew,
somewhere far from this pack’s poison.”
My silver–scarred wolf stirred anxiously beneath my skin.
“Grandmother,” I began, “you promised this to me before, but-
“And I’m giving it to you now,” she interrupted gently. “Open it.”
With trembling fingers, I lifted the lid.
+8 Points >
Inside, I found stacks of moon–blessed silver coins, their surfaces gleaming in the morning
light. Beneath them were several folded documents–land deeds, I realized as I carefully
examined them. Territory in the neutral zones, far from any established pack’s control.
At the bottom of the box, nestled in a bed of velvet, lay a silver pendant. It was beautiful–an
intricate design etched into pure silver, showing a wolf howling at a crescent moon.
“That’s my maiden pack mark,” Grandmother explained, her voice soft with memory. “I’ve worn
it every full moon since I was a pup.”
I looked up at her, confused. “Grandmother, why are you showing me this now?”
She reached out, taking my hand in her frail one. “The initial plan was to leave you chests of
silver artifacts and ceremonial items, but those are cumbersome for a young wolf on the
move.”
My heart stuttered. “On the move? I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here with you.”
Her golden eyes held mine, filled with a mix of love and resignation. “Listen to me, Celeste. This box contains everything you need to start fresh. The coins will support you for years. The
land deeds give you territory of your own–no pack can claim it or evict you.”
Tears filled my eyes. “But I don’t want territory or silver. I want to stay with you.”
“The rest of my wealth will be deposited in the pack’s vault,” she continued, as if I hadn’t spoken. “You can access it with this pendant. It’s been in my family for generations.”
I shook my head vehemently. “Please don’t talk like this. You’re getting better! Dr. Pierce was
wrong-”
“Dr. Pierce wasn’t wrong,” she said firmly. “My time is short, my dear one. And before I go, I
want to ensure you’re provided for.”
The finality in her voice broke something inside me. Tears spilled down my cheeks.
“Take this box to your quarters now,” she instructed. “Hide it well. Then come back quickly.
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Lucas has gone to fetch your father.”
My stomach twisted with dread. “Why? What are you planning?”
+8 Points >
“Go, Celeste,” she said, her voice suddenly urgent. “Your father will be here soon. I don’t want
him questioning why I’m showing favoritism by giving you this.”
I clutched the box to my chest, torn between obeying and demanding answers.
“Go,” she repeated. “Return quickly.”
With a heavy heart, I hurried to my quarters. I secured the precious box beneath the loose
floorboard under my bed–a hiding place I’d discovered during my first week back at the Winter
Pack house.
Then I rushed back to Grandmother’s side, determined not to miss a moment of whatever time
she had left.
(Alpha James’s POV)
When Lucas told me Eleanor was asking for me, I expected the worst. My mother’s health had
been declining rapidly, and each summons felt like it might be the last.
What I found instead was startling. Eleanor sat upright in her bed, looking more alert than she
had in weeks. Her golden eyes–so like my own–were clear and focused. Her silver hair had been neatly brushed and arranged around her shoulders.
“Mother,” I said, approaching her bedside. “You’re looking well.”
“James,” she replied, her voice stronger than I’d heard it in months. “Thank you for coming so
promptly.”
I knelt beside her bed, taking her frail hand in mine. Despite her improved appearance, her skin
felt thin and cool, like parchment.
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
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“Wait,” she said, glancing toward the door. “Celeste will return shortly. This concerns her as
well.”
A knot formed in my stomach. Any matter involving Celeste had become complicated since Scarlett’s return. My wolf shifted uneasily beneath my skin.
We waited in silence. I studied my mother’s face, the face that had guided the Winter Pack as Luna for decades before my mate took on the role. She had always been my moral compass,
even when her decisions contradicted my own.
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+8 Points >
The door opened, and Celeste slipped inside. Her violet eyes widened slightly at the sight of me already kneeling by Eleanor’s bedside.
“Come here, Celeste,” Eleanor called, patting the edge of the bed opposite me.
The atmosphere in the room had changed drastically. The earlier warmth had been replaced
by a solemn gravity that made my wolf bristle with apprehension.
Celeste approached cautiously, her silver–scarred wolf visibly wary beneath her skin. She knelt
beside the bed, mirroring my position across from her.
