Chapter 233: A Wolf’s Final Farewell

(Celeste’s POV)

The Winter Pack house mourning hall was draped in silver–white cloth. Moon–blessed incense

filled the air as pack members came to honor Eleanor Winters.

I stood near my grandmother’s ceremonial pyre, completely numb inside. The severing of pack ties had left me empty, but nothing compared to the void of her absence.

A commotion at the entrance broke my trance. Scarlett’s voice, perfectly pitched to sound

grief–stricken, cut through the murmurs.

“Please! I just want to pay my respects to my grandmother!”

She knelt dramatically at the threshold, her bandaged arms visible beneath her mourning

clothes. The whispers started instantly.

“Poor thing, look how weak she is.”

“Is Celeste preventing her from entering? How could she?”

A beta wolf approached me, his face stern. “Miss Celeste, you can’t keep Miss Scarlett from

paying her respects.”

“You’ve always been difficult,” an older female wolf added, “but this is too far, especially with

the Former Luna’s spirit still present.”

The injustice burned through me. They thought I was blocking Scarlett? When I hadn’t even

moved toward her?

stared directly at Scarlett, seeing the calculation behind her tears. She was making herself

the victim, turning the pack against me at my grandmother’s funeral.

“Did you hear?” I said coldly. “Grandmother is watching!”

Scarlett paled, understanding my meaning perfectly. If Eleanor’s spirit was present, she would

know who was responsible for hastening her death.

(Scarlett’s POV)

I knelt at the entrance despite the searing pain in my chest where Celeste had clawed me. Dr. Pierce had warned me to rest, but I had to be here. I was the true Winters Pack heir.

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<Chapter 233 A Wolf’s Final F

“Please,” I called out loudly, “I just want to pay my respects to my grandmother!”

+8 Points?

I emphasized “grandmother,” reminding everyone of my rightful place. I shifted slightly to show my bandages, wincing genuinely at the pain.

“Look at her,” someone whispered. “She can barely move, yet she came anyway.”

I lowered my eyes, letting tears flow. The perfect picture of a grieving granddaughter.

When I looked up, Celeste was staring at me with such hatred I almost lost my composure.

“Did you hear?” she called out icily. “Grandmother is watching!”

My blood ran cold. She knew what I’d done–sending my beta to tell Eleanor about Celeste’s plans to leave, knowing it would devastate the old wolf.

But no one could prove anything unless my parents or Lucas confirmed it.

“I just want to say goodbye,” I whispered loudly enough to be heard. “I’m her real

granddaughter. Why won’t you let me see her?”

The murmurs grew louder, more indignant on my behalf. The pack was on my side, as they should be. I was the true Winters heir, after all.

(Celeste’s POV)

The pack’s hostility was overwhelming. They saw only what Scarlett wanted them to see–the frail, injured daughter cruelly kept from mourning her grandmother.

“Scarlett, you angered Grandmother to death!” I declared loudly.

The hall went silent. Scarlett’s eyes widened with shock. She hadn’t expected me to accuse her so openly.

After a moment, confused whispers erupted.

“What is she talking about?”

“How could Scarlett have angered Former Luna Eleanor to death?”

Scarlett’s panic was replaced by calculation. Without confirmation from Alpha James or

Lucas, my accusation would be dismissed as jealous lies.

Lucas appeared at the entrance. His golden wolf rippled beneath his skin as he assessed the

situation.

“What’s happening here?” he demanded.

A beta quickly explained, “Miss Celeste is preventing Miss Scarlett from paying respects and

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< Chapter 233: A Wolf’s Final F

claiming she caused the Former Luna’s death.”

Lucas moved to Scarlett’s side, supporting her weight. His golden eyes fixed on me, both warning and pleading.

“Celeste,” he said quietly but firmly, “don’t speak falsely. Not here. Not now.”

+8 Points >

He knew the truth–he had witnessed Scarlett’s interference accelerate Grandmother’s decline. But admitting it publicly would destroy Scarlett’s reputation.

The pack members quickly rallied behind Scarlett.

