Alpha’s Regret After Putting Me In Jail

Chapter 1: After Four Years in the Prison (Celeste’s POV) "f*****g life, f**k. " the omega beside me was cursing under his breath. Cold, bone-chilling cold. That was the only feeling I had left as my hands scrubbed my rough clothes on the already warped wooden scrub board. My hands are crashed like lead by the silver cuffs on my wrists, and years of laundry life have left my hands covered in frostbite and cracks, skin that cracks or peels so much I can no longer feel the pain. Only when my hands were dipped into the cold water did I know that they were still there. That's when the wolf who usually supervises our work came over, his sharp eyes burning into us like a predator on its prey, and I moved to the side to prevent him from accidentally injuring me when he kicked over. It's not right, there seems to be some ...... Something is wrong. His behavior was unusual, he didn't react at all to the complaints of the omega next to me today, neither threw over his silver whip, nor lifted his "noble foot", not even shouted a rebuke. "Celeste," he suddenly shouted, loud enough to make my eardrums buzz. Heh, what unlucky bastard got named again, I shook my head and looked down as I continued to do my laundry. "Celeste," he called out again. I was stunned, the shirt in my hand slipping from my frozen fingers and back into the bucket. Celeste, it's me, I'd forgotten... Four years, and no one in this prison will be called by that name. It was always "you" or "Prisoner 12."I froze mid-motion, the tunic slipping from my frozen fingers back into the bucket. He never addressed me by my name. It was always “You” or “Prisoner No. 12.” My heart skipped a beat, not from hope—no, I’d learned not to hope—but from the unsettling feeling that something had changed. “Celeste, Alpha James has sent someone to pick you up. Come here,” he added, his tone almost obsequious. I blinked, trying to comprehend his words. For a moment, I stood motionless, unsure of how to react. Was this another cruel joke? Another punishment disguised as mercy? My fingers clenched the edge of the bucket as I searched his face for any hint of the truth. “Don’t make me repeat myself,” he snapped, though his voice lacked its usual venom. I put my clothes in the bucket and slowly stood up holding onto the barrel, having squatted for too long, my legs were completely numb and trembled with every step. The worn-out straw shoes were mixed with mud and water, exposing my toes, so I could only shuffle along. It's been four years, so long, who will still think of me? Who would still want me? He helped me remove the silver shackles from my wrists and ankles, and instantly I felt lighter all over.I gathered my hair like dead grass, as I followed him toward the prison gates, memories surged to the forefront of my mind, as vivid as if they’d happened yesterday. It was like I was fourteen years old again, when I was the most cherished daughter of the mighty Winters pack. My parents-no, the Honorable Alpha James and Luna Victoria-watched me with adoration and pride. I’d learned to walk beneath their watchful eyes, performed my first moon ceremony by their side. For years, I was their treasure, their daughter in every sense that mattered. Until one day, everything shattered. The truth came out when the dying maid confessed under her breath that she had switched Scarlett, Alpha and Victoria's own daughter, with me. Since then, I've fallen into hell. My parents wept with joy, genuine joy, when Scarlett was returned to them. And me? I was reassured with hollow words. “You’re still our daughter,” Alpha James had promised. I’d believed him. I’d clung to those words like a drowning wolf clings to driftwood. But when Scarlett broke King Alpha's daughter's Sacred Moon Crystal and framed me, their actions spoke louder than any words. When Scarlett's maid came forward to lie and accuse me, my so-called parents and brothers acquiesced in her behavior by remaining silent, knowing the truth. It was me who wore the chains. Me who felt the Alpha King’s wrath. Me who was dragged to Moon Shadow Prison, discarded like I was nothing. I was only 14 years old. The next four years were like a nightmare from which I would never wake up. The endless physical work, the whippings that came at random, the ill will of the slaves around me for no reason, the endless variety of torments that destroyed my otherwise healthy body. In the months leading up to my 18th birthday, I had my wolf. But silver cuffs and a silver whip left my barely awakened coyote, Cece, too weak to keep in constant contact with me, making only faint whimpering noises, and most of the time she couldn't speak. I swallowed the bitterness that welled up in my throat as I walked out of the prison