Chapter 162: A Wolf’s Sacrifice
Chapter 162: A Wolf’s Sacrifice
(Celeste’s POV)
The room fell unnervingly silent as James Cooper stepped forward. His usual professionalism
was frayed, his face pale from exhaustion. With trembling hands, he extended a small note
toward Alexander, as if the weight of the simple paper had somehow drained the breath from
his lungs.
Alexander accepted it without hesitation. His icy blue eyes glanced over the note, but his
expression darkened with each passing second. His wolf’s cold fury hummed in the air, so faint it sent a chill rippling down my spine.
Everyone waited, the silence pressing heavily against the room.
Finally, Alexander spoke, his voice sharp and controlled. “The location is deep in the Northern
territory… near the border of the Dark Forest.”
The mere mention of the Dark Forest caused unease to ripple through the room. Even Nina,
fierce and composed as ever, stiffened beside me. My own wolf bristled at the name. No wolf
wanted to step into the darkness that enveloped those cursed woods. The forest was a place
of shadows, filled with the remnants of rogue activities and countless untold horrors.
A royal guard moved closer to Alexander, his brow furrowed. Even without words, his wolf’s
unease was visible in the way his hands twitched. “The deadline is incredibly tight, sir,” he
finally muttered, barely louder than a whisper. “Even if we leave immediately, it’s going to be-”
“We’ll make it,” I interrupted, my voice colder than I intended. Conviction underpinned my tone,
but internally, my nerves danced on edge.
All eyes shifted toward me, lingering in a way that made my wolf uncomfortable. Yet, I refused
to waver.
They were assessing my resolve, doubting my ability. It wasn’t said aloud, but the hesitance in
their expressions screamed volumes. Even Alpha James, who had remained silent, looked at me with subtle doubt shadowing his sharp golden eyes.
Let them doubt. It didn’t matter.
As I straightened my posture, Nina took a sharp step forward. Her silver–gray wolf energy surged protectively, her gray eyes blazing with determination. “Miss Celeste,” she declared, her
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Chapter 162: A Wolf’s Sacrifice
voice firm and unwavering, “I’m coming with you!”
Her words were bold and absolute, as if her presence was non–negotiable. My wolf paused,
conflicted between pride for her loyalty and frustration at her stubbornness. Nina’s protective
instincts were unparalleled, but this wasn’t her fight.
“No,” I said firmly, turning to face her so she could see the certainty in my expression.
Nina’s wolf growled softly, a sound low enough that only wolves in the room could hear. “You
can’t go alone!” she exclaimed, her loyalty nearly overwhelming. “You need someone you can
trust to-”
“Nina,” I interrupted, my voice soft but edged with finality. Reaching out, I placed a hand lightly
on her arm, trying to curb her frustration before it spiraled. Her muscles, tightly coiled under
my touch, betrayed just how deeply she wanted to protect me.
“You know what the rogues do to female wolves,” I said quietly, my words deliberate. “You
can’t come.”
Her wolf’s whine echoed in the small room, raw and filled with suppressed anguish. That
sound was enough to tug at my already fragile composure.
“But Miss…” Nina’s voice cracked, uncharacteristic emotion spilling over. Her expression
carried her desperation as she added, “But Miss is also a female wolf!”
Her words hit hard, and not because they were untrue. The vulnerability they contained, the
raw fear behind her plea–it reverberated inside me like a howl too painful to suppress. My
own silver–scarred wolf flinched uneasily, caught in the vice grip of her truth.
For a moment, no one else spoke. Nina’s words hung heavy in the air, and the impact rippled
through the room, reaching even Alpha James. His golden eyes flickered, betraying his inner
turmoil. A faint clench of his hand and the shallow rise and fall of his chest hinted at a deeper
conflict. His wolf stirred under the surface, and though he said nothing, the tension radiated
off him. He was struggling.
Despite everything, there was something painful and vulnerable in the way his wolf yearned to
leap forward–to shield me the way he once had. But it didn’t happen.
Instead, he remained composed, allowing guilt and duty to battle silently within him.
The mounting tension broke as hurried footsteps echoed beyond the room. Five wolves
entered, their presence deliberate but unassuming. Their wiry builds and blank expressions formed a jarring juxtaposition. They lacked the charisma or dominating presence of royal warriors, yet their sharp gazes spoke of ruthless efficiency.
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Chapter 162: A Wolf’s Sacrifice
“Dewarf guards,” Alexander introduced, his tone unwavering, though his wolf energy shifted.
I studied them cautiously, their unremarkable appearance doing little to ease my doubts. How
could these five seemingly ordinary wolves be the final piece to this impossible plan?
Alexander’s gaze flicked toward me. “Choose one as your escort,” he said, his voice laced with
authority.
My hesitation stretched uncomfortably. Their sharp, analyzing eyes flicked toward me, and though they stood motionless, it felt as though they could see straight through my guarded composure. Something about them made my wolf instinctively uneasy.
Yet there was no other choice.
“That one,” I said at random, pointing to the wolf standing in the middle. His expression didn’t change, though he stepped forward smoothly.
“Jack,” he introduced himself, his voice devoid of any
warmth.
Before I could introduce myself in return, he added, “My primary loyalty is to Prince Marcus.”
His blunt declaration landed with the force of a punch. It wasn’t offensive, but neither was it something I wanted, or needed, to hear. My wolf bristled silently as I masked my irritation behind a composed exterior. His loyalty was expected, yet the words stung like rejection.
Swallowing my pride, I nodded curtly. There would be no point arguing–his presence was
enough for now.
Taking a steadying breath, I turned toward the door. My silver–scarred arms tingled faintly, a phantom ache that I forced to the back of my mind. There were no other options, no turning
back now.
As I took my first steps toward whatever awaited in the rogue’s forested darkness, Alpha
James’s voice stopped me cold.
“Celeste.”
That single word carried a weight unlike anything I’d heard from him recently. It wasn’t a command. It wasn’t layered with anger, disappointment, or resentment. It was almost…raw.
I turned slowly, meeting those golden eyes that had once been a source of pride and warmth. For a fleeting moment, I saw the man who had treated me as his daughter–the Alpha who had once claimed I carried the heart of the Winter Pack.
His wolf’s energy surged, and my own wolf stilled, sensing the undercurrents running through
him.
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Chapter 162: A Wolf’s Sacrifice
“Be careful,” he whispered finally, his voice catching as though the words had been trapped in
his throat.
The emotion that flashed across his face was gone as quickly as it came, but it was enough. to stir something painfully hollow in my chest. My wolf whimpered softly, but I silenced it.
I nodded stiffly, unable to bring myself to say anything else. Turning before I could hesitate, I
walked away.
The journey through the Northern territory was a journey through silence. Jack kept his distance, his wolf’s presence sharp and clear on my senses but emotionally detached. I didn’t bother attempting conversation. It was clear where his priorities lay.
Arriving at the coordinates, the forest greeted us with an unnatural atmosphere that set the hairs on my neck standing. The thick shadows clinging to the dense trees dared us to step
deeper into their unknown depths.
The instructions from the rogues had been vague. Too vague. The growing unease coiling
within me became almost suffocating.
“Jack,” I said through the pack bond. “Let’s wait here.”
My wolf’s instincts screamed not to venture further–not yet. Something about the forest’s
silence felt intentional. Predatory.
But Jack didn’t respond.
Anxiety shot through me as I turned my head, expecting to find his shadow behind me.
He was gone.
Panic hit me like ice water thrown over my wolf. Jack had disappeared without a sound. I was
alone. Alone, in rogue territory.
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