Chapter 215: A Wolf’s Warning
Chapter 215: A Wolf’s Warning
(Celeste’s POV)
Jason Moore leaned back in his chair, that insufferable smirk plastered across his face. Even
with the bruises and cuts Matthew had given him days ago, he exuded an arrogance that
made my silver–scarred wolf bristle beneath my skin.
“Aren’t we a perfect match,” Jason said, swirling the moon–blessed wine in his glass. “The
disgraced daughter of the Winter Pack and the black sheep of the Moore family.”
I kept my expression neutral despite the fury building inside me. This wolf, grandson of Senior Council Member Moore on the Alpha King’s council, thought he could toy with me.
“I’ve been called many things,” he continued, clearly enjoying the sound of his own voice.
“Rogue alpha, pack troublemaker… Sound familiar?”
It did. Those were exactly the names whispered about him throughout the territories. But
unlike me, he had earned his reputation through cruelty and malice.
“You’re wasting my time,” I said coldly. “State your purpose or I’m leaving.”
Jason set down his wine glass with deliberate slowness. “Very well. I’m proposing a mate marking between us.”
I stared at him, momentarily speechless. The audacity was breathtaking.
“We’re perfect for each other,” he continued, interpreting my silence as consideration. “Both outcasts from respectable pack society. Both with… complicated reputations.”
I found my voice. “You must be delusional.”
He laughed, a sharp, unpleasant sound. “Am I? Think about it, Celeste. What does Sterling have to offer you? He’s nothing but Alexander’s second–in–command, a position he’ll never rise above.”
My hands clenched into fists under the table.
“Whereas I,” Jason continued, straightening his expensive jacket, “am slated to become a fifth–rank enforcer in the Alpha King’s territory. My grandfather has already arranged it.”
The smug pride in his voice made my stomach turn. A fifth–rank enforcer–a position gained not through merit but through family connections.
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Chapter 215: A Wolf’s Warning
*How impressive,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Your grandfather bought you a
position.”
His smile faltered for a moment before returning, sharper than before.
“At least I have something to offer. What does Sterling bring to the table? A father who was nearly executed?” Jason leaned forward. “I heard you went on a hunger strike for him. Even ate
silver–laced meat.”
My heart skipped a beat. How did he know about that?
“You must be truly desperate if you’re willing to poison yourself for such a lowly wolf,” he continued, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Imagine what you could accomplish with a proper
mate.”
Nina, who had been standing silently by the door, stepped forward, her silver–gray wolf
radiating protective energy.
“You will speak to Miss Winters with respect,” she growled, her hand moving to the dagger at
her belt.
Jason’s gaze flickered to Nina, his eyes traveling over her body in a way that made my skin
crawl.
‘Such loyalty,” he said, licking his lips. “Perhaps after Celeste and I are mated, I’ll make you my beta companion. I’ve always appreciated… devoted wolves.”
Nina’s face contorted with disgust. “I’d rather eat silver.”
For a moment, rage threatened to overwhelm me. The memory of silver burning down my throat flashed through my mind, raw and painful. But I forced myself to remain calm, to think
strategically.
I relaxed my posture and allowed a small smile to play across my lips.
“Perhaps you’re right, Jason,” I said, my voice deliberately soft.
Both Nina and Jason looked at me in shock.
“What?” Nina whispered, her silver–gray eyes wide with disbelief.
I kept my gaze on Jason, watching as surprise gave way to smug satisfaction on his face.
“Maybe we are well–matched, I continued, folding my hands on the table. “Two wolves with dark reputations, brought together by circumstance.”
Jason leaned back, clearly pleased by my apparent capitulation. “I knew you’d see reason.”
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Chapter 215: A Wolf’s Warning
“There’s just one thing you should know,” I added, maintaining my pleasant tone. “If we were to become mates, your entire family would be dead within three moons.”
The smile froze on his face. “What?”
“Your family,” I repeated calmly. “Dead. All of them. Your grandfather, your parents, any siblings you might have.”
A chill seemed to settle over the room as I continued speaking in that same conversational
tone.
