Chapter 73 - The Cruelty

CELESTINA VILLARAMA'S POV

I never imagined that Siege would actually try to defend Stella in front of me, as if he were really in love with her. The expression on the alpha's eyes may seem quite lifeless, but for me, it showed how angry he was even though he wasn't frowning.

Each and every single footstep of the alpha made me shiver as he came closer to me. He held my wrists, which were gripping tightly on Stella's hair, and then he forced me to let her go as he tightened his hold on mine. I couldn't help but shout out loud because of how painfully he held me, as if he had the intention of breaking my bones.

"Why are you being like this, Siege?" I asked him, hoping that I'd at least get the sympathy of his wolf lurking inside his body, but it was easier said than done. "Did you make him drink some sort of poison? For him to only look at you, fall for you, and be completely devoted to you, Stella?" I questioned her with my eyes widening, threatening her to tell me the truth as soon as I glanced her way.

Stella smirked. "There's no need for such tricks. Siege fell for me quickly; I didn't even have to exert much effort into it," she answered. "Just accept the fact that you've once been rejected by your supposed-to-be mate and that you'll never replace my spot, Celestina," she added to further provoke me.

I hissed. As much as I wanted to slap her, I couldn't because Siege still hasn't let go of me. "You're going to regret this, Stella. I won't sit back and watch you live your life to the fullest. I won't let you be happy until your very last breath; just wait," I coldly said to her.

I aggressively pulled my arm back, making Siege release his grip on me as I returned to my seat and shut my mouth. There was nothing else that I could do in this situation. I've always come unprepared, so I'd use this opportunity to let them talk about whatever they want while I have a plan in mind.

"Since you have no plan to cancel the ceremony tonight, can I assume that you're letting Celestina go?" Leo asked the alpha, who gave him a glare. "I can't understand you at all, Siege. If you're making Stella your Luna, you shouldn't be selfish. You have to let Celestina go and let her rest in the hands of someone else. You can't keep every woman you like to yourself," he mumbled, followed by a chuckle to cool off the tension in the office.

Siege clicked his tongue. The dark aura that surrounded him vanished as he sat in the small space that was right beside Stella's chair. I saw how many butterflies Stella had in her stomach when the alpha sat beside her.

My sister couldn't even act like it was nothing to her.

The alpha placed his palm above Stella's head, gently ruffling it to ease the pain that she received after I pulled her hair. "Mind your own business, Leo. You have no right to say that after you blamed us for the loss of your first mate," he said, which probably opened the wound in Leo's heart that he has kept close for so long.

The beta, Kris, sighed. "Don't bring back that topic, Siege. You know how sensitive he gets when we're talking about Lara." Kris finally spoke after being silent for a few minutes. "And besides, we're still at fault there. He relied on us, but we failed to protect her. Leonardo's not the only one who has made a mistake here," he continued.

Siege laughed it off. "Why are you taking Leo's side now, Kris?"

Kris clenched his fists, making his fingers snap. "I'm not taking anyone's side here. I'm being neutral, and you're supposed to act the same."

I was running out of patience, so I attempted to leave the office without prior notice, thinking that they wouldn't notice, but I immediately stopped my tracks, even though I was already holding the doorknob, as Siege called me.

"Stay here, Celestina," Siege demanded.

I didn't go back to my seat. I just turned around and leaned my back on the door as I faced them. "Now what? We're not getting into proper negotiations, so I thought I was already free to leave," I muttered.

"I'll be postponing the Luna ceremony until the next few days," Siege declared, causing an uproar.

Stella stood up as quickly as she could. "What?" she exclaimed. "You can't postpone it without my permission, Siege! Don't tell me that you're still considering having Celestina as your mate and Luna instead."

"No," Siege replied, shaking his head twice. He rested his elbows on the table when he returned to his seat, intertwining his fingers. "We can't proceed with the Luna ceremony when there's an ongoing war between the packs," he seriously said.

"War? There's no war between the Crimson Moon and the Silver Moon, Siege. Stop making up stories," Stella rebutted. "I bet you're delaying this to let the Moon Goddess lift Celestina's curse. And if that happens, you can easily discard me. I won't let that happen."

"Shall we make an agreement then?"

The alpha brought out documents from his drawer. It seems like he has already seen this scenario coming. He read the contents out loud, and all of it was about the conditions, benefits, and consequences when Stella began to claim the title of Luna.

Stella sat back on her seat after hearing all the clauses, as if it were sufficient for her. I sighed, realizing that I may have lost Siege even in this lifetime.

I caught a glimpse from the peripheral vision of my eye that Ice was staring at me, so I made eye contact with him. Just with that single look, I could feel the desperation burning inside him.

Ice wanted to give me a long, tight embrace. He's still the only one who can understand me, even if I don't utter a word.

"I have no issues with the contract, but what will happen between the packs?" Stella questioned out of curiosity.

I couldn't stand still when I noticed the faint grin on Siege's lips. "Impossible," I whispered to myself, thinking of the worst-case scenario where the alpha had already brought the tables upside down.

"I know damn well that the Silver Moon Pack will absolutely commence a war between our packs, merely because of this upcoming Luna ceremony," Siege answered, raising his index finger to gesture that he had a bright idea. "So before they can make a move on us, we'll be the first ones to strike on them and annihilate all of their members," he added with a hysterical laughter.

I gulped. "Why are you saying that despite knowing that we're also here?"

"It's because..." Siege shut his mouth at the same time that Ice's phone rang.

Ice picked up his phone from his pocket, then answered the call. "Lucas? Is something wrong?" he asked the alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, who was staying in the mansion to rest.

I hurriedly walked towards Ice's spot, leaning my ear closer to his phone to hear what the alpha had to say.

"Warriors from the Crimson Moon are attacking us! When are you going to return here? I can't handle them on my own; I need all of you to come back here quickly," Lucas said from the other line of the call. His voice was trembling, and it was obvious that he was in a state of panic.