Chapter 110: Recovery
Chapter 110: Recovery
(Celeste’s POV)
+3 Point
Pain. That’s the first thing I noticed.
It wasn’t dull pain or something I could ignore. It was, burning, sharp, and alive. Marcus’s silver chains and the wolfsbane he used on me now seemed to carve themselves deeper into my skin. My wolf whimpered as if the memories of the torture still lingered in our minds.
I tried to open my eyes but only managed a faint flutter. Dim light from my quarters filtered in, and the familiar scent of herbs surrounded me. My aching body felt heavy like it didn’t belong
to me.
Before I could make any sense of my surroundings, Nina’s face came into focus. Her expression was filled with worry, her sharp silver–gray eyes brimming with helplessness.
“My Lady…” She spoke softly, her voice trembling.
I tried to respond but only managed a rasp. My throat burned like fire; the screams I’d held back during Marcus’s “demonstration” had torn through me.
“My Lady, please don’t strain yourself!” Nina leaned closer, her desperate hands trembling as she held a jar of moon–blessed healing salve over my wounds.
“I… I’m fine,” I lied. My voice was unrecognizable.
Nina’s eyes widened at the sound of it. The guilt and fear from her wolf hit me like a wave. You’re not fine, Lady Celeste! These burns… they are…” Her voice cracked before she could
finish her sentence.
She dipped her fingers into the salve and hesitated, her hands trembling so much that the
salve spilled onto the bedsheets.
“–” she began, but then her words broke into a sob.
”
“What’s wrong?” I asked hoarsely, though talking felt like dragging crushed glass through my
throat.
“This is my fault.” Nina’s voice cracked further as her silver–gray wolf whined pitifully in the corner of our bond. “I should’ve followed you to those hunting grounds. I should’ve stopped him!”
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Chapter 110: Recovery
I tried to shake my head, but even the act of moving felt like fire crawling along my skin. “No… Nina…” My voice barely made it above a whisper. “You couldn’t have-”
“I should have!” she snapped suddenly and then immediately broke down again. She pressed
a hand to her forehead, visibly shaking. “I swore to protect you. And now look at you!”
I had never seen Nina like this, trembling and broken. The stoic, loyal warrior who never faltered now stood before me as vulnerable as I had ever seen anyone.
“You didn’t do this,” I rasped, forcing myself to sound firm even though my energy was slipping away. “He did. Not you.”
Her silver–gray wolf pressed against mine, seeking forgiveness. But I could feel it—the waves
of guilt flooding her aura like she had personally handed me to Marcus.
“Eleanor…” I croaked suddenly, panic rising in me.
Nina gripped my hand tightly, taking cautious care not to touch the open wounds. “She doesn’t
know.”
Relief washed over me like cool moonlight briefly breaking the storm.
Nina hesitated before speaking again. “We told her you were just… resting after a difficult
moon ceremony. She’s stable for now.”
I exhaled shakily. “Thank you… She can’t…”
“I know,” Nina said softly, her grip tightening just slightly. “She can’t lose more strength. She
needs to believe you’re healing.”
I nodded faintly, knowing she was right. But the effort drained so much out of me that I had to
rest my head back into the pillows.
The silence between us hung heavy. It wasn’t comfortable silence–it was the kind of silence that felt suffocating, like we both knew something worse lingered just beyond our words.
Then Nina’s voice came again, hesitant and soft.
“My Lady…”
I didn’t respond, but my eyes flickered open slightly.
“There’s something you should know…”
I knew already that I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. There was a hesitation in her
voice that Nina rarely ever carried.
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Chapter 110: Recovery
“Tell me,” I rasped.
She looked down at me, her hands curling into desperate fists. “Lucas,” she whispered,
pausing again.
“Lucas?” I repeated softly, unsure where this was going.
Nina sat straighter, her silver wolf shifting behind her as if steeling itself for what she was about to admit. “Last night…Lucas returned. He was covered in wounds. He fought Marcus.”
I blinked, unsure how to respond.
Nina’s words came faster now, as if she needed to force them out all at once. “He came back from Marcus’s hunting grounds. Bloodied, broken… but not from Marcus. I think it was from the royal guards. He…” She swallowed tightly. “He demanded Alpha James and Luna Victoria break your mate claim with Marcus.”
A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop myself. Even that small sound made my heave painfully.
“And?” I asked harshly.
chest
Nina winced at my tone but answered, “They refused. Of course, they refused. They said the pack cannot risk defying the Alpha King, even if…” She trailed off, not daring to finish her
sentence.
“Even if I die,” I finished bitterly.
Her wolf keened at my words and pressed closer to mine, as if to shield me from what it
couldn’t stop.
“What else happened?” I pressed.
Her hands trembled more now, and her words came softer. “Lucas argued with them for hours. Calling Marcus a monster. Trying to force them to see what he’s done.. But they’re too afraid of the Alpha King, My Lady… too afraid to free you.”
My chest felt hollow as her words sank. Of course, that’s how it had gone. I didn’t need Nina to tell me to understand how little my life meant in their calculations.
“And Marcus?” I asked, though something deep in me didn’t want to hear the answer.
Nina’s face fell further. “He was… satisfied, My Lady. He walked back to his quarters from the
den… laughing.”
My wolf’s rage barely flickered. I was too tired, too broken to respond with anger–not after
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Chapter 110: Recovery
everything else already crushed me.
Nina leaned closer, whispering now as if afraid the walls themselves might carry her fear to Marcus’s ears. “What if he takes you to his den again?”
Her voice cracked halfway through, and her wolf almost seemed to sob inside her. “My Lady, his victims… they never return alive. What if…”
The unspoken end to her words sat heavy between us.
I forced myself to meet her terrified gaze despite the exhaustion weighing me down. The
words I wanted to say didn’t pass my lips. Because she was right.
I had fought so hard to crawl out of Moon Shadow Prison alive, but Marcus… Marcus wasn’t
like the prison guards. He brought something more sinister.
The memories rushed back in flashes. His violet eyes gleaming like a predator’s as he tested
silver chains across my flesh. Not for discipline. Not for justice.
For enjoyment.
“But I’m not the others, Nina,” I rasped after a long silence.
Her silver–gray wolf stilled, watching me carefully. I could see the doubt in her expression, but
she said nothing.
Before I could try to explain, the door to my quarters creaked open. I froze despite the pain it
brought to my body.
Luna Victoria stepped in first.
She looked pale, her usually commanding green eyes scanning me with something
dangerously close to worry. I frowned, waiting for her to ruin it with the excuse or justification I
knew was coming.
Right behind her came Dr. Pierce, the pack healer. His hands were full of supplies and his face
grim.
And trailing behind them, still the picture–perfect image of glowing innocence, was Scarlett.
Her emerald eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of me, but even that reaction felt
measured and careful.
Of course, she wasn’t shocked. She already knew.
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