Chapter 21

CelineI had no idea what I was looking for. Maybe air. Maybe some damn space where no one knew my name. But there was none in this place.Still, I walked. It's so ridiculous how your life could just turn around and everything you've ever dreamed about becomes a mess of distant wishes.The pack house was bigger than I thought. A maze of hallways, high ceilings that echoed your footsteps back at you, and windows that let light in but never warmth. It was built to impress, but all I saw was the way every corridor felt like it was leading you deeper into something you couldn’t climb out of.I passed two guards as I walked — both of them acting like they weren’t watching me when I knew damn well they were. One had his back turned, pretending to talk into a radio. The other leaned against the wall, arms crossed, jaw clenched too tightly for someone who was “just on patrol.”I didn’t stop.Didn’t speak.Let them watch.What else could they do? Like I care at this point... It doesn't look li

Last Updated : 2025-07-21

Chapter 22

CelineI should’ve gone straight to my room.But something about what Jerome said… I don’t know. It stuck. His words didn’t hold comfort. Just this quiet warning wrapped in the calm way he always speaks. When the flames start, you choose a side. That was what he said.And I’ve been walking in silence since then, letting that line chew its way through my brain.I didn’t want to be alone with it. I wasn’t ready.So I walked.Past the east wing, past two empty hallways, past the guards who didn’t even lift a brow anymore when I moved around like a ghost. My steps were slow. Not because I was tired. Because I didn’t know where I was going.And that’s when I heard them.Their voices.Three of them, they sounded like maids.I didn’t catch the first few words. But I heard my name.“She really thinks she’s important now,” one of them said.“She walks like she owns the pack house,” another added with a dry laugh. “Just because she’ll be the Alpha’s breeder—”“She’s not even pregnant,” the thir

Last Updated : 2025-07-22

Chapter 23

CelineI didn’t sleep.I sat in that same position all night. On the edge of the bed. Back stiff. Eyes blank. The tray of untouched food had gone cold hours ago, but I didn’t touch it, not even to move it aside.Every breath I took felt loud in the silence.The girl was dead.And I couldn’t stop hearing her voice, the way she spat the word breeder like it was filth. The way her lip curled in disgust when she looked at me. The way her hands clawed at me like she wanted to tear me open and see what made me so special.And now she was gone.Just like that.Because of me.Because I fought back. Because Alaric walked in and decided her life wasn’t worth more than a flick of his finger.No one said anything about it. Not even the guards. Not the maids. No one flinched. No one gasped. No one dared.And I…I didn’t stop it.I sat there with guilt pounding in my chest like a drum, too heavy to ignore.The knock came hours after dawn. Just once.Then the door opened without waiting for a respon

Last Updated : 2025-07-23

Chapter 24

CelineAs we walked into the pack house from the stream, the echo of boots, heavy and steady, moving in unison through the grand hallway that led to the front court. Laughter. Voices raised in celebration. The kind that didn’t match the permanent fog hanging inside me.He came through the front with her on his arm.Nessa.My sister.Her smile was forced, too wide. Her gown was silver, flowing down her body like it belonged to someone else. She had her hand tucked around his elbow like she’d done it all her life, like this was normal. Like this wasn’t madness.Alaric didn’t smile. He never did. But his posture was relaxed, confident. Like the image of a man who had everything where he wanted it.I didn’t realize how hard I was staring until Jerome’s voice came softly from my left.“She looks very comfortable.”I flinched slightly, then forced a nod. “She shouldn’t be there.”“She didn’t look like she was forced.”“She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”He stayed silent after that. I could

Last Updated : 2025-07-24

Chapter 25

CelineThe knock came a few minutes after Alaric left, I didn’t answer, well there was no need, is not as if the room wasn't open to just anyone.The door creaked open after a beat of silence, and I turned slightly, watching the maid step in with a long black garment bag pressed against her chest.“This is for tonight,” she said, not looking me in the eye. “You’re to wear it to the Alpha’s party.”“Party?” I echoed, voice dry.The girl nodded, already moving toward the wardrobe to hang the bag. “It’s a celebration… of something.”I stood there, arms folded, feeling the same chill in my chest that had settled in since Nessa’s arrival.“A celebration of what?” I asked.She hesitated. “The pack’s recent... successes. And Alpha’s new alliance.”I laughed under my breath, bitter and cold. “Of course.”The girl finished hanging the gown, her eyes flicking toward me for the first time. She looked nervous. “You’ll need to be ready by sundown.”“Tell Alaric I’m not his fucking doll.”Her shoul

Last Updated : 2025-07-25

Chapter 26

CelineSomething was wrong.The edges of my vision were starting to blur, black creeping inward like spilled ink soaking into paper. The music from the party behind me felt far away, muffled like I was underwater. My legs didn’t feel like mine anymore—too light, too shaky.My heartbeat thudded in my ears louder than anything else, like a warning.I reached out to grab the nearest tree, but I missed. My fingers barely scraped the bark before slipping away. My head was spinning so fast I couldn't tell which direction was forward anymore.The woods weren’t supposed to be this quiet. Not here. Not now. I tried to turn back, to retrace my steps toward the lights of the pack house, but I couldn’t. I staggered, blinked, but the shadows only multiplied. My knees bent at the wrong angle, my shoulder brushing a branch I didn’t see coming. My balance gave out.Shit.Something moved behind me.I heard it—just barely—the crunch of grass under a boot. I wasn’t alone.I opened my mouth to call for h

Last Updated : 2025-07-26