“I haven’t decided exactly how I’d do it,” I mused. “Perhaps I’d hire rogue wolves from outside the territory. Or maybe I’d poison your family’s food with wolfsbane–it’s tasteless when prepared correctly, did you know that?”
Jason’s face had drained of color, but I wasn’t finished.
“Or perhaps I’d simply wait for a full moon gathering and set fire to your family den,” I suggested. “Fire is so unpredictable during pack celebrations. So many accidents happen.”
Nina’s expression had shifted from shock to something like admiration as she understood my
strategy.
“You’re… threatening me?” Jason finally managed, his voice unsteady.
I tilted my head slightly. “Not at all. I’m simply telling you what would happen if we became
mates. It’s only fair that you know.”
Before Jason could respond, the door to the private room burst open with such force that it
slammed against the wall.
Matthew stood in the doorway, his silver–gray eyes blazing with fury. He dragged a bloodied
beta wolf by the collar of his shirt. With one powerful motion, he threw the beaten wolf at
Jason’s feet.
“Is this yours?” Matthew growled, his voice deeper than I’d ever heard it.
The beaten beta whimpered, curling into a submissive position. Blood oozed from cuts on his
face, and his left eye was swollen shut.
Jason pushed back from the table, nearly toppling his chair in his haste to stand.
“Sterling,” he hissed. “How dare you-”
“Shut up,” Matthew cut him off. “Your little spy has been watching my family for days. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
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Chapter 215: A Wolf’s Warning
My heart raced at the raw power emanating from Matthew. I’d never seen him like this- dominant, aggressive, his silver–gray wolf surging just beneath the surface of his skin.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason stammered, but his eyes darted nervously to
the beaten beta.
Matthew stepped closer, his presence filling the small room. “Let me make this very clear. Stay away from my family. Stay away from Jacob Ward. And Celeste? She will never be your
mate.”
Without warning, Matthew took my hand in his. The simple contact sent warmth spreading through my cold fingers.
“We’re leaving,” he said, his voice softening slightly as he addressed me.
I allowed him to lead me toward the door, still processing this new side of Matthew. His hand around mine felt strong, secure–a stark contrast to the uncertainty that had plagued our
relationship from the beginning.
Nina followed close behind us, her silver–gray wolf radiating satisfaction at Jason’s
humiliation.
As we exited the private room, I cast one final glance at Jason. His face was a mixture of shock, fear, and building rage. Our eyes met, and I saw something there I hadn’t expected-
genuine terror.
Good. He should be afraid.
(Alexander’s POV)
I watched the scene unfold through the one–way glass partition that separated the two private
rooms at the Moon Silver Restaurant. Originally installed for pack security purposes, it now
provided an unobstructed view of Jason Moore’s humiliation.
Beside me, Lucas Winters shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“Did
you know this would happen?” he asked, his golden eyes never leaving the adjoining room
where Jason was now viciously attacking his hired beta.
I took a slow sip of moon–blessed wine. “I heard rumors that Jason was having Matthew
watched.”
Lucas turned to face me fully. “And you didn’t warn your second–in–command?”
My white wolf stirred beneath my skin, but I maintained my outward appearance of indifference.
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Chapter 215: A Wolf’s Warning
“If Matthew can’t handle someone like Jason Moore, he has no business being Celeste’s
mate,” I replied.
“You’re saying you would have let him fail?” Lucas pressed. “Even with the threat to his
family?”
I merely shrugged. “Matthew needs to prove himself worthy.”
Lucas studied me for a moment longer before returning his attention to the adjoining room.
“Seemed quite capable to me,” he muttered. “The way he handled Moore.”
I didn’t respond, but my white wolf stirred again, this time with something that might have been pride in my second–in–command’s actions. Matthew had acted decisively, protecting both his family and Celeste with a dominance I hadn’t witnessed from him before.
Perhaps there was more to Matthew Sterling than I had given him credit for.
I would never admit it aloud, of course. Some truths were better left unspoken, especially
those that concerned Celeste and her chosen mate.
