Alpha's Regret After Putting Me In Jail novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161: A Wolfs Bitter Truth

+8 Point

Chapter 161: A Wolf’s Bitter Truth

Chapter 161: A Wolf’s Bitter Truth

(Celeste’s POV)

The moon–blessed tea in my cup was lukewarm, its intended warmth long gone. It matched the cold in my chest, but I didn’t care. Memories I had long buried clawed their way to the

surface, refusing to let go.

I could still recall the winter festival when I was seven. Alpha James had lifted me onto his broad shoulders, his booming laughter filling the crisp air as I adjusted the sacred moon

crystal at the top of the ceremonial tree.

He had been so proud, calling me the future of the Winter Pack.

“Look at her wolf’s spirit,” he had declared to the gathered pack members. “That’s pure Winter

Pack strength, a true inheritor of our legacy!”

But those words, which had once been my anchor, now hung heavy in my mind.

Back then, every glance, every touch from him felt genuine. It had been easy to believe I belonged–easy to believe I carried the Winters‘ blood in my veins.

I gripped the teacup tightly, staring into the cooling liquid. The pale reflection of my violet eyes shimmered back at me. A cruel reminder of who I wasn’t and could never be.

“You’re gripping the cup too hard,” Alpha James said suddenly, his deep voice cutting through the silence. He was seated opposite me, his presence as imposing as ever, though his tone

had taken on an uncharacteristic softness.

I loosened my hold on the cup but didn’t look at him. I didn’t trust myself to meet his gaze. If I did, I might say something I couldn’t take back.

The silence between us grew heavier, stretching unbearable moments into what felt like

hours.

I didn’t plan to speak, didn’t intend to, but the question that had been burning inside me for so

long broke free before I could stop it.

“If Scarlett had never returned,” I began softly, my voice trembling against my will, “if I were

still truly part of the Winter Pack… would you have still arranged my mating with Marcus?”

The room seemed to freeze. Even the faint rustling of the wind outside fell silent as if the

Chapter 161: A Wolf’s Bitter Truth

world itself was holding its breath.

Alpha James didn’t respond immediately, and I had never hated silence more than I did at that

moment.

“Celeste…” he started, but his voice carried no answers, just weariness.

I cut him off before he could finish. “Forget it. Just… forget I asked.” My tone was bitter, more

to myself than to him.

I shouldn’t have asked. I shouldn’t have let my weakness show.

Scarlett had returned, and that was all there was to it. I wasn’t their true daughter–just a

placeholder. A convenient tool for alliances, nothing more.

I forced a smile to my lips, though I doubted it fooled anyone. “It doesn’t matter anymore. The

answer’s obvious.”

My gaze remained locked on the tea, unwilling to meet those golden eyes that had once brimmed with warmth whenever they landed on me.

Now, they carried carefully veiled indifference. Or perhaps it wasn’t veiled at all.

Alpha James didn’t reply. Instead, I heard the faint shuffle of his chair as he turned his body slightly, his gaze now fixed on the large study windows behind me. His eyes seemed distant, focusing on something far beyond the pack grounds outside.

I wondered what he was thinking. Did he feel guilt? Regret? Or was this just my imagination clinging to an impossible hope that he cared?

That trace of warmth, how he once compared my wolf’s spirit to his own, seemed so far away

now.

The sound of approaching footsteps drew my attention, providing a much–needed distraction.

Alexander entered the study, his usual air of calm authority disrupted by the common pack guard attire he wore. I recognized it immediately–a simple outfit meant to blend in with lower–ranking wolves.

But it didn’t suit him.

“Is this your idea of blending in?” I asked, unable to stop the skepticism from leaking into my tone. I gestured vaguely at his clothes, raising an eyebrow.

For all his effort, the disguise only seemed to highlight him more. His towering frame, his strong build, even the faint aura of power his wolf radiated–all of it screamed dominion.

2/4

Chapter 161: A Wolf’s Bitter Truth

+8 Peint

Alexander stopped by the side of my chair, one corner of his lips turning upward ever so slightly. “Not convincing enough?” His tone was dry, but there was a subtle edge in his voice.

Even he knew what a joke the disguise was.

“Not even close,” I replied bluntly, unimpressed.

His pale blue eyes–that stark, icy hue that always unsettled my wolf–shifted contemplatively.

“The usual guard uniform doesn’t really work on someone like me,” he admitted after a slight

pause. He seemed oddly self–aware, something I normally wouldn’t attribute to him.

For a moment, Alexander seemed to wrestle with himself before offering an alternative. His expression didn’t give away much, but his voice held conviction.

“I could request some of the Alpha King’s special dewarf guards,” he suggested.

I stiffened slightly at the mention of them. Dwarf guards were infamous. Cunning and

unassuming, they could blend seamlessly into any setting. But they didn’t inspire trust. They were intelligent, calculating, and above all, ruthless.

“Dwarf guards?” I repeated slowly. I studied his face, searching for any sign that he wasn’t

entirely comfortable with this option.

Sure enough, his usual composure wavered. “They’re not my first choice, but they might be our

best option.”

Alexander’s wolf radiated unease, though his human side kept that tension buried beneath

layers of stoicism. He added, “They’re skilled in both combat and reconnaissance. If anything

should go wrong, they’ll be an advantage.”

I considered his words carefully. However much I disliked the idea, there wasn’t much room for

debate.

With my noose of options tightening, practicality would always outweigh preference.

“Send the request then,” I murmured, resolving to make the best of whatever miserable

suggestion he proposed next.

Alexander nodded, already pulling out a communication device to send an urgent message to

the royal territory. Something about his movements–deliberate, precise, unshaken–reminded