The guests were beginning to leave.
After everything—the interrupted ceremony, the King’s unexpected visit, the prophecy, the warnings—Celine finally found a moment to breathe. Her muscles ached with exhaustion, her mind ached from trying to hold everything together, but for the first time since stepping into her gown… she exhaled.
The celebration had dulled. The music had been silenced. No one felt right raising a glass with royal threat hanging in the air like smoke.
Still, Celine moved from group to group, thanking guests with polite nods and a few genuine smiles. Many looked at her with soft eyes—some with sorrow, others with admiration. Everyone had seen what happened. Everyone understood that the real weight of leadership had come crashing down mid-vow.
She bore it with grace. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t tired.
Near the edge of the gathering, Celine paused when her eyes landed on two figures—locked in a quiet embrace.
Sasha and Lilith.
Their heads leaned close, their lips moved in low whispers, their hands clutched one another in a show of unity Celine hadn’t seen before.
Since when were they so close? she thought, her stomach turning.
And suddenly, it was obvious.
Their alliance wasn’t born of friendship. It was forged in resentment—shared bitterness, a common goal.
Bring her down.
Celine straightened her shoulders and made her way toward Luke and her old family, every step deliberate.
Her mother turned first, feigning warmth. “Celine, you were radiant today—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Celine cut in. “Not a single moment more.”
Lilith’s smirk didn’t fade. If anything, it grew. “You’ve grown a spine, I’ll give you that,” she said lightly. “Still not sure it suits you.”
“Really?” Celine tilted her head, voice calm but sharp. “Because I think it suits me perfectly—especially now that I outrank you.”
The smile froze on Lilith’s lips.
“I am the Luna of a more powerful pack,” Celine said, each word precise. “And unlike you, I didn’t claw my way here through deceit or ambition. I was chosen. Fated. And I won’t waste that gift letting you slither around and poison what I’ve built.”
Her parents stiffened, but said nothing.
Celine’s gaze swept over all of them. “You’ve only ever cared for me when there was something to gain. Now that I have something worth protecting—someone worth protecting—I won’t let you near it.”
She turned to Lilith fully. “You are no longer welcome in Crimson Fang territory. Neither are Mother or Father. I won’t have you undermining me from within.”
The words echoed like a gavel strike. Lilith’s face twisted, a flush rising in her cheeks. “You still can’t stand it, can you? That Luke chose me. That he loved me.”
A quiet ripple moved through the nearby guests, all pretending not to listen—but absolutely listening.
Luke, standing behind Lilith, went still.
Celine blinked… and then laughed. Bright, clear, and free.
“Oh, Lilith,” she said, her tone laced with amusement and pity. “If you think I still want Luke after everything that’s happened, then maybe you’re more delusional than I thought.”
Luke looked stricken.
Lilith’s hands curled into fists, humiliated.
“I hope this is the last time I see you,” Celine added, voice cool as winter. “Truly. I hope you find whatever you’re so desperate to hold onto. But you won’t find it in my pack.”
With that, she turned and walked away—head high, heart light, and every step pulling her closer to the life she chose. The life she claimed.