Alpha’s Regret After Putting Me In Jail novel Chapter 211

chapter 211: A Battle of Wills

chapter 211: A Battle of Wills

(Celeste’s POV)

Three more days passed in a blur of weakness and discomfort. I drifted in and out of consciousness, my body growing weaker from dehydration. The hunger was almost secondary now–it was the thirst that was killing me.

I sat by the window, slumped in a chair, watching with blurred vision as young wolves trained in the yard below. The simple movement of turning my head required monumental effort.

The door to my quarters burst open. I didn’t have the strength to startle.

Alpha James entered first, his face set in grim lines. Behind him came Lucas, his golden eyes burning with a mixture of fury and concern. A group of beta wolves followed, carrying a limp form between them.

Scarlett.

A faint smile touched my cracked lips. My plan had worked.

They laid Scarlett on my bed. She looked worse than I felt–her skin papery and drawn, her breathing shallow. Five days without food or water had taken a devastating toll on her already

weak wolf.

“Are you satisfied now?” Lucas demanded, his voice tight with rage. “She’s dying.”

I managed to turn my head toward Alpha James. His shoulders were slumped in defeat, the fight gone out of him.

“I’ve arranged for Sterling’s father to be released,” he said, each word clearly painful to utter.

“The messenger left an hour ago.”

Victory washed through me, giving me a momentary burst of strength.

“Nina,” I called, my voice barely audible.

My loyal guard pushed past the beta wolves, rushing to my side. Her silver–gray eyes were

wide with worry, tears streaming unchecked down her face.

“I’m here,” she said, reaching for my hand.

“Send someone… to the justice center,” I instructed, each word an effort. “Confirm the release.”

1/5

chapter 211: A Battle of Wills

+8 Points

Nina nodded quickly. “Already done. Ryan is there now.”

Lucas stepped forward, his golden wolf surging with aggressive energy.

“How could you?” he demanded, gesturing wildly at Scarlett’s unconscious form. “How could you torment your own sister like this? And for what? For some second–rate warrior who caught your eye?”

I didn’t bother responding. His words meant nothing compared to the victory I’d won. In truth, I had expected this reaction. Lucas had always been blind when it came to Scarlett.

“She needs water,” Alpha James said, his voice rough with concern as he looked at Scarlett. “We need to start rehydrating her immediately.”

As if on cue, Luna Victoria swept into the room, followed by servants carrying trays with bowls

of steaming moon–blessed broth. The rich aroma made my empty stomach clench painfully.

“We need to be careful,” Victoria warned, her maternal instincts in full force. “Too much too

quickly will make her sick.”

One of the servants approached Scarlett with a spoonful of broth. My violet eyes caught

Scarlett’s emerald ones, which had fluttered open at the smell of food.

I gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of my head.

Understanding flickered in Scarlett’s gaze. Despite her desperate hunger, she closed her eyes

and turned her head away from the spoon.

“I… can’t,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her body trembled with what looked like tears, though she was too dehydrated to actually cry.

Alpha James moved to Scarlett’s side, his face tight with worry. “Please, daughter. You must

eat now.”

“Has Matthew’s father truly been released?” I asked, my voice a hoarse whisper.

“I gave my word,” Alpha James snapped. “Isn’t that enough?”

I managed a weak laugh that quickly turned into a painful cough. “Your word? Like the word you gave me before sending me to Moon Shadow Prison?”

His face darkened with anger. “That was different.”

“Was it?” I challenged, even as my vision swam with the effort of speaking. “If you truly care for your daughter, release the innocent Sterling family members you hold captive.”

Alpha James’s jaw clenched. “I’ve already agreed to release the father.”

2/5

chapter 211: A Battle of Wills

“And ensure their safety,” I pressed. “No retaliation.”

Lucas rounded on me, his face contorted with rage.

“What have you done to her?” he shouted, his wolf’s energy filling the room with aggressive dominance. “You’re letting her die for your own selfish desires!”

He grabbed my shoulders, shaking me roughly. “She’s your sister! How can you be so heartless?”

I was too weak to respond, my head lolling with the force of his shaking. My silver–scarred wolf curled inward, trying to protect what little strength remained.

“Lucas!” Victoria cried, pulling him away. “Stop! You’ll hurt her!”

Lucas stepped back, breathing hard, his golden eyes wild with fury.

“Hurt her? What about Scarlett? What about what she’s done to Scarlett?”

“Scarlett is your only daughter,” I said, my voice barely audible as I looked directly at Alpha James. “Surely you wouldn’t want her to starve to death.”

The words landed like a slap. Alpha James flinched visibly.

“You dare-” he began, but I cut him off.

“I dare everything,” I whispered. “Because I have nothing left to lose.”

Alpha James’s wolf surged beneath his skin, his eyes flashing with fury.

“After everything I’ve done for you-” he started.

+8 Point

“Done for me?” I echoed incredulously. “You mean raising me as your daughter only to throw me away? Or perhaps you mean standing by while I was tortured with silver chains for four years?”

My words hit their target. Alpha James’s face contorted with a mixture of guilt and anger.

“I did what I had to do as pack leader,” he said, his voice tight with restrained fury. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“No,” I agreed, my tone ice–cold despite my weakened state. “My own father, whoever he might have been, is already dead. I’ll never know what he would have done to protect me.”

I closed my eyes, unable to maintain the battle of wills any longer. The room swam around me, voices fading in and out as I drifted on the edge of consciousness.

A commotion at the door pulled me back. Nina had returned, her face flushed with exertion.

3/5

chapter 211: A Battle of Wills

“Ryan just got back from the justice center,” she announced, her voice cutting through the tension in the room. “Matthew’s father has been released. They’re escorting him home now.”

Relief flooded through me, so intense it brought tears to my eyes. One slid down my cheek, leaving a cool trail on my fevered skin.

I turned my gaze to Scarlett, still lying motionless on my bed.