Chapter 126: A Wolf’s Claim
Chapter 126: A Wolf’s Claim
(Celeste’s POV)
Victoria hovered close to Scarlett, her movements slow and deliberate. She reached out gently, brushing Scarlett’s hair back as if the mere touch would heal whatever ailed her supposed ” precious daughter.” Her emerald eyes turned towards me, carrying a mixture of suspicion and
forced warmth.
“Little Moon, why are you here?” Victoria asked cautiously. Her words carried an edge, though her tone remained composed. “You must know Scarlett is unwell and needs rest.'”
I stepped forward, my expression composed but cold. My violet eyes settled on Grace, who flinched slightly under my scrutiny. “Scarlett’s well–being doesn’t concern me today,” I said
evenly. “I’m here to collect Grace.”
The air in the room turned sharp and tense. Lucas moved instantly, stepping between me and Scarlett’s bed. His golden eyes were blazing, his wolf surging aggressively. “You’ll do no such thing!” he barked, as if his words alone could deter me.
I didn’t flinch or retreat. My silver–scarred wolf remained composed, unaffected by his fury.” The agreement was made in the Sacred Moon Temple,” I reminded him. My voice was measured, yet it carried enough force to command the reluctant attention of everyone in the
room. “The pack, under pack law and divine judgment, agreed that Grace is to answer for her
actions. Are you reneging on your word, Lucas?”
Lucas’s wolf growled audibly, his dominance flaring in response. “She’s done enough already,”
he snarled. “Leave them alone for once, Celeste! Don’t you see you’re inflicting unnecessary
pain?”
I tilted my head slightly, allowing a faint smile, though it carried no warmth. “Unnecessary
pain?” I echoed. My tone turned sharper, cutting through his emotion like frost coating steel. “
You know as well as I do this has nothing to do with Grace’s loyalty to the Winter Pack. It’s
about accountability–a concept you seem to have forgotten.”
Victoria’s expression shifted uneasily. Her wolf radiated tension, though she made an effort to
remain poised. “Perhaps another arrangement can be made,” she suggested cautiously. Her
attempt at diplomacy was clear. “Little Moon, Scarlett truly needs Grace right now… Surely-”
“There will be no other arrangement.” I interrupted her, my voice firm. “Grace must answer.”
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Chapter 126: A Wolf’s Claim
My words hung in the increasingly stifling air of the room. Scarlett, lying in the bed, let out a small, telling gasp but continued pretending to rest. Her wolf, though, betrayed her unease–it projected clear anxiety to those sensitive enough to notice.
“You’re cruel.” Lucas’s voice was low, dangerously so. His golden eyes looked at me like I was a stranger he no longer recognized. “You’ve become just like Marcus. Is this your revenge on
us all?”
I met his gaze unflinchingly. His words may have stung the Celeste of years ago, but not the
woman I had become. “Revenge?” I murmured, amused at his misunderstanding. I took a
deliberate step closer to him, watching his wolf bristle. “No, Lucas. This is called justice.
Something everyone here seems so eager to forget when it’s inconvenient.”
Lucas faltered for a split second, his wolf whining faintly before it surged back with anger. He
clenched his fists as if barely holding himself back. Before he could retort, Victoria softly
intervened.
“Grace,” she said, her voice slightly strained. “You should go.”
Grace hesitated, her brown eyes wide with fear as she darted glances between Scarlett and
Victoria. She didn’t move, though, instead remaining rigidly rooted to the spot. The hesitation
caused Scarlett to stir deliberately, making her make her next move.
“Grace,” Scarlett whispered weakly, her voice trembling with manufactured frailty. Her emerald
eyes fluttered open slightly, tears already forming at the edges. “Don’t leave me. Please.”
Grace’s reaction was instantaneous. She dropped to her knees at Scarlett’s bedside, taking her
hand in both of her own. Her honey–blonde hair fell forward, hiding most of her expression, but
the devotion in her posture was clear. “I won’t leave you, My Lady,” she said softly, but the
vehemence in her voice was unmistakable.
