Alpha's Regret After Putting Me In Jail novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Future Alpha?

Chapter 48: Future Alpha?

(Celeste’s POV)

The air in the pack house prickled with tension. It wrapped around me, heavy as chains, crushing as the memories that returned with Lucas’s every word.

The aftermath of my confrontation with Victoria still lingered, but Lucas wasn’t done yet. His

wolf surged forward powerfully, his frame shaking from pure rage.

His eyes blazed golden fire, his fury untamed and sharp. Suddenly, his claws extended, gleaming dangerously as he took a step toward me.

“You’re only this defiant because prison didn’t break you properly!” Lucas snarled, his voice a

mixture of venom and pain.

I froze for a moment, the familiar burn of old wounds flaring across my silver scars as if

answering his words. Despite myself, my wolf whimpered, retreating reflexively.

Lucas’s aura pulsed, his anger raw and pointed. He wasn’t holding back, and I could feel the

heat of his fury aimed straight at me.

Victoria’s voice cut through the air sharply, trembling with desperation. She reached for his

arm, gripping it tightly.

“Lucas, stop!” she pleaded, her green eyes wide and darting between us. Her wolf whined

audibly, making her distress clear. “Your wounds from Marcus’s silver chains haven’t healed

yet! You’ll hurt yourself!”

Her concern poured from her, fierce and maternal. But all I felt was the sting of her words–all | saw was the image of her standing silently four years ago as I was dragged away.

Her voice hadn’t trembled then. Her wolf hadn’t whined when I was cuffed and chained before

her very eyes. The bitterness in my chest flared. Her attempts to protect Lucas were just another reminder of what I had never been for her; enough.

I stepped forward, almost daring Lucas to make his move. The pain in my body made every step feel heavier, but the icy fire in my veins pushed me forward.

“Does the future Alpha want to demonstrate his dominance again?” I asked, keeping my voice cool and controlled. My gaze locked on his, sharp and unflinching. I tilted my head slightly, letting sarcasm drip from my every word. “Tell me, Lucas. Which of my silver scars would you

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Chapter 48: Future Alpha?

like to reopen first?”

I caught the way his fists clenched tighter, the tremble of his barely leashed control rippling through him. Victoria tightened her grip on his arm, her wolf releasing a long, distressed whine. that echoed through the tense room.

Nina, still standing silently at my side despite her injuries from yesterday, stepped forward slightly. She moved closer, ready to shield me if need be. Her silver–gray wolf bristled, its protective energy pulsing faintly even in her weakened state.

“The Alpha King’s official approval of Marcus’s mate claim just arrived,” Nina said coldly, her voice cutting clean through the tension. “Would you really risk challenging royal authority again so soon, Lucas?”

Her words stopped him just for a moment, the golden fire in his eyes flickering uncertainly. But then his wolf pushed harder, his aura pulsing once more. The dominance rose thick in the air, and his features twisted into open fury as he turned on Nina instead.

His lips curled back in a snarl. “A mere guard dares challenge me?” His voice was sharp, biting with condescension.

I felt Nina flinch beside me, her jaw tightening, but I gently pushed her behind me before she could reply. Her loyalty was unwavering, but this wasn’t her fight to take–not now. My own wolf stirred faintly, weakened but unwilling to submit before Lucas. I met him head–on, my voice laced with harsh amusement as I spoke again.

“Why do you think Luna Victoria is holding you back so desperately?” I asked softly.

His eyes snapped to mine, his burning rage crashing against my icy defiance. He didn’t need

to answer. I could see he knew where I was taking this. And I didn’t stop.

“Not out of love for me, of course,” I continued, letting each word hit with deliberate force. “She

proved that four years ago, didn’t she, Lucas? When she stood by silently and watched me dragged to Moon Shadow Prison.”

The memory clawed at me. My voice remained steady, but the bitterness inside twisted

painfully. Through gritted teeth, I forced my words forward, their weight shifting the air in the

room with every passing second.

“No, Lucas,” I pressed, my voice hard now, cold and unyielding. “She’s holding you back

because she’s afraid. Not for me–for you. She’s scared you’ll offend Marcus and bring more silver chain punishment down on yourself.”

Victoria’s nails dug into Lucas’s arm as she tried to restrain him physically, her green eyes

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Chapter 48: Future Alpha?

darting urgently between us. “Stop this,” she whispered. “Enough, Celeste, please-” Her voice

quivered, but I didn’t stop.

Lucas pulled harshly against her hold, his chest heaving as sharp, uneven breaths escaped

him. His wolf howled audibly now, low and raw with anger. “I shouldn’t have brought you back!

” he exploded, his voice echoing off the walls. “Since your return, you’ve only brought chaos to

our pack!”

The words hit deeply, the jagged edges cutting through rationality. My wolf keened softly beneath my surface, curling inward. But I didn’t let the pain show. I folded the bitterness tighter, burying it alongside every scar I carried.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t have brought me back,” I agreed, tilting my head with mock deliberation. My lips twisted into a faint, bitter smile. “But you did. Your pack needed me.”

I didn’t miss the way his jaw tensed at my deliberate emphasis.

We both knew my return had nothing to do with regret or goodwill. My presence in the pack

wasn’t about family bonds or affection. It was survival–politics that kept the Winters Pack

standing upright.

“Would you have sacrificed Scarlett instead?” I asked flatly, cutting through the heavy silence.

The question lingered, unanswered. It didn’t need to be. My question was a blade, and each

second that passed pressed it deeper into the truth neither Lucas nor Victoria could ignore.

They wouldn’t have dared. The Winters Pack might have discarded me as a pawn, but even

pawns were vehicles of necessity. Scarlett was untouchable–a queen in their fragile game.

Nina shifted beside me, her hand brushing my arm for the faintest moment of reassurance. I

knew she felt the crackling tension between us, the thick charge of an inevitable storm.

Scarlett’s faint whimper drew my attention next, her form clinging slightly to Victoria’s side as

she clutched her mother like a frightened child.

Lucas seemed to take her sound as fuel. His wolf surged again, fiery and hot, his molten glare

fixing on me once more.

“Need you?” The scoff that burst from him was sharp and bitter, his lip curling slightly. His voice rose again, cutting and dripping scorn. “You think so highly of yourself! You’ve done

nothing but tear this pack apart!”

His fists shook with barely restrained fury, and he stepped forward again, a warning blazing in

his