Chapter 228: A Confrontation at Eleanor’s Quarters
Chapter 228: A Confrontation at Eleanor’s Quarters
(Lucas’s POV)
I made my way through the Winter Pack house, each step sending waves of pain across my
back. The encounter with Matthew Sterling had left me fuming, but Dr. Pierce’s stern warning
about not exerting myself kept me from storming after him.
“Rest for at least three days,” the doctor had instructed, his face grave as he examined the
deep claw marks Celeste had left on my back.
ignored the throbbing pain and continued toward the Silver Moon Wing. I needed to check on
Scarlett. Her wounds had been far worse than mine.
As I approached her quarters, I spotted Dr. Pierce emerging, his medical bag in hand. His white coat was spotted with blood–Scarlett’s blood, I presumed.
“Dr. Pierce,” I called out, trying to straighten my posture despite the shooting pain. “How is
she?”
The doctor turned, his experienced eyes immediately assessing my condition. “Future Alpha, you should be resting. Those wounds need time to heal properly.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, brushing off his concern. “Tell me about Scarlett’s condition.”
Dr. Pierce sighed, closing his bag firmly. “The cuts were deep but not life–threatening. I’ve
cleaned and bandaged them properly.”
Relief flooded through me, quickly followed by a surge of anger. My golden wolf bristled
beneath my skin at the memory of Celeste’s attack.
“She used the techniques I taught her,” I muttered bitterly. The same defensive moves I’d shown Celeste years ago, when we were still close, when I still considered her my beloved
sister. Now she had turned those skills against us.
“I’d like to see Scarlett,” I said, gesturing toward her door.
Dr. Pierce’s expression shifted slightly. “She’s not there.”
“What?” Alarm shot through me. “Where is she?”
“Miss Scarlett insisted on going to Former Luna Eleanor’s quarters after I finished treating her,” he replied, a subtle hint of irony in his voice. “She’s kneeling outside the door, refusing to leave
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until she’s forgiven for causing her grandmother’s illness.”
“She’s what? In her condition?”
+15 Points >
Without waiting for a response, I turned and rushed toward Grandmother’s quarters, ignoring the searing pain that accompanied each movement. My golden wolf pushed me forward, concern for my sister overwhelming the physical agony.
When I arrived, I found exactly what Dr. Pierce had described. Scarlett was kneeling on the hard wooden floor outside Grandmother’s door, her bandaged arms trembling visibly as she maintained her position. Fresh blood was seeping through the white gauze wrapped around
her wounds.
Father and Mother stood nearby, their faces etched with concern. Mother was pleading with Scarlett to rise, her wolf whining with distress.
“Please, darling, you need to rest. Your wounds will worsen if you continue this.”
“I can’t,” Scarlett whispered, her voice weak and shaking. “Not until Grandmother forgives me.”
Her face was ashen, all color drained except for the tear tracks staining her cheeks. I rushed
to her side, alarmed by her deteriorating condition.
“Scarlett, what are you doing? You need to be in bed,” I urged, attempting to lift her by sliding
my hands under her arms.
A spasm of pain shot across my injured back, forcing a grunt of agony from my lips. The claw marks Celeste had left felt like they were tearing open again. I released Scarlett immediately,
unable to complete the movement.
“Lucas, your back,” Father warned, moving forward to help, his dominant wolf aura flickering
with concern.
I waved him away. “I’m fine.” I wouldn’t show weakness, not when Scarlett needed me.
Turning back to Scarlett, I crouched beside her despite my own pain. “This isn’t helping anyone. You need to recover.”
“Please, brother,” she pleaded, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. “Let me stay. This is my
fault. I need to atone.”
Her emerald eyes held such desperate sincerity that my heart ached for her. My golden wolf whined, torn between protecting her and respecting her wishes.
“By making yourself worse?” I argued, frustrated by her stubbornness. “Celeste has already taken her pound of flesh from you.”
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+15 Points >
“I deserve it,” she whispered, surprising me with her apparent remorse. “I didn’t think… I didn’t know Grandmother would react so badly.”
I sighed heavily, studying her face. “You should have known better. You’ve been back long
enough to understand how much Grandmother cares for Celeste.”
