Alpha’s Regret After Putting Me In Jail novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190: A Familiar Sting (Celeste’s POV)

Chapter 190: A Familiar Sting (Celeste’s POV)

I stood frozen in the doorway as Alexander carried Scarlett away. His ice–blue eyes had pierced through me with that familiar look of cold judgment. The same look he’d given me

four years ago.

Back then, I had been desperate, pleading for someone to believe me about the sacred moon crystal. I hadn’t broken it–Scarlett had. But Alexander had silenced me with that single, damning glance. It was the moment I realized I was completely alone.

My silver–scarred wolf whined softly inside me, the memory reopening wounds I thought had scarred over. How deeply I had trusted him then. How completely I had believed he would

stand by me, defend me, see through the lies.

But he hadn’t. And now, history was repeating itself.

I brushed my fingers against the wall to steady myself. The cold stone grounded me, reminding me where I was. Not in the past. Not in that terrible moment when my world collapsed. Yet the sting felt just as fresh.

The sound of hurried footsteps pulled me from my thoughts. Lucas stormed back into the room, his golden eyes blazing with fury.

“What is wrong with you?” he snarled, his wolf surging beneath his skin. “Is this how you repay

Scarlett for trying to help you?”

I stared at him blankly. “Help me?”

“She’s been soaked to the bone in the sacred moon pool!” Lucas shouted, advancing toward

1. me. Without warning, he shoved me against the wall, his hands rough against my shoulders.

“She spent days picking out moon–blessed jewelry for you, trying to make you presentable for the gathering!”

His wolf bristled aggressively, the scent of his anger filling the room. I didn’t flinch.

“I didn’t push her into the pool,” I said evenly. “She lost her balance when I released her hand.”

“Liar!” he spat, inches from my face. “Always taking your anger out on Scarlett when she’s done nothing but try to welcome you back!”

I said nothing, knowing from bitter experience that defending myself was pointless. Lucas had already decided what happened.

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“If anything happens to her,” he hissed, “if she catches silver–fever from that pool water, there will be consequences. Grandmother won’t be able to protect you this time.”

With that threat hanging in the air, he spun on his heel and stormed out, presumably to check

on his precious sister.

I remained in the moonlit courtyard, completely alone. Tears welled in my violet eyes despite my best efforts to suppress them.

Nothing had changed. Four years ago, they had all protected Scarlett. Four years later, they

still sided with her without question, without even hearing my side.

I took a deep, steadying breath. The cold night air filled my lungs, helping me regain control. I had survived four years in Moon Shadow Prison, enduring silver chains and isolation. I could

certainly survive this.

I had just started walking back toward my quarters when I noticed a small figure cautiously approaching from the shadows. Nina’s silver–gray eyes gleamed in the moonlight, her lithe

form moving silently across the courtyard.

She looked around carefully, ensuring we were alone before rushing to my side.

“Miss Celeste! Are you alright?” she whispered urgently, her wolf radiating concern. “I saw

Alexander and Lucas leave. Did they threaten you?”

Her loyalty touched me in ways I couldn’t express. After everything–after being abandoned by family, by friends, by pack–having someone genuinely care about my wellbeing felt like a rare

treasure.

“I’m fine, Nina,” I assured her, straightening my shoulders. “No one intimidates me anymore.

Not Lucas, not Alexander. Those days are over.”

Nina’s eyes tracked to the door Lucas had stormed through. “Scarlett looked like a drowned rat when they carried her past the kitchens,” she observed with barely concealed satisfaction. “And Lucas’s face was all swollen on one side. Was that your doing?”

Despite myself, I felt a small smile tug at my lips. “I did slap him rather hard.”

Nina’s face lit up with vindictive delight. “Good! The arrogant pup deserves far worse!”

Her enthusiasm faltered slightly as she glanced nervously around the courtyard. “But we should return to our quarters. Lucas may come back looking for you, and in his current

mood…”

She didn’t finish the thought, but she didn’t need to. Lucas’s temper had always been volatile,

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and now he had power to back his rage.

“You’re right,” I agreed, allowing her to lead me away.

Nina checked around corners before pulling me down corridors, as if we were escaping enemy territory rather than navigating our own pack house. Her caution would have seemed

excessive once, but I knew better now.

I let myself be guided, keenly aware of one significant difference from four years ago–I was

no longer truly alone.

Back in my quarters, I found the ceremonial clothes and jewelry Scarlett had selected laid out on my bed. The gown was admittedly beautiful–midnight blue with silver thread woven into intricate pack symbols. The moon–blessed jewelry gleamed in the lamplight, clearly

expensive.

But I had no desire to touch any of it. Everything Scarlett gave came with hidden cost, hidden

intent. These gifts were no different.

“Pack these up and return them,” I instructed Nina.

She nodded, carefully folding the gown. “I suspected you wouldn’t want them.”

Before we could finish, a sharp knock interrupted us. A beta pack messenger stood at the

door, his expression carefully neutral.

“Miss Celeste,” he announced formally, “Alpha James has summoned you to the main hall

immediately.”

I exchanged a glance with Nina. We both knew what this meant. The consequences Lucas

had threatened were about to materialize.

“Very well,” I said, squaring my shoulders. I refused to show fear.

The main hall of the Winter Pack house was imposing by design. Stone columns rose to a

vaulted ceiling adorned with pack symbols. Moonlight streamed through high windows,

casting long shadows across the marble floor.

The scene that awaited me was exactly as I’d anticipated. Scarlett sat huddled in a chair, wrapped in thick blankets, looking utterly pitiful with her wet hair and pale face. Alpha James stood tall and stern, his wolf’s dominance filling the room like a physical presence. Lucas scowled from beside his sister, his wolf still bristling with anger.

Victoria, however, approached me with unexpected gentleness. Her wolf radiated maternal concern as she reached for my hands.

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“Celeste,” she said softly, “this has gone on long enough. Just apologize to Scarlett so we can

put an end to this unpleasantness.”

I stared at her in disbelief. Even now, she played this charade of concerned mother while asking me to apologize for something I hadn’t done.

“Apologize for what exactly?” I asked, my voice deliberately calm.

Victoria’s eyes flickered uneasily to Alpha James. “For pushing Scarlett into the sacred moon

pool. She could have been seriously injured.”

I pulled my hands from her grasp. “I didn’t push her.”

Alpha James erupted at my denial, his Alpha aura surging through the room like a tidal wave.

Lesser wolves would have dropped to their knees under the pressure. I remained standing.

“Enough!” he roared, pointing to Scarlett’s shivering form. “Look at what you’ve done! She’s

soaked to the bone in sacred waters that could harm her wolf!”

I met his gaze without flinching. “Scarlett fell into the pool on her own, Alpha. I merely

released her hand when she grabbed me.”

“You’re lying,” Alpha James growled. “Alexander witnessed you push her.”

Of course he would claim that. Alexander, ever the protector of Scarlett, would naturally twist

the truth to favor her.

“Have you forgotten your own words, Alpha?” I asked, my voice steady despite the anger building inside me. “Before the Alpha King himself, you declared I wasn’t a Winter. You

renounced all pack ties to me.”

I took a deliberate step forward. “By your own declaration, I am not part of this pack. I bear no Winter pack mark. By what right do you enforce pack laws on me now?”

My words hung in the air, sharper than any claw. Alpha James’s eyes widened slightly, caught in the trap of his own previous statements.

Lucas stepped forward, inserting himself between us. His golden eyes flashed dangerously.

“Always using the past as an excuse,” he spat. “Have you forgotten your own crimes? The sacred moon crystal you broke years ago?”