Chapter 148: A Bitter Farewell
Chapter 148: A Bitter Farewell
(Celeste’s POV)
The wolfsbane continued to course through my veins, its poison making my limbs feel sluggish and my cheeks unnaturally warm. The cruel smirk I wore was a mask–not for them, certainly not for that family who had betrayed me over and over, but for myself.
“I’m tired,” I announced, my tone icy, slicing through the heavy silence in the room. My voice
did not tremble. It carried the sharpness of a blade, warning them to tread lightly. Even
through the haze of the wolfsbane, I refused to show any weakness. It was dangerous to bleed
in front of wolves like them.
Victoria and Scarlett both flinched as if I had struck them. Their wolves recoiled visibly at my
dismissal.
“Celeste…” Victoria stepped forward, her hand reaching for me as if her touch could erase all
the pain and betrayal they had inflicted. “Please, you don’t look well. We should-”
I stiffened and let a cold laugh escape my lips. The sound startled both women, their gazes
snapping to me as if I’d spoken a forbidden curse.
“You’re concerned?” My question was lethally polite, each word dipped in venom. I tilted my
head, watching their expressions carefully. “I wonder why.”
Understanding dawned on Victoria’s face, her green eyes widening. She remembered Lucas’s
confession about the drugged wine earlier, though she hadn’t had enough time to confront him
properly. Her claws retracted automatically, an instinctive submission born out of guilt.
Scarlett hesitated, glancing nervously between her mother and me. The bond between them
was paper–thin compared to the weight of what she feared I would say next.
“Mother,” Scarlett interrupted quickly, her voice shrill, yet coated with the kind of false urgency
she often used when feigning innocence. “Celeste needs rest! Look at her… she’s clearly
exhausted! We should let her recover before-”
I raised my hand, silencing her like an Alpha stopping an unruly wolf. Scarlett froze
immediately, her emerald eyes widening with genuine terror.
“You’re absolutely right, Scarlett,” I said coldly, the sarcasm dripping from each carefully measured syllable. “I do need rest. But first…”
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Chapter 148: A Bitter Farewell
Scarlett’s wolf whimpered before I even finished my sentence. My gaze shifted deliberately to
the pack wolves stationed nearby.
“Bring Grace to my quarters,” I commanded, my voice firm and unyielding. “Now.”
Scarlett stiffened visibly, the mere mention of her personal beta making her shoulders
tremble. Her wolf whined pathetically as if it already knew what was coming.
“Celeste,” Scarlett started, taking a shaky step forward. Her emerald eyes pleaded with me
even as her lips trembled. “Please-”
“Don’t.” My voice cut through her weak protest like a blade through silk. “Don’t call me that.”
Victoria glanced between us with confusion etched on her face. She was still piecing together
the fragments of what had happened earlier–the drugged wine, Lucas’s schemes, Scarlett’s
alliance with Grace.
Scarlett’s panic was evident now. Her emerald eyes darted to the door, as if considering an escape. Her wolf radiated fear, but not for Grace. No, Scarlett’s fear was entirely selfish,
stemming from the possibility of exposure.
“Mother,” she said urgently, wrapping her hands around Victoria’s arm in a show of false
concern. “Grace is Celeste’s guard too. Let’s not cause unnecessary conflict. Celeste truly
needs rest… let’s not make things worse tonight.”
Victoria’s reluctant nod was all the submission Scarlett needed to drag her away. I watched,
my lips curling into a cruel but satisfied smile as Scarlett quickly turned her back on me,
fleeing the scene.
She didn’t even glance at the door as the pack wolves reappeared with Grace. She didn’t spare her personal beta–her so–called “beloved sister“-a single breath as she scurried into the
shadows.
The cowardice.
The betrayal.
It was almost laughable.
Grace, however, wasn’t smiling. The moment she was brought in, her knees buckled, and she
dropped to the floor in front of me. The sight would have made me pity her once, back when I
still cared about bonds of loyalty and kinship.
Now?
I only felt disgust.
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Chapter 148: A Bitter Farewell
The pack wolves forced Grace to kneel properly, though she made no effort to resist. Her amber eyes filled with desperate tears as she gazed up at me. Her wolf trembled weakly, a stark contrast to her earlier bravado when she held me down for Lucas and Scarlett’s sick
scheme.