“Celeste,” Eleanor began, her golden eyes intent on the young woman’s face. “You’ve been part
of the Winter Pack for eighteen years now. During most of that time, you were raised as
James’s daughter, as a member of the main family. Despite not being blood–related, you were
provided with love and care. Is that correct?”
Celeste nodded, her violet eyes confused. “Yes, Grandmother. That’s true.”
“Please bow to Alpha James,” Eleanor instructed. “Show your gratitude for those years of
upbringing.”
Looking bewildered, Celeste bowed her head to me. “Thank you, Alpha James, for the years of
care.”
Her formality struck me like a physical blow. This was the pup I’d taught to hunt, the young
wolf I’d watched grow. When had we become so distant?
Eleanor turned her golden eyes to me. “James, my son. Since discovering Celeste was not your biological daughter, you have treated her with cruelty and neglect. You allowed your true daughter’s return to erase eighteen years of love. You permitted Celeste to be physically
harmed, emotionally abandoned, and unjustly punished.”
Each word felt like a claw to my heart. My wolf whined with shame.
“You watched as she was forced to eat silver–laced scraps meant for omega wolves,” Eleanor continued, her voice unwavering despite her frailty. “You allowed her to be imprisoned in Moon Shadow Prison for four years for a crime she didn’t commit. You abandoned her when she
needed her father most.”
I bowed my head, unable to meet her accusing gaze. “I have failed her,” I admitted, my voice barely audible. “I have failed you both.”
Eleanor sighed heavily. “I am dying, James. We all know this. Before I go, I wish to make one
final decision.”
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+8 Points >
She reached for both our hands, placing them palm–to–palm across her bed. Her touch was surprisingly firm.
“I wish to formally sever the pack ties between Celeste and the Winter Pack through the three
silver marks.”
I jerked back in shock. “Mother, no! That’s too extreme!”
The three silver marks was an ancient ritual, rarely performed. It completely severed all pack
bonds, releasing a wolf from every obligation and protection. It was typically reserved for
criminals being exiled or wolves voluntarily leaving to join another pack.
“It is necessary,” Eleanor insisted, her golden eyes flashing with the last of her authority. “You
have made it clear that Celeste is no longer welcome as a daughter of this pack. Rather than
leave her in this painful limbo, I choose to give her a clean break.”
Tears streamed down Celeste’s face. She understood what Eleanor was doing–protecting her
future by severing ties that had become poisonous.
“Mother, please,” I pleaded. “There must be another way.”
“This is my dying wish, James,” Eleanor said firmly. “Will you deny me?”
Put that way, I had no choice. With a heavy heart, I extended my hand again.
Celeste raised her silver–scarred palm to meet mine. As our hands touched, Eleanor placed her fingers over our joined hands.
“With this first mark,” I said, my voice hollow, “I release Celeste from the protection of the
Winter Pack.”
A small silver mark appeared on both our palms, burning slightly as the pack bond began to
dissolve.
“With this second mark,” I continued, each word heavier than the last, “I sever our
father–daughter bond within the pack hierarchy.”
Another silver mark joined the first, glowing briefly before fading to a faint scar.
The third mark–the final one–caught in my throat. Memories flooded my mind: Celeste’s first
shift, her tiny silver wolf pup tumbling in the meadow. Teaching her to track prey through the forest. Her laughter during pack runs beneath the full moon.
“I… I can’t,” I choked out, my wolf howling with grief inside me.
Celeste’s violet eyes met mine, filled with a mixture of sorrow and understanding. She had
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been my daughter in every way that mattered. How had I forgotten that?
+8 Points >
Eleanor, sensing my failure, summoned a final surge of strength. Her frail body straightened,
her golden eyes blazed with the power of the former Luna.
“Then I shall complete it,” she declared. “With this third mark, I declare: from this day forth, your lives are no longer intertwined within the pack’s bonds!”
Her wolf gave a soft, final howl that echoed through the room. The third silver mark burned
into our palms, completing the ritual.
Having fulfilled her purpose, Eleanor leaned back against her pillows, a peaceful smile gracing
her lips as she closed her eyes. Her once–strong wolf aura began to fade.
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