Chapter 177
Chapter 177
Fiona POV
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“What do you have to say now?” I fixated my gaze on her, taking note of the sudden panicked expression covering her face.
“You’re lying,” she said dumbly, the blood draining from her face. “You’re lying. My mother is not dead.”
Her body was slumped, however, as though she instinctively knew that I was telling the truth even if she refused to acknowledge it like the spoilt brat she was.
She looked at our fathers for clarification, but they simply bowed their heads and refused to look at her. They, too, blamed Celeste on some level for not being there, if not in the battle, then at least for not being there for the funeral. It had hurt them more than they cared to admit. Spoiling Celeste had now backfired on them. She had grown up to be a selfish, vain individual who didn’t care about anyone but herself, and now they were beginning to see that for themselves.
“No,” she gasped, clutching at a chair and swaying on her feet. “That can’t be it. It’s impossible. Regan would never have lost a battle. There’s no way,” she protested her voice now thick.
Was she now beginning to regret her actions and beginning to see the light? One could only hope, but I had my doubts.
“Impossible?” I narrowed my eyes as I fixated my gaze on her. “You left the scene of a battle, and now you’re surprised to find that your mother is dead. Regan might have been a white wolf, but she wasn’t infallible. None of us are guaranteed to live when we fight on behalf of others. You should know that,” I accused, my breathing growing shallower.
How could she be this obtuse and this stupid? Was it all an act or some form of manipulation to get us to feel sorry for her? It wasn’t working, not even on our fathers, I was pleased to find.
“But she was one of the best fighters I knew,” Celeste protested loudly. “She’s never lost a fight before. She trained every day.”
“Perhaps she was preoccupied with certain matters that prevented her from being able to entirely focus on the fight at hand,” I spat out, reminding her of what had happened right before the rogues began to enter the territory.
Regan had been stunned to discover her daughter’s subterfuge. What if that affected her fighting and made her distracted? It was entirely possible.
Celest, on the other hand however, seemed determined not to believe what was right in front of her eyes. I shook my head in disgust. She suddenly straightened her shoulders, her eyes strangely glinting as she looked at her fathers.
“Fathers,” she said softly, “I made a mistake- A big one. But let me correct it. Let me make this right,” she pleaded.
I was almost in disbelief by that statement. I just wanted her gone. I wanted Alpha Max to drag her sorry behind away and never lay eyes on her again. She made me sick even to lay eyes on her.
Make it right? Just how was she going to propose to make things right? She couldn’t bring back our mother, she was gone. She could not turn back time. If such a thing was possible, I would have gone to the ends of the earth to bring back Regan and beg for her forgiveness. There was no way that Celeste could make this right or that I would ever forgive her for what she had done
Xander finally met her gaze, staring her directly in the eyes and almost challenging her as he spoke. “You left your mother and us to fight against the rogues and fled the scene. What can possibly make it right?” his tone was filled with disappointment, making even me wince.
He’d never used that one on her before. Never. It was almost shocking to hear. Celeste even looked taken aback by it but it wasn’t enough to make her stop.
Contempt for his daughter simmered in his eyes as he glared at Celeste, showing his hostility openly.
Celeste swallowed hard. Alpha Max spoke from behind us. “Alphas, perhaps I should simply take Celeste with me now and
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03.31 Sat, 12 Api
Chapter 177
permit you to grieve in private. Now that she is found, I want to take her back to my pack. I trust there will be no objections?” he asked quietly.
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I had none. I wanted her gone. I wanted to see this through and then go home, back to my pack and my quiet existence. I wanted her to pay for what she had done, and I could think of no worse punishment than her being dragged away and forced to give birth to her child. It was fitting and no less than what she deserved. Now, she would go through the consequences of her own actions. I had no sympathy for her, only hatred.
“No,” she cried, turning around and glaring at Alpha Max. “I won’t go. Fathers,” she turned back to Xavier and Xander. “I can make this right. I can make you both proud of me again. Just hear me out,” she insisted, her voice rising as she fought to make them listen to her.
Hear her out. I glared at her. My other father, Xavier, spoke, his voice hollow as he stared blankly at his daughter.
“What are you suggesting?” he asked thickly.
Damnit. Were they falling prey to her manipulation again? What was wrong with my fathers?
“Let me take over the pack for you. Let me become Alpha as intended. You can grieve, and I can prove to you what kind of leader I can be. Yes, I made a mistake, a grave one,” she bowed her head, pretending to be sad, “but don’t punish me for the rest of my life. Isn’t it enough that I must live with the fact that my mother is dead because of my actions? You need somebody strong to run the pack and well,” she paused as the two fathers simply stared at her, “the only full–blooded heir you have is me.”
Ouch. That last comment had been an intentional dig at me for only being a half blood Dominion. I couldn’t believe her audacity. Regan was barely buried, her ashes now in the ground, and she was proposing to take her mother’s place. I could not believe what I was hearing. It was almost as though she had lost sight of reality. There was no way my fathers would agree to this ridiculous notion that she had. Wouldn’t they?
“Are you insane?” I demanded heatedly, not waiting for my fathers to respond. “You think you should be rewarded after everything you’ve done?” I asked incredulously.
Was she delusional? Unbidden, my claws began to grow in my anger. I barely noticed. My mate put a hand on my shoulder as I began to shake violently. My rage was almost at the brink of exploding. My temper was frayed to the breaking point. I was about to snap her neck if she wasn’t careful, consequences be damned. The world would be a better place without her.
“You want to become Alpha?” Xander spoke, his voice hoarse. “Celeste, that’s not possible at this time.”
“Who else do you have?” she demanded, oblivious to the pain she was inflicting on us all, as she reminded us that the one person who had always kept this pack together was now gone. “It’s not as though Fiona is going to take over, and she’s not a full–blooded Dominion anyway,” she mocked.
“You’re just trying to run from your responsibilities. You know that if you become Alpha of this pack, that Alpha Max can’t touch you,” I spoke, realizing her true motive.
She glared at me. “I’m trying to do what is right for the pack, Fiona. You wouldn’t understand that. What is it to you anyway? Why are you even here?”
“I’m here to support our fathers through a difficult time. Unlike you, I was there to say goodbye to our mother and send her on her way back to the moon goddess. You were nowhere to be seen.”
“I’m here now,” she said scathingly, “which means you can leave.”
“The only ones who can ask me to leave are our fathers and I will be damned if they let you become Alpha.”
She snorted. My fathers looked surprised as I continued to call them by their familial titles. I didn’t want to make the same mistake I had made with my mother. I wanted to reestablish a relationship with them. I wanted to make up for lost time while I still could.
“You don’t get a say.”
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09:51 Sat, 12 Apr
Chapter 177
I’d had enough. Before my fathers could interject, I straightened my shoulders.
“I, Fiona Dominion, challenge you for the position of Alpha of this pack.”
Gasps were heard all around. I was not going to let Celeste drag down this pack, nor was she going to run from her responsibilities. If she wanted the position of Alpha she could damn well go through me.
AD
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