Chapter 18: Accusations and Consequences
Chapter 18: Accusations and Consequences
(Alexander’s POV)
I found Scarlett standing on the mansion’s terrace, her back turned, framed by the sunlight. The ceremonial choker glinted at her throat, a cruel
reminder of the crumbling situation.
As I approached, my anger boiled over. Every step
ry step I took drew Mason closer to the surface. Her immunity to me was infuriating enough, but now
Hazel’s sudden departure hung over everything like a curse.
“Did you orchestrate Hazel’s sudden departure?” I demanded. My voice was low, sharp, and filled with barely contained rage
Scarlett paused for barely a moment, her posture loose and unbothered. Slowly, she turned, her emerald eyes gleaming with amusement. The sight sent heat racing through my chest.
Her
Ips
curled into a mocking smile. “You’re worried about your precious Grace now? Is that it?”
I clenched my fists, willing Mason to stay
stay in check. “Answer the question, Scarlett.”
She lifted a single auburn brow, feigning surprise. “Oh, was that supposed to be a question? It sounded more like a hollow command to me.” Her
sarcasm sliced through the warm air.
Did you=”
Interesting, isn’t it?” she cut me off smoothly. Her voice was calm, every word a deliberate taunt. “Grace’s ‘mysterious illness‘ suddenly worsening at the most inconvenient time? It’s almost poetic when you think about it.”
My blood burned hotter. “This isn’t a joke, Scarlett”
“Isn’t it?” Her expression hardened, though her mocking tone remained. “A frail Luna–to–be conveniently falling apart just when whatever farce you’re trying to paint becomes untenable? The universe has a strange sense of humor, doesn’t it?”
Mason growled deep in my mind, the sound thunderous and demanding. “Enough” My tone warned her to back down.
She laughed, a cold, sharp sound that echoed off the stone walls of the terrace. “Enough? It’s barely begun, Alexander. You’ve spent months letting her string you along, and now you want to blame me for your failure?”
“Hazel leaving before Grace’s condition reached critical isn’t a coincidence,” I snapped, taking a step closer. Mason was pushing against me, his frustration threatening to spill over. “Recall her. Now
Scarlett tilted her head, and those emerald eyes of hers narrowed in challenge. “Or what?”
My breath hitched as her question hung in the air. I took another step forward. “You don’t understand what’s at stake, Scarlett
“You mean the pack,” she shot back immediately, her voice laced with venom. “The council. The alliances. The politics. How could I forget? It’s always about them. Never about the people.”
“You’re sabotaging her treatment,” I said through clenched teeth. 1–what you’re doing–if the Council finds out
“They’ll punish me?” Scarlett interrupted, her voice dripping with disdain. Those emerald eyes gleamed as she stepped toward me, not away. “What will they do, Alexander? Take away my title as your useful stand–in Luna?” She laughed. “You don’t frighten me, neither do they”
Mason snarled furiously in my mind. The marking ceremony will not proceed until Grace fully recovers,” I said, my tone a deliberate warning. Mason rose to the edge of my being, daring her to dely me further.
Scarlett’s lips twitched, her expression darkening into cold amusement. “Is that a threat, or another empty promise? Because if it’s the former…” She crossed her arms, her posture every bit as defiant as her words. Her voice was a dagger, amed straight for my pride. “Grace might not live long enough to see the consequences of my actions.”
The bitterness of her mockery hit me like a blow. My patience snapped. Mason surged forward without hesitation, and I advanced on her, the growl in my chest escaping without restraint
1/2
Before I could move another step, a commanding voice cut through the tension.
“Alexander!”
Chapter 16.
Land Conseque
I froze mid–step, my head snapping toward the doorway. Mother stood there, her sharp gaze narrowing further as she absorbed the scene before
“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, her voice cold and precise. Her fury pressed against my alpha instincts, forcing me to still. She stormed onto the terrace, her presence suffocating and absolute
Scarlett, unaffected by the tension around us, turned to look at Victoria with a detached expression “Luna Victoria, I trust you’ve been enjoying the
view from up there?”
Before Mother could respond, I released a sharp, audible growl. Her arrival did little to douse the fine consuming Mason and me
Without another word, I stormed past Mother, my boots echoing on the terrace floors. I felt her probing presence through our pack bond. The sting
of her disappointment was almost palpable.
Behind me, something metallic clinked softly. I turned slightly just in time to see Scarlett removing the ceremonial choker, the moonstone centerpiece glinting faintly as she set it on the marble table.
“What are you doing?” Mother snapped, her voice teetering between disbelief and fury.
Scarlett met her gaze without flinching “My apologies, Luna Victoria,” she began, her tone calm but laced with finality “But I cannot accept this symbol. Not while your son’s loyalties remain so.” She trailed off deliberately, her smile thin. “Divided”
Divided?” The
The single word stung through the pack link. “You’d best explain yourself, Scarlett
Scarlett didn’t hesitate. Her voice was steady, each sentence measured like a blade meant to mm. “Perhaps Alexander can explain it better himself.
Ask him about his frequent visits to Grace over the past months”
Mother blinked, stunned into silence Scarlett stepped closer, her emerald eyes unflinching under Victoria’s growing glare
“There’s a particularly interesting incident from last moon cycle, Scarlett continued smoothly “An important pack ceremony. Do you recall it, Luna? Because Alexander certainly does. He left halfway through to be by Grace’s side”
The air around us tightened, and for once, I didn’t need to feel through the band to know what my mother was thinking. Her shock rippled through the
pack link like a charged wave.
Glowering at the terrace floor, I stormed into the mansion before this argument devolved further.
As I disappeared into the shadows of the study corridor, I could still feel Scarlett behind me. Her words dug deeper than I wanted to admit
In my private space, I slumped against the desk, my breath heavy with pent–up emotion.
“You chose this,” Mason rumbled lowly. His growl cut into every fragment of guilt knotted within me.
Showing his voice out. I stared blankly at the wall. Behind the thick wood of my doors, muffled voices rose in intensity
Mother was confronting Scarlett, no doubt demanding every detail about what she had revealed. I didn’t need the pack link to feel my mother’s
growing rage.
Soon, it would all fall on me. Mother would seek me out, too.
Memories of slipping past pack gatherings to rush to Grace’s side came back to haunt me. That night, Grace’s mental call had been fragile and
terrifying. How could I have ignored her cries?
And yet here I was, every action only serving to deepen the chasm between my obligations, my family, and the woman who could be this pack’s strongest Luna.
Mason growled again, pacing ferociously under my skin. You’ve let everything spin out of control.
Lifting a hand, I pressed it hard against my temples, breathing through the weight of it all.
For now, I’d bought enough time to sit in silence. But that silence was suffocating, and Scarlett’s words refused to leave my mind.
Like everything else I’d done recently, it was never enough. And for the first time, I realized nobody was going to fix this but me. Yet, for all my titles and strength. I hadn’t the slightest idea how to even begin.
