chapter 230: A Grandmother’s Plea
chapter 230: A Grandmother’s Plea
(Scarlett’s POV)
The cold night air bit through my thin nightgown as I knelt outside Eleanor’s quarters. Hours had passed since I’d first positioned myself here, determined to show my remorse. My knees had long since gone numb against the hard wooden floor. The wounds from Celeste’s attack throbbed mercilessly, each pulse a reminder of her hatred toward me.
I shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position. Sharp pain shot through my shoulders and chest where her claws had torn my flesh. Dr. Pierce had warned me not to leave my bed, but what choice did I have?
The night grew colder. Pack members walked past, some throwing pitying glances my way, others averting their eyes altogether. No one offered help. No one dared to, not after witnessing Celeste’s fury.
I glanced up at the window of Eleanor’s room. A soft light glowed behind the curtains. I could see a silhouette moving back and forth – Celeste, no doubt, playing the role of devoted granddaughter,
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
Why was I doing this? Why was I subjecting myself to this humiliation and pain? Eleanor was terminally ill anyway. The doctors had given her ten days at most. What difference did it make if the news of Celeste’s plan to leave the pack had hastened her decline?
And wasn’t that what Celeste had wanted all along? To sever ties with our family? I had
merely accelerated the inevitable.
So why was I being punished?
Hot tears welled up in my eyes, already dry and irritated from hours exposed to the cold night air. I blinked rapidly, trying not to let them fall. Crying would only be seen as another
manipulation.
–
A wave of resentment washed over me. I was the true daughter of Alpha James and Luna Victoria, yet Celeste had somehow maintained her hold over everyone my parents, my
brother, even my dying grandmother.
It wasn’t fair.
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hapter 230 4 Grandmother
The wind picked up, cutting through my nightgown like knives against my skin. I shivered violently, the movement reopening one of the wounds on my shoulder. I felt warm blood seeping through the bandage.
Perhaps I deserved this suffering. Perhaps this was my punishment for all the times I’d schemed against Celeste.
* Points
But deep down, I couldn’t bring myself to truly regret my actions. She had taken my place for fourteen years. She had been loved as the Winter Pack’s daughter while I was raised among humans, my wolf stunted and weak from lack of proper pack upbringing.
Didn’t I deserve to reclaim what was rightfully mine?
My thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. I recognized the scent immediately –
Lucas,
(Lucas’s POV)
I found Scarlett kneeling outside our grandmother’s quarters, exactly where I’d left her hours
ago. The sight of her broke my heart. Her skin was pale, almost blue from the cold. Her
auburn hair hung in limp strands around her face. Blood had seeped through several of her
bandages,
“Scarlett,” I whispered, draping a thick blanket around her shoulders.
She looked up at me, her emerald eyes dull with exhaustion and pain. The strong, vibrant
sister I knew was nowhere to be found in this broken creature before me.
“It’s freezing out here,” I said, adjusting the blanket to cover her more fully. “You shouldn’t be kneeling like this. Your wounds-”
–
“I deserve it,” she murmured, but there was something in her tone that caught my attention a
note of bitterness beneath the contrition.
I crouched beside her, careful of my own back wounds. “You’ve been here for hours.
Grandmother is sleeping. There’s no point in torturing yourself like this.”
Scarlett’s façade crumbled at my gentle words. Her face contorted as she broke into sobs. “It
hurts, Lucas. Everything hurts so much.”
She clutched at her bandaged chest. “The cuts won’t stop burning. It feels like they’re on fire. Dr. Pierce said they might scar because they were made with silver claws.”
My golden wolf surged beneath my skin, protective fury washing over me. How could Celeste have done this? How could she have physically attacked her own sister with such brutality?
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Chapter 230 4 Grandmother
+ Points >
“That’s it, I declared, unable to bear her suffering any longer. “We’re leaving. You need rest and
proper medical attention.”
1 helped Scarlett to her feet, wincing as pain shot through my back. She swayed unsteadily, leaning heavily against me.
Just as we turned to go, the door to Eleanor’s quarters swung open. Light spilled into the hallway, illuminating us like performers on a stage.
Celeste stood in the doorway, her slim figure silhouetted against the warm light behind her.
Her violet eyes were red and swollen – she’d been crying. Despite this sign of vulnerability,
there was something chilling about her calm demeanor, the way her silver–scarred wolf
seemed to lurk just beneath the surface of her skin.
“Leaving?” she asked softly, her voice unnervingly gentle.
I ignored her, tightening my arm around Scarlett’s waist. “I’m taking my sister back to her quarters where she belongs. She’s injured and needs rest.”
Celeste’s lips curved into a cold smile, is she? She seemed well enough to kneel out here and
play the martyr for everyone to see,”
Scarlett trembled against me, I expected her to retort or at least defend herself, but instead,
she gently pushed against my chest.
“It’s okay, Lucas,” she whispered. “You should go. I’ll stay.”
