16
1666 Words
CELESTE
I didn’t want to admit that I could feel his heartbreak through the bond. This marriage was a cage I willingly stepped into for my own ends. But the pain seeping through the bond wasn’t something I could easily shut out. It was like trying to ignore the sound of your own scream in your head.
“Damn it,” I muttered, slumping against the wall.
I paced for a while before sinking onto the bed. I wanted to bury my face in the pillow and scream until my lungs gave out. I wanted to curse him, curse the bond, curse every moon that had ever shone over the gods who thought this was funny.
Instead, I lay wide awake listening for the sound of his return. But he didn’t come back.
By dawn, I was hollow-eyed, angry, and tired enough to regret my entire existence. I’d changed into a silk robe and was attempting to braid my hair when a soft knock sounded on the door.
“My Lady,” a pack maid said gently. “Alpha Knox instructed that you’re to have breakfast brought up and that he’ll meet you in an hour. You are to be ready to leave.”
“Leave?” My brow furrowed. “Where?”
She swallowed hard, eyes darting to the side. “He didn’t say, Luna.”
My pulse quickened. The breakfast tray arrived shortly after. I barely touched it. The smell of eggs and roasted meat made me nauseous. The idea of facing him again made me feel worse.
An hour later, I descended the stairs in silence, wearing one of the cream dresses laid out for me. I paused at the sight of an entire entourage of sleek black cars lined up in the driveway.
“What is this?” I demanded.
Knox stood near the first car, dressed sharply in a dark suit. His hair was slicked back. The morning light glinted off his dark hair, but his eyes were ice.
“Get in,” he said flatly.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Fine. If he wanted to play Alpha, let him. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me beg for answers. I walked toward the middle car, ignoring the driver who held the door open for me, and slid into the seat. The door shut with a muffled thud. I half-expected Knox to join me, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned and entered another car behind mine.
My heartbeat went wild. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
We started moving within seconds. We drove in silence for nearly an hour before the scenery began to feel familiar. My fingers went cold as I realized with horror where we were heading.
The Dark Vine border.
The closer we got, the tighter my chest became. Every nerve screamed, turn back.
When the cars stopped in front of the packhouse, I forced myself to step out gracefully, head high, and face blank. My father stood at the entrance, surprise flashing across his expression before he quickly masked it with feigned warmth. Then he noticed Knox emerging from the car behind mine, and his confusion deepened into dread.
“Alpha Morrison,” he greeted stiffly. “Celeste. To what do I owe this visit?”
Knox didn’t reply. He simply gestured toward the entrance. “Inside.”
The way he said it left no room for argument.
Knox walked ahead of us, and then my father turned to me.
“Celeste?” he said sharply. “What’s going on?”
I swallowed hard, forcing a smile. “Apparently, the Alpha wanted a morning drive.”
He frowned.
Inside, my father’s office felt colder than usual. My father took his seat and folded his hands. I stayed near the edge of the room, tense.
Knox sat beside me, “Alpha Callahan,” he greeted coolly, his voice a perfect balance of civility and contempt.
“Alpha Knox,” my father replied, his tone clipped. “To what do I owe this… unexpected visit?”
Knox’s lips curved in a humourless smile. “A small matter of truth.”
Father’s eyes darted between us, and then he stood up. “My office will grant you all the privacy you need to speak. If this is about a quarrel, then you can leave me out of it. I have no interest in solving a couple’s—”
“Sit down,” Knox cut in.
My father’s eyes flared. “Watch your tone, boy—”
Knox turned his head slowly, and whatever he saw in Knox’s eyes silenced him. “Sit. Down.”
Father looked ready to bite, but something in Knox’s gaze made him hesitate. Finally, he lowered himself and glared daggers at me.
“You may be Alpha of Grey Storm,” my father said coldly, “but you are in my house, boy.”
Knox gave a quiet laugh, the sound dark and humourless. “Boy? That’s cute, coming from a man who hides behind his daughter’s marriage to save his pack.”