“How dare she make such accusations!”

“The nerve–at Former Luna Eleanor’s funeral!”

I didn’t care anymore. Their opinions meant nothing now. The severing ritual had freed me from pack bonds.

“Grandmother doesn’t want to see her,” I said simply, turning away and walking into the inner chamber.

Behind me, I heard surprised gasps. No one expected me to walk away so easily. They didn’t understand that my grief consumed everything else.

In the quieter inner chamber, I knelt beside my grandmother, finally letting my tears flow freely. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from her.”

(Lucas’s POV)

I felt sick watching Celeste walk away. The raw grief on her face struck something deep inside me. I remembered her as a child, violet eyes bright with laughter during our full moon hunts.

When had that joyful girl become this broken woman?

Scarlett clung to my arm. “Lucas, please, I want to pay my respects to Grandmother.”

I looked down at her bandages. Fresh blood had seeped through the one on her chest.

Celeste’s accusation echoed in my mind: “Scarlett, you angered Grandmother to death!”

It wasn’t entirely false. Grandmother’s condition had worsened rapidly after learning about Celeste’s mistreatment from Scarlett’s beta.

But revealing that would destroy Scarlett’s position in the pack. They might even call for her punishment under ancient laws.

“You need to go back and rest,” I said firmly. “Your wounds are bleeding again.”

< Chapter 233: A Wolf’s Final F

“But everyone will think-”

“I don’t care what they think,” I interrupted. “Your health comes first.”

I nodded to two nearby beta wolves. “Escort my sister back to her quarters. She needs

medical attention.”

“But Lucas-”

“Now, Scarlett,” I said more sternly than usual.

She looked surprised but finally nodded, allowing the betas to support her.

“I’m sorry,” she told the pack members weakly. “I simply don’t have the strength… Please

understand.”

She leaned heavily on the betas, appearing about to collapse. A perfect performance.

As they led her away, the whispers started again.

“Poor thing, she can barely stand.”

“Did you see the blood? Her wounds must be serious.”

The rumors would spread. By evening, the entire pack would be discussing Celeste’s

accusation.

A seed of doubt had been planted, and I wasn’t sure how to remove it without revealing the

uncomfortable truth.

(Alexander’s POV)

I watched from near the entrance. I had come to pay respects to Former Luna Eleanor–a formality required as Scarlett’s future mate.

But it was Celeste who caught my attention first. She stood alone near Eleanor’s body, composed despite her obvious grief.

+8 Points >

Scarlett’s dramatic entrance and Celeste’s sharp accusation-“Scarlett, you angered

Grandmother to death!“-intrigued me. It wasn’t a wild accusation but a statement delivered

with certainty.

As Lucas sent Scarlett away, I approached him.

“She’s injured,” I noted neutrally.

Lucas turned, startled. “Alexander. I didn’t realize you were here.”

“I came to pay my respects,” I said. “What happened to Scarlett?”

< Chapter 233: A Wolf’s Final E

“Celeste attacked her yesterday. Nearly killed her.”

+8 Points >

I raised an eyebrow, connecting this with Celeste’s accusation. “And why would Celeste do

that?”

“Who knows?” Lucas replied too quickly. “She’s been volatile since returning from Moon Shadow Prison. Unpredictable.”

I had known Celeste since childhood. She was stubborn and proud, but never unpredictable or

violent without cause.

“Celeste seems to believe Scarlett had something to do with Former Luna Eleanor’s death,” I

observed, watching his reaction.

His face hardened. “That’s absurd. Scarlett adored our grandmother. She’s kind, gentle-

nothing like what Celeste is suggesting.”

“She’s your future mate,” he added sharply. “You should know her character by now.”

His defensiveness was telling. Too emphatic, too insistent.

“Indeed,” I replied simply.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. “I should join Father inside. The ceremony will begin soon.”

He strode away stiffly.

I watched Scarlett’s retreating form. The beta wolves supported her as she moved slowly

down the corridor, head bowed in apparent grief.

But I noticed how she glanced back once, her emerald eyes finding me. Something flashed

across her face–calculation?-before disappearing.

