Chapter 71 - The Progress

CELESTINA VILLARAMA'S POV

There was nothing else left for Ace, Lucas, and I to discuss after the alpha himself declared that we were surrendering for now. Even in Ace's wolf form, he was still considerate enough to let us take our path away from the Crimson Moon Pack without having someone ambushing us.

Lucas was walking at a slow pace, but he was still the one who took the lead. I bet that he's ashamed to face me right now, especially not with his injured body, and for retreating like he had no other trait besides cowardice.

"We're going back to Leo? Wouldn't he be enraged if he saw you alive and realized that I fooled him into believing that you were really dead?" I asked out of anxiety, troubled that the beta would be far worse dealing with than Ace.

The alpha shrugged his shoulders, along with a shake of his head. "I can't tell. Leo is unpredictable, and the way he thinks is kind of psychotic, if you know what I mean," he answered.

I laughed at his response, and my smile immediately vanished as soon as I sensed the presence of a man following our tracks. We were still in the middle of the woods, and the distance to the Silver Moon's pack house was still a lot.

"Someone's behind us," I whispered to Lucas as I followed his speed, walking beside him.

The alpha nodded his head, saying that he also felt its presence earlier and just chose to ignore it. However, we were no longer able to feign ignorance when the man decided to show himself directly in front of us.

"Ice!" I gasped when I saw his forehead, which was covered with his blood. "What the hell happened to you while we were gone? And why are you outside? Did you escape from Leo?" I panicked when he lost balance, causing his body to stumble upon Lucas, who was also in his weakest condition, so both of them were now lying on the ground.

"You were alive. I fucking thought you died! Celestina brought your head to the dining hall, and Leo still has it," Ice said as he clenched on the alpha's collar. Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks.

"Ouch, you're freaking heavy!" Lucas complained, pushing Ice away from him. "We had to keep our mouths shut just to keep that hidden from Leo. Why are you yelling it out loud?"

"Stop arguing. You're both injured. Save up your strength for later on." I intervened before Ice would have replied.

I had to help Ice stop the bleeding on his forehead. I aggressively pulled some fabric from my shirt and used it to cover his forehead, applying a bit of pressure to it. The delta explained everything he went through while the two of us weren't around.

Leo got furious when I didn't return to the mansion after a few hours that we agreed on. It caused the beta to let out his frustrations to the delta, who was silent the whole time since I told him about Lucas' death. He went berserk; he kept on throwing every piece of furniture that was within his reach.

And as someone who wanted to survive, Ice ran outside of the pack house. Leo still followed him, even though the other pack members were already confused by what was going on. The beta didn't care about what others would think about him at all.

"I think Leo already has a hunch that Lucas is alive," I commented after Ice finished explaining what occurred to him in detail.

Ice nodded his head. "He's nearby."

I instantly gripped both of their forearms as I pulled them together with me at the same time that a black wolf appeared on the spot where we were resting. Air was seen through the wolf's mouth, as well as the sticky saliva that dripped out of it. His eyes were beaming red as he gazed upon the three of us.

"I knew it; Lucas is alive," Leo's wolf said, which was followed by a howl before he leaped towards us.

Just when I thought that Leo would attack us with his large paws and sharp nails, he suddenly shifted back to his human form, retaining the same set of clothes that he had during the last time that I saw him.

Leo had a straight face, but I could barely see any anger in his eyes. "I can't believe I've been tricked by a mere Omega." He sighed.

When Leo met my gaze, there was a hint of satisfaction in his expression. It was like he wanted to applaud me for achieving something great and commend me for it, but he couldn't say it out loud.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked, stepping in front to defend the two men behind me. "You'd look like a loser if you'd attack Lucas and Ice when they're already injured." I pointed at my head, saying that he shouldn't dare to hit them.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm them anymore," Leo said at the same time that he placed his hands on my shoulders. "I like your confidence, intelligence, and strength. All in all, I like your strategy, Celestina," he mumbled with a grin.

I couldn't believe what I just heard, so I unintentionally smacked his hands away from me. "What are you saying? You made me look like a murderer in front of the pack members, and now you're telling me that you like how I got to fool you?" I scoffed, crossing both of my arms below my chest.

"That issue can be fixed easily," Leo uttered, then faked a cough to clear his throat. "I know how much you resent me because of how I acted; I'm sorry," he genuinely said.

I don't know how to feel in front of the man who almost made me kill Lucas. If only the alpha hadn't suggested creating a fake head of himself drenched in blood, then I would've really taken his life.

Leo had his head bowed down. My lips automatically formed a smirk as soon as I thought of something. "Stay in that position for a while," I whispered.

I stretched out my arm, slightly curving it to center my elbow in the middle of his head. I prepared to strike him in one blow with my elbow, and when it hit him, he instantly rubbed his head.

"W-what was that for? Revenge?" Leo's reaction was priceless. He really looked hurt.

"That's nothing compared to what you made me do and what you did to Ice." I rolled my eyes, still feeling a bit mad.

The beta stepped forth, and he successfully grabbed my wrist, slowly tracing his fingers down my hand. "Tell me anything that you want to achieve, Celestina. I'll assist you in whatever you want to happen," he genuinely said.

I bit my lower lip when I sensed from the bottom of my heart that he was sincere with his statement and wasn't merely pretending to be a nice person. "Can you stop the Luna ceremony that's about to occur tonight in the Crimson Moon Pack?" I didn't think twice about what I said.

The beta's lips curled. "That sounded like a direct order rather than a query," he commented as he scratched his nape, standing firmly before he released his hold on my hand. "If that's what you really want, then fine. I'll accompany you to the Crimson Moon and stop Siege from declaring your dear sister as his Luna," he responded.

I can't understand what the beta would gain for choosing to aid me with what's supposed to be my personal problem, but if he's really eager to help me out, then I don't see any reason why I should refuse to have him with me. In any case, this was still a great sign of progress.

"Let's leave Lucas in the mansion for him to recover while we're at it. I think Ice can come with us," I mumbled, glancing behind me to examine their conditions.

Both of them nodded their heads, giving their approval for what I said since I didn't ask for their opinions beforehand.

"Then that's decided then. Let's head back to the pack house before it gets too late," Leo said as he began to walk ahead of us.

I really do hope that our arrival there won't be too late, though.