It was a bond I’d never fully understood–how our grandmother, who had raised us both with
such care, could maintain such unwavering devotion to Celeste even after learning she wasn’t
our blood. But the connection between them was undeniable, and Scarlett had disrupted it.
“I just wanted her to talk sense into Celeste,” Scarlett insisted, her lower lip trembling. “To
convince her not to sever ties with the pack.”
Her wolf whimpered beneath her skin, projecting vulnerability that triggered my protective
instincts. But something in her expression–a fleeting hardness in those emerald eyes–made
me wonder about her true intentions.
(Celeste’s POV)
Scarlett’s tears flowed even more freely at Lucas’s words, but I noticed a glint of determination flash in her emerald eyes that didn’t match her seemingly devastated exterior. Her wolf projected submission, but something about it felt calculated, rehearsed.
“I only meant to ask her to dissuade Celeste from leaving us,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I had no idea it would affect her health so terribly.”
She resumed her formal posture of atonement, bending forward until her forehead struck the ground with a dull thud. The impact reopened one of her wounds, fresh blood staining the bandage at her shoulder. The scent of it filled the corridor, sharp and metallic.
“Scarlett, stop this!” Victoria cried out, dropping to her knees beside her daughter. She tried to pull Scarlett upright, distress evident in every line of her face. Her wolf’s protective aura
surrounded her daughter like a shield.
I had been sitting with my grandmother for hours, holding her frail hand, watching her struggle for each breath. The doctors had given her days–days that should have been peaceful, filled with love. Instead, Scarlett’s actions had robbed her of that comfort, perhaps even shortened
what little time she had left.
At that moment, the heavy wooden door to Eleanor’s room swung open. I emerged, my platinum hair disheveled and my violet eyes rimmed with red from hours of crying at my grandmother’s bedside. My silver–scarred wolf was exhausted but seething with barely
contained fury.
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I paused briefly to take in the scene before me–Scarlett kneeling dramatically, Victoria hovering protectively, Alpha James watching with concern, and Lucas crouched nearby despite his obvious pain.
Their performance disgusted me. After years of neglect and cruelty, they now played the
concerned family, but only for Scarlett–never for me, never for the grandmother who was dying behind that door.
+15 Points >
Carefully closing the door behind me to avoid disturbing my resting grandmother, I walked
forward with deliberate steps. Despite my exhaustion, I knew exactly what I needed to do. My silver–scarred wolf guided me, cold purpose replacing my earlier rage.
Lucas stepped between me and Scarlett, raising his hands in a placating gesture. His golden
wolf projected authority, but I could sense his pain and uncertainty.
“Celeste, listen. Scarlett is truly sorry for what happened. She’s been kneeling here for hours,
refusing treatment-”
I brushed past him without a glance, my shoulder inadvertently bumping against his injured
back. He hissed in pain, his wolf whimpering beneath his skin, but I didn’t stop. My focus
remained singular, unwavering.
“Celeste!” Alpha James’s voice held a warning tone, his dominant wolf aura flaring in the
corridor. “Haven’t you done enough?”
Victoria moved protectively in front of Scarlett, her face a mixture of fear and defiance. Her wolf’s aura merged with Alpha James’s, creating a wall of dominance that would have
intimidated most wolves.
But I was beyond fear, beyond intimidation. My grandmother was dying because of Scarlett’s
manipulations, and no amount of pack dominance would stop me from confronting her.
I ignored them both, my focus solely on Scarlett. Despite my exhaustion, my resolve remained
unshaken. My silver–scarred wolf radiated cold determination, cutting through their protective
auras.
Scarlett looked up at me through tear–soaked lashes. “Sister,” she whispered, her voice trembling with practiced vulnerability. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to harm Grandmother.
Please forgive me.”
Her emerald eyes widened, tears flowing freely, the perfect picture of remorse. But I saw
through it now–the calculation behind those tears, the manipulation that had fooled others
for so long, I saw how she had used my grandmother’s love for me as a weapon.
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+15 Points >
For a long moment, I simply stared at her, taking in her performance–the tears, the blood, the
perfectly practiced expression of remorse. My silver–scarred wolf snarled within me, demanding retribution for my grandmother’s suffering.
Then, with a swift movement, I slapped her hard across the face.
The sound echoed sharply through the pack house corridor.
