Semua Bab Beneath the Winter Moon: Bab 21 - Bab 26

The rain had deepened by the time she got home. The city was glazed in wet reflection, gold and red smearing across sidewalks like brushstrokes on glass. Victoria stood at her window, arms crossed, the hum of storm-dimmed traffic in the distance doing nothing to quiet the echo of Blair’s voice in her mind.Dinner had been more than she bargained for.The rooftop café had shimmered with its usual elegance, linen-draped tables, gold cutlery, quiet music that made everything feel effortless. But it was the wine that did the work tonight. Blair had already been on her second glass when Victoria sat down. By the third, she wasn’t posturing anymore. She was unraveling.“She didn’t deserve him,” she’d muttered as the third glass started to loosen her composure. “She just stood there. Always watching him. Like some wounded little thing.”Victoria hadn’t asked. She’d just sat back, listening.“She was just an omega. She was so pathetic,” Blair continued, twisting the stem of her wineglass. “Al

The air smelled like wet earth and moss, thick with the scent of pine. Celeste sat cross-legged beneath a cluster of birch trees, a book open in her lap but long forgotten. Her fingers toyed with the corner of the page, unmoving. She used to come here to feel peace—when she still believed this land could be her home.But lately, even the quiet turned its back on her.She looked out across the field where younger pack members sparred in the distance. Their laughter drifted on the wind, light and careless. None of them knew. None of them saw.Celeste lowered her eyes again. She could still feel the echo of Grayson’s voice, the low promises he used to whisper beneath moonlit trees. The warmth of his hand on hers. The pride in his eyes the first time she shifted.But that pride had turned cold.It had been days since he’d really spoken to her. Not about training or patrols or business. But about them. About the bond.And Blair? She was everywhere now. Draped over the arm of Grayson’s chai

The celebrations began at sunrise, bathing Redstone in crimson and gold, banners rippling in the morning breeze. Excited murmurs filled the courtyard, laughter mingling with the strains of music drifting through the cool air. Yet beneath the surface of joy and festivity lingered an undeniable sorrow, whispered quietly amongst the gathered pack members. Celeste stood near the edges, nearly invisible amidst the bustling preparations, her presence unnoticed by all. She stared numbly as Blair glided through the crowd, radiant in ceremonial white, pearls woven through her hair. Beside her stood Grayson, every inch the proud Alpha, dressed in his finest regalia. His hand rested comfortably at Blair's waist, openly claiming what had once been promised to another. What had once been promised to her. A sharp pang twisted in Celeste’s chest, grief mixing bitterly with betrayal. Lilly, her closest friend, her only anchor, had been lost, sent by Grayson and Blair's decision to battle rogues