“What the hell is all this?” Father snapped, banging his desk. “Celeste, you ruthless girl, what have you done this time? Why do you insist on giving me headaches? What an embarrassment.”
I blinked. Was he transferring his aggression to me?
“Do not speak to her that way again,” Knox growled.
It took me a second to realize he was talking about me.
“What?” My father’s gaze darted to me, then back to Knox. “You think you can tell me how to speak to my own daughter?”
“She’s my mate.”
The silence that followed was deafening. My father’s mouth fell open slightly. “Mate?”
“Yes.” Knox’s voice was laced with venom now. “Your daughter. The one you used as a pawn.”
My father’s expression hardened. “Mind your tongue, Alpha Morrison. You know nothing about what goes on in my house.”
“Your house?” Knox snorted. “The one built on control, manipulation, and half-truths?”
My father rose halfway from his seat, eyes blazing. “You will not insult me under my roof.”
“Then perhaps you should have thought twice before lying to me.”
“What are you talking about?” my father asked slowly.
Knox leaned forward. “The deal is off.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“What?” my father said, voice rising.
“The alliance,” Knox clarified. “It’s off.”
I felt my chest squeeze. He didn’t mean the marriage, did he? He couldn’t do that, or could he?
“You’ve used your only child as a shield,” he continued. “Threw her into this farce of a marriage to protect your crumbling power and debts. I don’t blame you, though. She’s the perfect pawn.”
Father’s hands curled into fists. “Watch your tongue—”
Knox’s smirk deepened. “Or what? You’ll threaten me? The deal is off, James. Your alliance. The trade agreements. Everything you thought you were getting from me is gone.”
I stared at him, trying to read his expression, but there was nothing there. Dread coiled in my belly. Could I achieve any of my plans without Knox?
Father’s chair screeched as he shot to his feet. “You can’t do that!”
“I just did.”
“You insolent pup!”
Knox’s eyes flashed. “Careful, old man. You’re speaking to the Alpha of Grey Storm Pack.” Knox’s smirk twisted into something darker. “You should be careful who you deceive, James. You might not like what happens when they find out.”
“What… what are you talking about?” Father growled.
“Oh, you don’t know?” Knox said softly, turning toward me now. “Maybe your daughter should explain.”
My stomach clenched. “Explain what?” I asked, forcing my voice to stay level.
Knox’s tone hardened. “Tell him how you were already mated, how you were married. How you carried another man’s mark without telling me.”
My father’s face drained of colour. “What?”
I could see the disbelief, the humiliation, the dawning realization that the daughter he’d paraded as a political prize was now a stain on his perfect image.
Knox went on relentlessly. “You tricked me. You tricked Grey Storm. You gave me a Luna who already belonged to someone else. Tell me, Alpha James—was that your plan all along?”
Father slumped back in his chair, face pale. “No… that can’t be true.” He turned to me, trembling. “Celeste… tell me he’s lying.”
Father’s head fell into his hands. Then he looked up, his eyes bloodshot. “How… How could you? After everything, after what I did for you—”
Knox’s gaze flicked between us. “You’ve done nothing but use her.”
Father glared. “Stay out of this. You have no idea what—”
“I know enough,” Knox snapped. “Enough to see what kind of man you are.”
Father slammed his hand on the table. “And what kind of man are you? Barging into another Alpha’s house and humiliating him?”
“The kind of man who doesn’t tolerate deceit,” Knox said evenly. “The kind who protects what’s his.”
I closed my eyes, willing the day to end.
Finally, Knox straightened, dusting invisible lint from his sleeve. “The marriage stands,” he said coldly. “But the alliance is finished. I’ll protect my Luna and mate, but I owe you nothing else.”
My father’s shoulders slumped, fury draining into exhaustion. “You’ll regret this, boy.”
Knox exhaled slowly, his hands flexing at his sides. “We’re done here.”
He stood up, turned, and started for the door.
- Writer
