Alpha's Regret After Putting Me In Jail novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53: A Warning

Chapter 53: A Warning

(Celeste’s POV)

The Silver Moon Market bustled around me. Wolves haggled and chattered, their voices mixing with the rustle of countless auras brushing against mine.

It wasn’t just loud–it was heavy. Dense with energy I didn’t want to deal with.

My wolf whined softly in my chest, uneasy, her senses bristling as unfamiliar wolves passed too close. I forced my steps to stay steady, keeping my chin high despite the tension.

Weakness here wasn’t an option.

The sharp scent of Scarlett reached me moments before her voice did. Her tone was soft, shaking just enough to sound vulnerable.

“Sister…”

I turned sharply. There she was, the perfect picture of fragility. Scarlett’s emerald–green eyes glistened with tears that hadn’t fallen yet but were close enough to create pity. Her wolf’s posture was low and submissive, radiating false vulnerability like she’d studied it from a

textbook.

“Sister,” she repeated. Her voice cracked, carefully controlled to tug at the crowd’s attention.

I clenched my jaw. There was nothing sisterly in those eyes. Just calculation hidden beneath the shimmering surface.

Before I could speak, another voice crashed into the moment, shattering whatever façade

Scarlett had crafted.

“How dare you stand there so proudly!”

Diana stormed forward. Her green eyes burned, her wolf pressed forward in an attempt to dominate mine. Her presence was as loud and aggressive as always, drawing surrounding

attention like a storm brewing.

“Everyone saw you throwing yourself at Alexander!” she bellowed, loud enough for half the

market to hear.

The weight of dozens of stares pressed against me. I could feel them turning toward me, auras shifting like blades aiming at my back.

their

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Chapter 53: A Warning

My wolf curled inward slightly, but I didn’t lower my chin. I locked eyes with Diana instead, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me shrink.

“How pathetic,” she continued, words dripping with venom. “You’re a disgrace to even be in this market, much less flaunting yourself shamelessly in front of everyone!”

Scarlett stayed silent but perfectly in position. Her lips trembled softly, tears threatening to spill but holding just enough to seem beautiful in her distress. She didn’t need to say anything -her pitiful glances said plenty.

“Diana,” Alexander’s voice cut through like a blade.

I barely glanced at him. His presence had been there, steady and silent, since I’d stumbled into his arms earlier. But now his energy crackled like cold fire.

“If you’re here to cause trouble, leave,” he said, his tone cold and commanding.

But Diana wasn’t done. Her anger burned too brightly, fueled by Scarlett’s tears and the growing crowd.

“How dare you defend her!” Diana shot at him, her wolf snarling audibly. She stepped closer to him now, directing her rage. “Why do you always protect her? Why?”

Alexander didn’t reply, but his silence only added fuel to Diana’s fire.

“Your wolf never acknowledged her before!” Diana hissed, her voice shaking. “Don’t tell me… don’t tell me that after four years–four years of her imprisonment–your wolf has suddenly

recognized her as mate!”

The words hit like thunder.

I froze. My chest tightened with an ache I couldn’t name, my wolf reacting instantly by

shivering deep inside me.

The noise of the market seemed to dim, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at anyone. My

breathing hitched the longer the silence stretched.

Alexander said nothing.

His lack of denial was worse than anything Diana could have hurled at me. There wasn’t hesitation. There wasn’t anger. There was nothing but pure, cold silence hanging thick

between us.

Diana’s green eyes widened slightly. Even she hadn’t expected this.

The wolves watching stilled too, their whispers transforming into a low, buzzing hum of

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Chapter 53: A Warning

speculation. They were waiting with hungry curiosity, eyes darting between Alexander and me.

Scarlett chose this moment to step forward. Her timing was as flawless as her controlled

tears.

“Please don’t blame him, Diana,” Scarlett began softly. Her voice cracked once, perfectly

placed to keep the audience wrapped around her perfect image.

Diana stiffened, her wolf still silently raging beside her, clearly believing–foolishly–that

Scarlett was about to take her side.

Scarlett’s voice dropped lower, shaking like a fragile string about to snap, “After all… my sister

and Alexander were once betrothed.”

The market’s atmosphere shifted with a collective reaction of shock. The gathered wolves

practically leaned closer, their curiosity sharpened to knives at her carefully chosen words.

Scarlett glanced down as if overwhelmed by the weight of the truth she’d just spoken. She

peeked once toward Alexander, her gaze lingering for a second longer than necessary. It was

subtle to most, but clear as daylight to me.

She wanted to remind them. All of them. Of the past. Of the scandal.

I closed

sting.

my hands into fists beneath my hood. My nails dug into my palms, but I ignored the

Scarlett wasn’t done.

“Mother told me this morning…” she said, blinking slow and deliberate. Her lashes caught the

faint light, making her tears shimmer like ornaments. “…that the Alpha King has already

blessed my marking ceremony with Alexander.”

Something tightened viscerally inside me. I knew this was coming. I knew the rumors were

true. But hearing her say it aloud…

The wolves around us reacted instantly. Their whispers grew louder, harsher, echoing the deeper consequences of everything Scarlett had stated.

She twisted the moment again with slow, tremulous breaths, looking toward the ground like

she couldn’t bear to meet anyone’s eyes.

“And soon,” she sighed, the faintest hint of triumph curling under the grief in her voice, “when

my sister is marked by Marcus and moves to his Northern territory… we’ll rarely cross paths.”

She finished with a soft, bitter laugh that barely sounded above the murmurs. Scarlett framed it as reconciliation. But the smug undertone cut through the air with deadly sharpness.