My ice–blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. There was more to this situation than Lucas

admitted.

I turned back toward the mourning hall, my thoughts darkening.

2

Chapter 234: A Bittersweet Departure

(Celeste’s POV)

I opened my eyes to a ceiling I had stared at countless times before. My body felt heavy, as if weighed down by silver chains. How long had I been unconscious? The last thing I

remembered was watching as they lowered Grandmother Eleanor’s body into the ground, her silver–white ceremonial shroud gleaming under the moonlight.

After that, darkness.

My throat felt parched, my limbs weak from days without nourishment. I had refused all food and drink during the funeral proceedings, standing guard over Grandmother’s body like a

sentinel. No one had dared approach me. Not even Scarlett.

Especially not Scarlett.

The memory of the funeral came back in fragments. I recalled the solemn faces of pack

members, their mournful howls during the ceremonial procession. I remembered Alpha James standing opposite me, his golden eyes hollow with grief. Victoria weeping quietly behind him. Lucas, stoic yet broken.

But no Scarlett. I had made sure of that.

“She’s sick with grief,” they told the visiting pack representatives. A transparent lie that fooled

no one.

I didn’t care. All that mattered was giving Grandmother a peaceful farewell, untainted by the

presence of the wolf who had hastened her death.

I tried to push myself up, my muscles protesting. How long had I been unconscious?

“Three days,” came Nina’s voice from the doorway, answering my unspoken question. Her

silver–gray eyes studied me with concern. “Dr. Pierce said your body simply couldn’t take

anymore.”

Three days. I had stood vigil for two days straight during the funeral, refusing to leave Grandmother’s side even for a moment. And then three more days unconscious. Nearly a

week since she left this world.

“Water,” I croaked.

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< Chapter 234: A Bittersweet D….

+8 Points >

Nina hurried to my side, helping me sit up before offering a glass. The cool liquid soothed my throat, bringing me back to full awareness.

That’s when I saw it.

Sitting on my bedside table was the small wooden box. Grandmother’s final gift to me. The sight of it broke something inside me that I had held together through sheer force of will.

“I thought you should see it when you woke,” Nina explained softly. “Dr. Pierce was worried about your wolf. He said you’ve been holding everything in, pushing your emotions down.”

I reached for the box with trembling fingers, tracing the Winter Pack symbol etched into its

polished cedar lid. Inside lay the silver pendant bearing Eleanor’s maiden pack mark, the

official land deeds, and stacks of moon–blessed silver coins.

All that remained of my grandmother’s legacy. Of the only person who had truly loved me in

this pack.

The grief I had suppressed during the funeral crashed over me like a tidal wave. My

silver–scarred wolf, so long held rigid with determination, howled in anguish within me.

“Grandmother,” I sobbed, clutching the box to my chest. “Grandmother!”

Nina sat beside me on the bed, wrapping her arms around my shaking shoulders. She made

no attempt to shush me or offer empty platitudes. She simply held me as I cried, letting me

release the torrent of emotions I had kept locked away.

“She’s gone,” I wept. “The only one who ever stood by me. The only one who fought for me. She’s gone.”

Nina tightened her embrace. “She loved you more than anyone, Miss Celeste. Until her final

breath.”

I cried until my throat was raw once more, until my eyes burned and my chest ached. But with

each tear, something poisonous seemed to drain from my spirit.

Eventually, the storm subsided, leaving me exhausted but somehow lighter.

“You should eat something,” Nina said, offering a bowl of steaming broth she had prepared in

anticipation of my awakening.

I accepted it gratefully, taking small sips. The warm liquid spread through me, bringing

strength back to my limbs.

“Nina,” I said, my voice steadier now. “I’ve made a decision.”

C

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<Chapter 234: A Bittersweet D.

+8 Points>

She waited, attentive as always.

“We’re leaving the Winter Pack house. Today.”

There was no surprise in her eyes, only acceptance and readiness.

“Where will we go?” she asked.

“To Matthew’s,” I replied. “Just for a while. Until I decide what to do next.”