“Look at you,” I said softly, letting the venom seep into my tone like a slow–acting poison. My cruel smirk widened as I stepped closer, looking down on her with purpose. “Where’s your
beloved sister now? Hmm?”
Grace’s tears fell freely, her trembling lips struggling to form words.
“Celeste… no, Miss Celeste, please…” she finally choked, her voice cracking like a brittle branch under pressure. “I- I didn’t mean to- I-‘
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“That’s not what you called me earlier,” I interrupted, my voice as cold as the air in a Moon Shadow cell. I crouched slightly so she could see the wrath burning in my violet eyes more clearly. “What was it you said then? ‘Hold her down?‘ Or was it ‘Keep her legs still‘?”
Grace sobbed harder, and before I could even step closer, she lunged forward and wrapped her
arms desperately around my legs.
“You’re my true sister!” she wailed, her voice hoarse from the strain. “Not Scarlett! I was wrong, terribly wrong! Please, forgive me! I was just following orders. Lucas… he made me! He said it
was to protect you-”
Grace didn’t finish her pitiful excuse.
Nina was faster, surging forward in a blur of silver–gray fury. Her boot connected with Grace’s side, sending the beta sprawling across the floor like a discarded toy.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” Nina snarled, her silver–gray wolf bristling with anger and disgust. Her eyes glittered like steel as she stepped protectively in front of me. “After what you did, you have no right!”
Grace whimpered in agony, but her desperation wasn’t extinguished. She scrambled back upright and knelt again, lowering her head until her forehead touched the cold floor.
“I didn’t want to do it!” Grace sobbed, her shoulders shaking violently. “Lucas forced me! Scarlett begged me! I couldn’t- I didn’t-”
“Couldn’t resist an order, you mean,” I replied, cutting off her pathetic excuse again. My tone
carried the calm precision of a scalpel slicing through unnecessary noise. “And yet… somehow, here you are, kneeling before me, desperate enough to disobey orders now.”
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Chapter 148: A Bitter Farewell
Grace shuddered as if my words physically wounded her. Her wolf’s humiliation was evident in
the subdued way she hunched further into submission.
“Do you want me to forgive you, Grace?” I asked softly, dangerously.
“Yes!” she cried, raising her tear–streaked face ever so slightly, hope flickering in her amber
eyes.
I held her gaze for a long, suffocating moment before standing abruptly. My motions were sharp and deliberate as I turned toward the pack wolves stationed at the door.
“Take her to the detention quarters,” I ordered, my voice ringing with finality. “She is not to
leave without my express permission. Do you understand?”
The pack wolves nodded obediently before seizing Grace by the arms.
Her panicked pleas echoed after them as they dragged her out. “Celeste, please! Don’t leave
me there! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
The corridor fell silent once more.
I turned back to Nina, who was clearly expecting me to say more.
“Come,” I said simply, walking toward my private quarters without sparing another glance at
the empty hallway.
Nina followed, but the tension in her stiff shoulders was palpable. As soon as we were inside
and the door clicked shut, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Mistress,” she began hesitantly, “that punishment seemed… lenient, considering-”
“Close the door,” I interrupted. My voice lacked the cold, sharp edge I’d maintained throughout
the evening.
Nina blinked in surprise but obeyed.
The moment the door locked, my legs gave out.
My wolf yelped softly in the back of my mind as my knees hit the floor. My breaths came shallow and uneven, a thin layer of sweat already forming along my brow.
“Mistress!” Nina caught me just before I could completely collapse. Her silver–gray wolf whined in distress, nudging mine.
“The wolfsbane…” I murmured weakly, barely able to get the words out. My voice trembled, mirroring the way my body had begun to shake uncontrollably.
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Chapter 148: A Bitter Farewell
Nina’s sharp intake of breath confirmed my suspicions. She’d noticed the severity of the poison’s effects, but hearing it aloud made the reality more tangible.
“It’s getting worse,” I whispered. My violet eyes fluttered closed, knowing this was only the beginning of another battle.
