Chapter 21: This Isn’t Over
Chapter 21: This isnt Over
(Alexander’s POV)
Scarlett walked away, her every step slow and deliberate. Each step of hers felt like a slap. She wasn’t rushing, wasn’t sneaking No. She wanted me
She wanted me to bum. Her head was high her spine straight, and her hair, that blazing auburn curtain, swayed along with her bold defiance
Jason my Beta stood by my side His unease radiated into every rustle of the night air
“Alpha “he growled low, his tone careful like he feared my reaction, “Are you going to let her leave like that?”
My jaw clenched tighter. “No.”
Mason howled inside of me, his fury rippling through my veins. The scene before us was humiliating a deliberate disrespect I couldn’t ignore
I matched Scarlett’s deliberate stride with my own my boots banging against the earth with a forceful rhythm. Mason pressed me forward, demanding action, demanding control. In just a few seconds, I was within reach of her, cutting off her slow escape.
Scarlett,” I said firmly. My voice came out rough, cutting through the empty night air,
She stopped. I knew she could hear the command in my voice, but she turned slowly, deliberately. Her piercing emerald eyes raked over me, glinting
with cold amusement.
“You will accept the pack escort I said, voice hardening with each word.
She blinked pretending to think about it, rolling her shoulders as though shaking off my mere presence like dust. Then, she smirked. That cold, sharp
curve of her lips lit fires under my skin.
“Still trying, are you?” she mocked, tilting her head. The moonlight bounced against her impossibly bright eyes, turning her defiance into a weapon.
“Still clinging to control like it’s something you ever truly had.”
“Don’t make this worse,” I hissed, stepping closer. The air between us was sizzling with energy now, her wolf Cor watching Mason’s every twitch.
“Worse?” she repeated, mock surprise flooding her tone. Her smirk widened, the challenge dancing clearly on her face. 1 think you’ve managed to
make it worse all by yourself”
“Enough” I growled, words vibrating with restrained command.
But she laughed. That laugh seemed to slice right through me, sharp and cold, draining any composure I had left.
“Enough? Are you sure, Alexander? From where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve barely started.”
Around us, the forest felt alive with tension. Jason shifted from foot to foot behind me, probably feeling Mason’s frustration clawing to be let out
e smirk deepened, feeding on the chaos she knew she was causing. “Tell me something, Alpha.” Her words were slow, deliberate, emphasizing my title as if mocking the weight cared. “If you’re so full of authority, why don’t you use it to fix the mess your mate’s in”
My fists clenched at that–her taunting words more like daggers. “This isn’t the place-
“Oh no, this is the place. Let’s talk about Grace, shall we?” She leaned closer, her voice dropping into a sharp whisper. “The real problem. You run to
her, you plead for forgiveness while dragging me into your farce. Maybe you should worry more about her failing health than about who escorts me the
ten steps to my car.
The venom in her words rattled me, Mason’s growl echoing in my chest as her woll brushed arrogantly against his energy. Her control, he can mockery, was unbearable
“This has nothing to do with
“It has everything to do with her!” Scarlett snapped suddenly, her words cutting through the night like a whip. Her voice wasn’t calm anymore, raw anger laced through each syllable. “You want me to pretend I don’t see through you? You want to act like I’m blind to what you’ve been doing?”
Jason audibly inhaled behind us, his discomfort palpable, but Scarlett wasn’t finished
“You flaunted her in front of me! Over and over again! What was it, Alexander? Did you think I would roll over? Submit to a mate who doesn’t even know the meaning of respect?”
“Watch your words-
Nor she snapped, stepping closer to me. Her emerald eyes blazed like wildfire, her wolf’s power radiating as if daring Mason to try her. “You’re womed about the pack’s lances, about the Council’s approval, but where were you, huh? Every time they whispered, every time your pack reduced me
to some face of a Luna? You weren’t there You Were With Her
Every word of hers was like another strike, relentless, unyielding. And she wasn’t afraid of the tension radiating from my wolf in fact, she thrived on
“told you to stop,” I growled through gritted teeth, Mason snapping behind my voice
“And I told you the truth” She barely flinched
Her voice cut across my mind through the pack link in weak, trembling gasps. Alexander I can’t it’s burning
Her agony pierced through the fiery anger like an unwanted burden, dragging my focus, yet another thread pulling me in the opposite direction
It’s spreading. I can’t breathe. Come please Alexander.
Scarlett must have seen the shift in my expression because the smirk returned–controlled, knowing. Her eyes softened just for a moment, but not in
kindness–na, it was pity.
“Grace again?” she asked softly, her mock concern almost believable. “Better run along, Alpha. She seems to have perfected her damsel routine.”
I stiffened, struggling to manage the storm withing beneath my skin. I shook my head violently, Mason roaring for something–or someone–to take
This ceremony will happen I snarled, stepping forward. “Do you understand what will happen if you reject it? You have no alles now, Scarlett. The
Northern Territories? The Council? They will cut every tie to your=”
“My nothing?” she slashed back venomously, cutting me off. “Save your threats, because I don’t need your allies. I don’t need your precious Council’s
approval. I certainly don’t need you.”
Her emerald gaze pierced through my resolve again. Her fiery defiance left no gap for doubt.
“Better hurry to Grace,” she said softly, each word laced with venom. “Silver’s very, very deadly isn’t?
And with that, something wild and untamed leaped from her presence.
Her aura flared brilliantly–powerful, dominating in a way even Mason couldn’t fully understand. Her figure blurred, the shadows bending around her as though they belonged to her. Then, she was gone.
The space where she had stood now felt like a void, mocking in its silence.
“Alpha?” Jason’s voice forced me back to the present–the crushing humiliation, Scarlett’s laugh still ringing in my ears.
raw power as Mason howled furiously.
I breathed heavily staring into the darkness where she’d vanished. My fists remained clenched, shaking with raw po
And then Grace’s mindink came again. Weaker More pitiful.
Alexander please. I can’t do this alone.
A roar tore itself from my throat, primal and guttural, echoing into the dense forest and shaking loose the leaves on the trees. My Alpha power
surged outward uncontrollably, a manifestation of utter frustration and helplessness
Jason wisely retreated a step as my chest heaved with labored breaths. My knuckles turned white as gripped at the air, Mason pacing maniacally
inside me
Grace’s weak voice echoed once more in the corners of my mind, an inescapable demand
Alex please.come.
This wasn’t over with Scarlett. Not by a long shot
I turned sharply, my boots crushing the dirt beneath me, and stormed back toward the healing den. My heart burned, my rage simmering, building
But my mind? It was consumed by Scarlett–her blasted defiance, her shakable power, and the venom in her parting words.
Mason growled low inside of me as I vowed silently. This isn’t over, Scarlett
