Semua Bab A Wrong Alpha Heiress's Return: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Celeste's POVI could feel the tension in the air before I even stepped out of the back door. The usual cacophony of insults and snide laughter was waiting for me, like predators circling. My stomach didn't tighten-not anymore. I had learned long ago that fear was a luxury I couldn't afford. I squared my shoulders, adjusted the apron I wore over my uniform, and followed my boss into the main hall of the restaurant.These people were relentless. Every day for the past few days, they had come, ordered massive feasts, and left chaos behind. Hair in the soup, bugs in the salad-they never missed a detail. And no apology, no compensation from the staff, satisfied them. Only my presence as the one who had touched every plate, washed every dish, seemed to placate them.I could feel the predatory gaze of the pack within the room, though they were not wolves, not in the true sense. But their intentions were clear. They were here to strike at me, to assert dominance, to make me small. I didn't f

Celeste's POVHis words make something inside me jag. It is the same edge that carved me up two years ago when adults decided that a life could be shipped away and replaced with a story. It is the same cold that presses on a throat when your pack pretends not to see you being broken."All I want," I say slowly, tasting each syllable so he cannot claim later that I had been breathless or hysterical - "is to make my own choices."His lips thin. "You cannot be so foolish as to think you can act without consequence. The Frost name carries weight. You sit under our roof -""I live under your roof because Grandfather cannot bear the idea of leaving me to the streets," I cut in. "Not because I asked for any of your choices."Callen's jaw tightens. A bruise of anger paints his face deeper. "You should appreciate what you have. You owe this family obedience.""Obedience?" The word tastes like the bark of old trees in my mouth. "You gave me a surname and your convenience. You gave me a story th

Celeste's POVI lifted my chin, meeting the eyes behind the dark helmet without a shred of fear."The Frost Family's jewel is Serena Frost," I said evenly, my voice steady despite the ropes cutting into my wrists. "I'm nothing but the cast-off foster daughter, switched at birth and discarded two years ago when they reclaimed their true heir. They stripped me of their name and made sure the entire Moonviel City knew it. If you don't believe me, search the archives. My picture is plastered all over those articles."I could still remember that day. How eager Alpha Rowan and Luna Eveline had been to make a spectacle of it-parading Serena in front of the world while shoving me into the shadows. The name ‘Celeste Hallow' had been branded on me like a scar, not an identity.The man in gray armor let out a laugh, rough and mocking. "Of course we know you're not blood. That's exactly why we took you."His grip on my hair loosened, and he pulled out a phone. Recognition hit me like ice-it was m

Celeste's POVI'd practiced this a thousand times. Every way to escape-twist your wrists, shift your weight, slip your bonds even when every inch of you screamed resistance-had been drilled into me by Kane Jones. I remembered every lesson, every burned-in detail, every small trick that could turn a trap into freedom.Now, all that training mattered more than ever.The gray-clad man's attention drifted for a moment, and I moved carefully, inch by inch. My wrists creaked under the pressure of the rope, but I didn't make a sound. I shifted my hands subtly, loosening the knots just enough. Gray man's hooded eyes never left the dark corners, but he didn't see me. Patience. Wait for the right moment.And then, the moment came.The rogues who had left returned, heavy boots echoing through the hollow warehouse. The man in the leather jacket strode in first, carrying a man drenched in blood over his shoulder. My pulse spiked, but I stayed frozen, breathing slow and even.He carefully set the b

Celeste's POV"Shouldn't you introduce yourself before prying into someone else's business?" I said, my voice cool, sharp, letting my hostility hang in the air like a blade.He tilted his head, eyes scanning me briefly, then a small, almost amused smile appeared on his face. "I'm Elijah Davis. Just turned twenty. From the Capital. You?"I froze for a split second, startled by his bluntness. He hadn't hesitated to reveal himself, as if there were no walls around his words. Was he oblivious to my tone, or was there a cunning hidden beneath that calm exterior?Darkness cloaked his face, and the distance between us kept the thoughts behind his eyes unreadable. I studied him, trying to sense any sign of the wolf beneath, any hint of threat.Finally, I said, "Celeste Hallow. Twenty-one. From Moonviel City."For a brief moment, his black-and-white eyes-the irises split like shards of night and frost-brightened. It was a subtle flicker, but enough to tell me he had processed my words.Then ca