All Chapters of Scarlett (Second Edition): Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Lucian’s POVAfter an hour, Clay stopped, his face filled with dread. “Shouldn’t we go back out there?” he asked quietly, as if the suggestion itself hurt.I met his gaze, my chest aching with the same guilt. “She probably thinks we hate her… that we’re abandoning her to their cruelty,” I murmured. “But it was necessary. If we hadn’t tied her to that post, if we hadn’t made it look like we were condemning her, they would’ve beaten her to death right there. It was brutal, yes… but it was the lesser evil.” Maxwell’s voice was steady, but I could hear the strain beneath it, as if he were trying to convince himself as much as us.Finally, I couldn’t bear it any longer. I took a deep breath, feeling a sliver of resolve harden within me. “Now,” I said, and Maxwell immediately moved, grabbing a few pieces of clothing for Scarlett. We hurriedly got dressed, our hearts pounding with the urgency of our plan.When we reached the clearing, dread pooled in my stomach. Scarlett was gone. Her bonds

Scarlett’s POVMartha’s eyes softened as she watched me dress, but I could see sadness there too, buried beneath her hurried determination. She took a deep breath, as if trying to steady herself, and then spoke. “I don’t believe the rumors, Scarlett. I don’t believe you slept with that visitor,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.“I was there when Bianca’s daughter was beaten for calling you an outsider, just because you dared to say you weren’t a Vladislav. That woman—Bianca—she’s vindictive. I wanted to warn you, tell you to steer clear of her, but I was afraid. I thought maybe I’d be making trouble where there was none. Now, I think she set this all up, probably with someone else’s help, just to hurt you. She knew it would be considered a ‘domestic matter’ so your mates wouldn’t be able to defend you.”Martha’s words made my heart ache. All this time, she’d seen through Bianca’s schemes, but she’d felt powerless to act. She was crying now, tears sliding down her weathered chee

Clay’s POVI felt like I was losing my mind. Rage boiled inside me, hot and uncontrollable, consuming every logical thought. I couldn’t rein it in, and neither could my wolf.How had we let it come to this? How had we allowed things to spiral so far out of control? I had been ready to go rogue, to tear through the Elders and make them see sense by force if I had to. I would have wiped them out, if it meant Scarlett could be accepted. But Lucian and Maxwell insisted on diplomacy, on being patient. They wanted to clear her name, to make the people love her.And look where that naive plan got us.When I saw the guards pulling her clothes from her body, stripping her dignity away as if she were nothing, I could hardly bear to look. And to find out they hadn’t been feeding her? They were starving her.We had given strict orders for her to receive the same meals as us, three times a day. But they ignored us. They starved her, tortured her, while we were off hunting down that snake, Gregory.

Clay’s POVElsa sighed, a deep sadness lining her face. “Poor girl had to endure too much. Any sensible wolf would have fled given the slightest opportunity. My grandmother warned your parents not to pass that Elder law—she saw this coming. I was just a child, but I remember her words to your father, warning that it would lead to great calamity. Maybe this is what she meant. The Elders’ decision to turn against your Luna, to deny her humanity, has sparked a dark change. The shift in the wind, that darkness—it began with this unjust trial. You sent Gregory away, but they wouldn’t let her go. There are those in your council who can’t stand the idea of you being tied to a Vladislav. This is what happens when wolves try to play god,” she said, shaking her head in frustration.Her words hit me hard, stirring anger and regret in my chest. The Elders—the very ones we were supposed to trust—had not only failed us but had actively sabotaged us. I felt the weight of their betrayal, the realizat

Scarlett’s POVThe question made me stiffen, and I shook my head slowly, hoping it wouldn’t change things. “No wolf,” I said softly. “I hope that’s… not a problem.”He tilted his head thoughtfully, but there was no judgment in his expression. “I did notice something odd, though,” he said, his eyes narrowing in concentration. “Your eyes—they shine neon green when you’re excited. But you don’t have a wolf?”“They used to be brown. They changed… suddenly,” I replied, remembering the strange shift, one of many mysteries I’d learned to accept without question.Ebenezer seemed intrigued, but he didn’t push. He simply nodded, acknowledging the strangeness of it without needing answers. But then his expression softened, and his voice dropped as he asked, “Are you… mated?”The question made my heart sink, and I struggled with how to answer. I knew if I lied and he found out, he might lose all trust in me. But telling him the truth could mean he’d cast me out. With a deep breath, I finally nodd