Chapter 221\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damon\u2019s mind raced. If things went awry with Judy, the Thunderfang heiress, his carefully constructed position would collapse instantly. The pack politics, his budding authority, all of it rested on delicate balance and Celestine had just stirred the den.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAysel\u2026\u201d he muttered under his breath, instinctively glancing toward Aysel. She was Celestine\u2019s sister\u2013trusting her was the safest course. In the past\u2026 hadn\u2019t it always been this way?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But his thought was cut short by Aysel\u2019s sharp, incredulous gaze. Magnus\u2019s presence beside her radiated a frigid wind, coiling in the air like a stalking wolf. Damon felt the weight of both their judgments settle like heavy fur on his shoulders. It was as if he had never truly reckoned with the pain Aysel had endured for Celestine, brushing over loyalty and blood like trivial scents on the wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmph.\u201d Judy\u2019s laugh was low and sharp, teeth just visible as she sized him up. \u201cIt seems the young Alpha has not sorted out his past. I\u2019ll take my leave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was simple, but not foolish. To see the two of them tangled in the open, their scents entwined, and to still cling to him\u2026 it was absurd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJudy!\u201d Damon called, voice strained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She paused, sensing his urgency but noting the immobility of his stance. Disappointment shadowed her amber eyes as she turned, only to spin back a few steps later, claws briefly glinting, and strike his cheek with a sharp slap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou worthless wolf!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damon froze, stunned. He had only saved her\u2013how could she blame him for protecting Celestine from collapsing? His right paw, still tender from past Moonshade Mountain expeditions, struggled to support her weight as he half\u2013carried her, glancing helplessly at Aysel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way!\u201d came thewords from crimson lips, sharp as a fang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
dimb\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damon felt shame and frustration curl in his chest like coiled wolffire. Celestine\u2019s breathing had stabilized slightly. With effort, she muttered for him to retrieve the white tablets from her satchel. He fed them to her, watching her form relax fractionally, her heartbeat settling under his paw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned toward Aysel, ready to explain, but Celestine shook Magnus\u2019s wrist with a quiet insistence. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Realization struck Damon. Explanation was useless. With a self\u2013mocking snort, he supported\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/28\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:05 Mon, Dec 15 T\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 221\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Celestine and led her from the store, leaving a trail of confused, staring humans\u2013and packless eyes\u2013behind them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The store manager and staff blinked in unison, utterly dumbfounded. Were they ghosts? How could the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack be so\u2026 unaware? Surely there were other wolves to summon aid? The chaos had been obvious. But to Damon, he alone had been the savior, the Alpha to stand firm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Magnus, observing the scene with cold precision, muttered sincerely, tail bristling slightly: \u201cIs he\u2026 incompetent?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If one sought true love, one would consider Aysel\u2019s perspective from start to finish. If one sought political gain, one would seize the hand of Judy, the alliance\u2013mate, leaving no room for indecision. Yet Damon had done neither. He had ignored the practical choice and the heart he claimed to favor, instead entangling himself with the most troublesome, least useful wolf-\u00a0<\/p>\n
Celestine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel\u2019s amber eyes glinted with muted judgment. \u201cPerhaps he suffers from a \u2018Saint Complex,\u201d she mused. One who depended entirely on him, adored him, who could be rescued from the fires of life\u2013and whose bonds even brushed against forbidden taboos\u2013was the Type of play\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damon seemed drawn to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI admire Celestine,\u201d Aysel added softly, tail brushing against Magnus\u2019s leg in a subtle show of shared recognition. Despite knowing the truth, Celestine performed with ease and without burden, commanding the space around her. Were her legs uninjured, were she unleashed in the broader world, her talents could carve a path through the packlands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Magnus and Aysel exchanged a glance, instincts and strategy aligning silently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the market,\u201d Magnus growled, a low rumble through his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGroceries,\u201d Aysel added in tandem, fangs flashing in faint amusement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
592\u00a0<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 221 Chapter 221\u00a0 Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Damon\u2019s mind raced. If things went awry with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20504\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}