Lucas latched onto the moment, his wolf surging forward protectively. “Look at her,” he
demanded, gesturing toward Grace and Scarlett. “See how loyal she is? Is it not enough for
you? Why tear them apart?”
I gave him a level look, my composure unshaken. “Does Grace possess superior healing
abilities compared to Dr. Pierce?”
The sudden question took everyone off guard. Victoria stiffened visibly, and Lucas faltered.
Even Grace looked momentarily caught off guard before quickly recovering her stance.
I pressed on, my tone cold and deliberate. “You’ve summoned the pack healer already, have
you not? Surely, Scarlett’s well–being would be more effectively ensured by his expertise than a
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+9 Poln!
Chapter 126: A Wolf’s Claim
personal guard’s so–called care.”
The weight of my logic silenced them momentarily, though Lucas quickly recovered. “That’s not the point!” he snapped. “This isn’t about abilities–Scarlett needs her here!”
“To do what?” I asked sharply, my gaze zeroed in on Lucas now. “Hold her hand while she fakes frailty?”
Victoria gasped audibly at my accusation, but I wasn’t finished. “Is that what the pack has come to? False displays of dependence to shirk accountability for past actions?” I turned briefly to Grace, who flinched once again. “You’ve enjoyed the benefit of Scarlett’s protection
thus far. But that ends today.”
I made a sharp gesture to Nina, who began stepping forward toward Grace with quick, purposeful strides. But before Nina could take more than two steps, Scarlett broke her façade
completely.
She shot out of bed with startling energy for someone supposedly bedridden, grabbing Grace
by the arm and holding her close. “Please!” Scarlett cried out, her voice ricocheting with desperation. “Don’t take her from me. Mother, Brother, you can’t let her do this!”
Scarlett’s emerald eyes filled rapidly with tears, large droplets streaming down her cheeks in a dramatic display. She clung to Grace with a desperation that bordered on theatrical.
Lucas immediately moved to her side, his wolf glowing with renewed aggression. “Now you’ve
done it!” he shouted at me, his golden eyes practically glowing with fury. “Look at what you’re
doing to her!”
I responded by tilting my head slightly in mock curiosity. “What exactly am I doing, Lucas?”
“You’re driving her past her limits!” Lucas barked, his wolf growling. “She’s breaking because
of you!”
I ignored him entirely, turning my gaze to Scarlett instead. “Breaking?” I asked lightly. “That’s odd. From where I’m standing, it looks like she’s perfectly capable of standing upright and
putting on quite a dramatic scene.”
Scarlett’s theatrics faltered momentarily, showing the first signs of cracks in her polished
performance. She realized her outburst revealed her physical strength–contradictory to the
supposed illness.
Still clinging to Grace, Scarlett began to cry more fervently, attempting to regain the upper hand emotionally. “Please,” she sobbed, kneeling before me with Grace by her side. “Please, I’ll do anything. Don’t take her from me–don’t take her away!”
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Chapter 126: A Wolfs Claim
Her pleas were loud, frantic, and over the top, but they were delivered with just enough sincerity to stir uneasy murmurs from Victoria and Lucas.
ེ”
“Enough,” I said tersely, silencing Scarlett’s sobs. My voice turned colder, harsh enough to cut through her theatrics. “Scarlett, did you fake this illness just to keep Grace at your side?”
Scarlett froze immediately, her wolf’s anxiety spiking uncontainably. The question made the entire room stiffen with a palpable tension. Even Grace’s brown eyes widened as she realized
the sudden danger in my words.
“You–You- No! I didn’t!” Scarlett stammered through her tears, her denial coming far too
quickly to appear genuine.
I narrowed my violet eyes, holding her trembling gaze in a suffocating grip. My next words were measured, heavy with suspicion. “What exactly is Grace to you, Scarlett?”
The question landed like a thunderclap, shattering the remaining pretense in the room. Scarlett’s emerald eyes filled with panic, while Grace visibly recoiled.
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