Her selflessness only strengthened my resolution. I glared at Celeste, my golden wolf surging with protective energy.
“What is wrong with you?” I demanded. “Haven’t you done enough? You’ve already physically attacked her, nearly killed her! Now you’re tormenting her while she’s vulnerable!”
Celeste’s expression didn’t change. “You’ve always been so blind when it comes to her, Lucas.”
I helped Scarlett straighten up, supporting her weight. “We’re leaving.”
As we turned away, Celeste’s voice floated after us, deceptively soft but brimming with hidden
threat.
‘Scarlett, have you thought it through?”
Scarlett froze against me, her body suddenly rigid with fear. I felt her heart racing through the thin fabric of her nightgown.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, bewildered by her reaction.
<chapter 230. A Grandmother‘
Before Celeste could respond, Sarah Miller appeared in the doorway behind her.
“Miss Celeste,” she called urgently. “Your grandmother is awake!”
+8 Points >
In an instant, Celeste’s demeanor changed. The coldness vanished, replaced by desperate hope. Without another word to us, she rushed back into the room.
(Celeste’s POV)
I rushed to my grandmother’s bedside, my heart pounding against my ribs. Sarah had propped her up with cushions, and to my amazement, she looked more alert than she had in days. Her golden eyes, though still clouded with illness, held a spark of their former brightness.
“Grandmother,” I choked out, overwhelmed with emotion.
I threw myself into her frail arms, burying my face against her shoulder. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, soaking into her nightgown. The emptiness that had been consuming me since Dr. Pierce’s devastating diagnosis was temporarily replaced by a profound sense of joy mingled with sorrow.
She was still here. Still with me. But for how long?
My silver–scarred wolf whined within me, overjoyed yet fearful of the inevitable loss that loomed so close.
“My dear girl,” she whispered, her voice stronger than it had been earlier. Her thin hand stroked my hair with surprising steadiness. “Don’t cry so.”
—
I couldn’t stop, though. The thought of losing her stood by me through everything was unbearable.
“Grandmother?”
–
my only true family, the only one who had
Lucas’s voice cut through my tears, startling me. I tensed immediately, my silver–scarred wolf bristling beneath my skin. Had he brought Scarlett in? I was ready to throw them both out if he had dared bring her into this sacred space.
But when I raised my head, I saw he was alone. His golden eyes were red–rimmed, a sure sign he’d been crying too.
For a moment, I hated him for sharing in this grief, as if he had any right to it after all he’d done. But my grandmother’s reaction made me pause.
–
Eleanor’s expression as she looked at Lucas was complex – a mixture of love,
disappointment, and sorrow. She reached out her hand toward him, frail fingers trembling slightly,
< chapter 230: A Grandmother…
+8 Points >
“Lucas,” she said softly. “Come here, my boy.”
I reluctantly shifted to make room for him. Lucas approached hesitantly, taking her
outstretched hand in his.
“Do you remember,” Eleanor began, her voice taking on a wistful quality, “when you were just ten years old, and you went on your first full moon run with Celeste?”
Lucas nodded, his eyes welling up with fresh tears.
“You were such a caring brother,” she continued. “You insisted on hunting for her, even though
you’d never brought down prey on your own before. You spent hours tracking that young deer, and when you finally caught it, you gave Celeste the freshest, choicest meat.”
I remembered that night too, though it felt like it belonged to another lifetime, another Celeste.
Lucas had been so proud, his golden wolf pup strutting around our small campfire as he
presented me with the best portion of the kill.
“You protected her,” Eleanor said, her voice growing firmer despite her weakness. “You were
always there, standing between her and any threat, real or imagined. What happened to that
sweet boy, Lucas? Where did that brotherly love go?”
Lucas hung his head, unable to meet her gaze.
“I remember a time when you two were inseparable,” she continued, her golden eyes moving
between us. “Now look at you. That sweet bond has turned sour, poisoned by circumstances
neither of you created.”
She squeezed Lucas’s hand, drawing his attention back to her face.
“I am disappointed in you, Lucas,” she said plainly. “Your sister needed you most when she returned from Moon Shadow Prison, and you abandoned her. More than that, you joined in her
persecution.”
Lucas opened his mouth as if to defend himself, but no words came out.
“Promise me something,” Eleanor demanded, her voice suddenly stronger than it had been in
weeks. “Promise me you will never hurt Celeste again. Promise me you will stop your father
from hurting her. And if she wishes to leave this pack, you will let her go in peace.”
–
The command in her voice was unmistakable this wasn’t a request, but an order from the
former Luna of the Winter Pack.
Lucas sank to his knees beside the bed, his golden wolf submitting instinctively to her
authority despite her weakened state.
< chapter 230: A Grandmother‘…
+8 Points>
“I promise, Grandmother,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “I was wrong. I should
have protected her, just like when we were younger.”
A single tear rolled down his cheek, leaving a glistening trail on his skin.
