Alpha’s Regret After Putting Me In Jail novel Chapter 117

Chapter 117: Defense

Chapter 117: Defense

(Celeste’s POV)

The hall wasn’t silent anymore. It buzzed with whispers–uneasy, hurried, and frantic. My body ached with every breath, every movement pulling against the wounds hidden beneath my

clothes.

Pain radiated across my silver–burned skin, yet I stood firm. No one here deserved to see me

falter. I refused to give them that satisfaction.

Victoria’s lavender perfume clung to the air, cloying and suffocating. Scarlett’s sickly rose–like scent mingled with it, making my stomach churn. Their very presence clawed at my self–control, as if their wolves were reaching out to strike where it hurt the most.

I clenched my fists tightly by my sides, fingernails digging into my palms. Let them watch. Let

them whisper. I, too, had something to say.

Through the crowd, the chilling scent of pine–frost reached me–sharp and cutting. Alexander.

My shoulders stiffened, my wolf bristling instinctively. I couldn’t stop myself from looking, even if every instinct screamed at me not to. There he was, lingering near one of the stone columns, his back leaning just so, every muscle seemingly relaxed.

It was all a lie. He wasn’t relaxed. His ice–blue eyes tracked my every movement, like a predator waiting to strike–or perhaps waiting for me to fall. His white wolf’s aura filled the room, a heavy, suffocating thing that bore down on everyone like a weight they couldn’t

escape.

For a brief, shameful moment, hope flickered within me. Some broken, desperate shard of me

hoped he might do something. Might say something.

But he didn’t.

My throat tightened, but I forced my thoughts back to the room, to the wolves surrounding me and pinning me with their judgmental stares. They thought they were safe in their silence. They thought their whispers, their compliant nods, would shield them from what came next.

But they were wrong.

“Who witnessed Nina attacking Scarlett without provocation?” My voice was sharp and

cutting, slicing through their murmurs in an instant.

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Chapter 117: Defense

The temperature in the hall felt like it dropped. A ripple of nervous energy passed through the

gathered betas and omegas. Whispers stopped. Wolves shifted in their places.

Several beta wolves hesitated before stepping forward. Their postures screamed submission.

Heads bowed. Shoulders hunched. Their cowardice hung heavy in the air.

I wasn’t surprised.

Lucas stepped into my line of sight, his golden eyes blazing like molten fire as he advanced

with slow, deliberate steps. His wolf surged aggressively, the raw power of his dominance

pressing down on every wolf in the room.

“Still denying your guard attacked my precious sister?” His voice was a low growl, full of

menace, his gaze locked straight on me.

Scarlett whimpered softly, shrinking further into Lucas’s side. Her emerald eyes glistened with

perfectly measured tears. She clutched at her arm dramatically, her entire being radiating

helplessness.

I said nothing, refusing to look at her. My wolf roared, but I forced it to stay silent. If I let my

emotions slip now, it would be over.

The corner of Lucas’s mouth curled into a sneer. His wolf radiated triumph, but it only enraged

me further. “No defense? No response?” His tone was mocking now, like he thought he had

already won. “Do you think ignoring me makes Nina’s actions any less unacceptable?”

I forced myself to breathe through the pain in my chest, ignoring the pressure Lucas’s

dominance exerted on my battered body. I looked past him, past Scarlett’s quivering figure,

and addressed the room again, my voice unwavering even though my legs trembled.

“Then who saw what happened before Nina defended me?” My words were louder now, sharper, cutting through the tension like a blade.

The betas shuffled awkwardly. Their eyes darted back and forth to one another, filled with uncertainty. None dared speak, but I could see it–some of them knew the truth. They smelled

different now, like muted fear.

Scarlett pressed closer to Lucas. Her wolf whimpered, a pitiful noise that crawled beneath my

skin. “She’s… She’s making this worse for all of us, Brother,” she murmured weakly, her voice

trembling as she clung to him like he was her last hope.

There was a flicker in Lucas’s golden eyes–hesitation? Perhaps shame? His wolf bristled, its

energy shifting uncomfortably.

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Chapter 117: Defense

He knew.

He’d seen Scarlett’s claws dig into my arm. He’d seen the deliberate way her actions reopened wounds still fresh from Marcus’s torture.

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The room filled with that suffocating silence again, broken only by Scarlett’s perfectly timed sniffles.

Then, finally, someone stepped forward.

“I saw it.”

A young omega wolf. His head hung low, his body tense and trembling. He wouldn’t look at

Lucas or Scarlett. His wolf had completely submitted, but his voice trembled with strength he likely didn’t even understand.

“Second Daughter Scarlett deliberately grabbed Eldest Daughter’s silver burns, My Lady.”

The sound of his voice, shaking but steady, rang out across the hall, loud in its simplicity.

Lucas moved instantly, his golden eyes blazing with fury. His wolf surged forward, its

dominance crashing through the room.

“You dare accuse my sister?!” His roar shook the air, his anger palpable enough to make even

the highest–ranking betas shift with unease.

But before Lucas could close the gap between himself and the omega, another voice spoke.

“I saw it too.”

The words pierced through the room like glass shattering. A beta female this time. Her voice started soft, fragile against the tension, but grew steadily stronger. She stepped forward

hesitantly, shoulders squared ever so slightly.

“Nina warned Scarlett at least three times to let go of Celeste,” the beta continued. Her gaze

darted between Victoria and Alpha James, seeking their permission–or perhaps their forgiveness. “She only attacked after Scarlett ignored her warnings. Scarlett’s claws were already deep enough to draw blood.”

It was as if a dam had broken. Silence exploded into murmurs again, but this time, they

weren’t aimless.

The truth was a strange, awful thing. It had a way of turning even the most loyal followers into

doubters, even if only briefly.