Chapter 241: I forgive you, Marcus
Chapter 241: I forgive you, Marcus
(Elena Blackwood’s POV)
125 Points
It’s strange how, just when you think your heart can’t take another blow, fate finds one last way to test you. That night, as Marcus clung to me outside my door, smelling of moonlight wine and hopeless desperation, I realized the final storm was only beginning. I gently pulled away, seeing the regret in his golden eyes. For years, we’d circled each other, haunted by duty, guilt, and memories neither of us could outrun. But the world was shifting, and so were we.
“Go home, Marcus. Tomorrow, everything changes.”
He nodded, understanding more than I said, his gaze lingering on me like a farewell.
The next morning dawned silver and cold. Even the air seemed sharpened for battle as Hugo, sharp–eyed and steady, found me in the council hall. “News from Whitmore Manor–Rachel and Oliver tracked the missing funds. Fred and Felix have left the estate. And… Celeste is still missing.”
My hands balled into fists. They had taken my friend, stolen children and dreams, hidden behind old money and older lies. I was done being cornered by fear. “Let’s finish this. Once and for all.”
By noon, Marcus, Hugo, Mia, and Adrian stood with me in front of the Blackwood compound. All the old families had answered our call. Even my mother, Dorothea, pale and trembling, held the hands of the youngest children at the gates–she would not hide any longer. The Ashworths and Whitmores flanked us; ancient bloodlines, once divided, shining as one pack beneath the autumn sun.
We moved swiftly, racing against Felix’s madness and Fred’s ambition. At Fred’s new hideout -one of the Xavier’s shadowy mansions–the fine curtains were drawn and guards stood on every threshold. But Hugo’s mind is even sharper than his claws. He had found the hidden passage, a servant’s stairwell used for smuggling in the days of old. We slipped inside, silent and swift.
We found Celeste deep in the basement, her wrists sore and skin pale, silver–laced cuffs sapping her strength but not her spirit. At the sight of me and Hugo, hope kindled in her eyes. “You came,” she whispered. Hugo swept off his coat, covering her shoulders with gentle hands as I broke the locks and cradled her tear–streaked face.
“We’re not leaving you behind. Not this time,” I promised.
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Chapter 241 I forgive you, Marcus
The sounds of a scuffle echoed above–the battle had begun without us.
+25 Points
We ran for the ballroom, where the council was already in uproar. Hazel and Sophia, dressed in desperate elegance, stood on the dais–falsified papers in hand, lies pouring from their lips. “Elena Blackwood,” Hazel shrilled, “is unfit for any luna role! She conspired with Celeste to frame Felix and Fred!”
Sophia, pale as the moon, nodded in false solemnity. “Marcus Blackwood hid evidence. The Whitmores and Ashworths are thieves!”
As I entered, dragging a weakened but alive Celeste behind me, all eyes turned. The sight of her in our arms destroyed whatever tale Hazel thought she could spin.
Hugo’s voice rang out: “Let your lies burn in front of the entire council!”
Cameras flickered on for the first time. Rachel burst into the room, Oliver at her side, carrying ledgers and the stolen phone with evidence. She held up the thick folder. “Not even Fred’s money could hide the truth. Transfer slips. Bank theft. Every signature in Felix’s hand.”
Celeste, pulling herself upright despite her weakness, spoke for the first time in days. “Felix locked me up. Hazel threatened me. Sophia never protected any child; she only cared for her own power.”
The hush in the room felt like the moment before lightning strikes.
Fred, sensing his empire crumbling, tried to grab Oliver as a final bargaining chip. Marcus intercepted him, knocking the old wolf flat with a roar that shook the crystal chandeliers. Felix leapt in desperation, claws flashing, aiming a mortal blow for my heart. Time slowed; I could see the grief–and the love–in Marcus’s eyes as he threw himself between us.
The knife meant for me sank deep into Marcus’s side.
Blood blossomed on his shirt. He staggered but managed, with the last of his strength, to pin Felix to the floor, silver cuffs clamping shut with a click that echoed through the silent room.
“Marcus!” I dropped to my knees beside him, hands pressed to the wound. His golden eyes found mine, soft as lamb’s ear. “I never protected you as I should have,” he whispered, voice rasping. “I let pride blind me to too much. I’m sorry, Elena. Please… forgive me. Find happiness… real happiness.”
Tears blurred the world. “I forgive you, Marcus. Thank you for saving me–one last time.”
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