gates. Four years of suffering, pain and trying to survive on Scarlett's behalf had culminated in my release. But they call that "lucky". Luck is a cruel joke. There, waiting just beyond the gates, was Lucas. My lungs seized. Lucas Winters—my brother in everything but blood. The boy who once chased me around the estate, ruffling my hair and teaching me how to defend myself from bullies. The same boy who later took a whip to my back in the freezing snow, his face cold and unyielding as he punished me at Scarlett’s behest. “Celeste.” His tone was calm, but his emerald eyes carried something...familiar. Regret? No. Regret had no place between us now. “Grandmother misses you,” he said softly, as though the words might heal the gaping wound he’d left in my heart years ago. “The Alpha King pardoned you because of your age. Come home.” Home? That's your home, not mine, I sneer inwardly. The Celeste of old might have taken him at his word, but not the prisoner of Number 12 now. I curtsied, my face expressionless." Thank you, Alpha Heir, for your forgiveness. Also please convey my gratitude to the respected Alpha and Luna." My voice was cold and distant. Shock flickered across his face, quickly replaced by irritation. “What do you call us?You should call us Father、Mother and brother. You’re still their child. You shouldn’t—” A sharp laugh escaped me, unbidden and bitter. “Their child?” The words burned as I said them. "How many times in the past four years have I begged the Moon Goddess to let my parents rescue me, even if it was just to look at me. No, not once, I got nothing." His jaw tightened. “Don’t speak to me like that.” I dipped into another shallow bow, the mockery in the gesture unmistakable. “My fault, future Alpha.” The tension crackled between us like a live wire. He visibly wrestled with his next words before turning toward the car. “Fine. Don’t keep Grandmother waiting too long.” His voice was clipped, but beneath it, I thought I heard...worry? Or was I imagining it? Lucas’s long strides quickly carried him to the sleek car parked a short distance away. I followed hesitantly, my weak and malnourished body barely able to keep up. Each step was agony, but I refused to ask for help. Not from him. Not from anyone. By the time I reached the vehicle, my legs felt like lead. I instinctively moved to the back seat, I suddenly seemed to hear the distant echoes of Scarlett’s voice mocking me. “You’re not worthy of sitting next to Lucas,” she’d hissed as children years ago, a silver whip in her hand. The memory tightened like a noose around my lungs. “Sit in the passenger seat,” Lucas ordered, his tone sharp. “No,” I said firmly. My voice wavered, but I forced myself to stand tall. “I’ll sit in the back.” His patience snapped. “Why? Are you unwilling to come back? What are you aggrieved about?” His hand tightened on the car door as his temper flared. I flinched, but his anger only grew. “Scarlett suffered for fourteen years because of you,” he spat, his voice shaking with fury. “You’ve only suffered four years for her sake. What gives you the right to feel wronged?” The words hit me like a whip across the chest. My heart sank, the numbness I’d cultivated for four years cracking under the weight of his accusations. His hand clenched, and without another word, he slammed the car door shut and climbed into the driver’s seat. “Walk if you’re so unwilling,” he bit out before driving away, the tires kicking up icy slush that splattered onto my already worn clothes. I stood there, trembling—not with anger, not even with sadness, but with something far colder and deeper: resignation. When the taillights of Lucas’s car disappeared from view, I forced my legs to move. The journey to the Alpha’s pack house loomed ahead, the thought of facing them—all of them—filling me with dread. My body, weighed down by the silver cuffs, felt a sharp pain in my body with every step. My prison shoes offer me no protection, much less slip resistance. I could barely feel my toes when my feet hit the snow. If I wasn't careful, I slipped on the snow and my foot was cut by a sharp rock, blood dripping onto the snow. When I finally struggled to stand up, a car pulled up in front of me, swirling snowflakes in my face.Then, a car pulled up in front of me, cutting through the swirling snow like a shadow come to life. The passenger window rolled down, and a familiar voice called out. “Celeste?” My wolf Cece, very weak from the silver cuffs, seemed to move a little. I felt my knees weaken as I looked up, my breath catching in my throat. There he was, larger than life, his sharp ice-blue eyes piercing me even from the distance: Alexander. My one-time fiancé. My first and only love. The voice I had longed to hear whispered my name again. "Celeste…”