Celina
NINETEEN
Osias’s fury burned like a steady flame beneath her ribs—controlled but devastating, the kind of rage that came from having fundamental trust shattered by the people who should have protected it.
His hurt ran deeper, threading through their connection like ice water, and she felt every pulse of betrayal as if it were her own heartbreak.
But her own anger had grown into something monstrous during these endless hours of waiting.
The full scope of Rennick’s manipulation was crystallizing in her mind with horrifying clarity, and each memory had reframed itself under the harsh light of truth.
How many decisions had never been hers? How many opportunities had he redirected to serve his own interests? How many times had he used her grief over her mother’s death to justify his increasing control?
She’d been so consumed by mourning her mother these past two years, so desperate for someone to help carry the weight of her loss, that she’d handed Rennick the keys to her entire existence without question.
But worst of all, she didn’t know how long Rennick had been controlling her before her mother’s death. That realization made her stomach turn.
Thirty years.
The number kept echoing in her head like a blaring alarm she’d failed to shut off. Thirty years of thinking she was being protected when she was actually being possessed.
The most devastating part of it all was finally understanding that he couldn’t simply be happy for her.
When she’d found genuine joy again—first through creating Bates Films, then through meeting Osias—Rennick had seen it as theft rather than healing, seen her happiness as threatening his control, so he’d tried to destroy it.
And he’d enlisted Braxton and Margot to help him.
Celina had stopped at the living room windows for the fourth time in ten minutes when Osias’s phone finally rang. The sound cut through the tension like a blade, and she watched Osias’s entire body go rigid as he answered.
“Juno.”
Even from across the room, she could hear the Beta’s voice through the speaker, calm and professional as always. “We found them. Braxton was harder to track down than Margot, but we’ve got them both detained at the town hall. They’re ready for you.”
Osias closed his eyes briefly, and through the bond, Celina felt his grief spike before being buried beneath Alpha duty. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Understood.”
The call ended and the silence returned—heavier now, weighted with the knowledge that they could no longer postpone the inevitable. Osias pocketed his phone with careful precision, his movements controlled in the way that meant his lion was pacing just beneath the surface.
“Betrayal of an Alpha, especially from family members, results in immediate exile from the pride,” Osias said, his voice holding the formal weight of someone reciting law rather than discussing people he loved. “It’s non-negotiable.”
Celina nodded, understanding the necessity even as her heart ached for him. “It’s the right punishment. I just...” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “I worry about retaliation.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry. Once a lion shifter is exiled from the pride, we assign someone to monitor them constantly,” Osias explained, his blue eyes meeting hers with steady certainty. “If they become hostile or seek revenge, we know immediately and handle it accordingly.”
The practical measures should have been reassuring, but Celina found herself thinking about the people behind the punishment. Braxton, with his desperate need for validation and belonging. And Margot, whose fierce love for her son had twisted into something destructive.
“I want to try talking to them,” she said suddenly. “After you deliver the exile sentence. I want to see if there’s any possibility of reconciliation in the future.”
Osias studied her face, and she felt his surprise ripple through their bond, followed by something that might’ve been hope. “You think they might listen?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But they may not fully understand what they’ve destroyed. Maybe if they can see past Rennick’s manipulation, there might be a chance to rebuild something eventually.”
It was probably naive optimism, but Celina had spent thirty years watching people perform emotions they didn’t feel and hide truths they couldn’t speak, herself included. Sometimes, buried beneath the performance, real feeling still existed.
She was proof of that.
Osias moved toward her with the fluid grace that always reminded her he was more than human, his hands finding her face with gentle reverence.
“I’ll support whatever you want to try,” he said, his deep voice rough with emotion.
“If you think there’s hope for reconciliation, I’ll stand beside you in that belief. ”
The simple promise sent warmth flooding through their bond, and Celina leaned into his touch, drawing strength from his unwavering support.
This was what partnership felt like—not someone making decisions for her, but someone trusting her judgment and offering to share whatever consequences followed.
“Then let’s go face them now,” she said, covering his hands with hers.
They moved through the mansion with purpose toward the garage, and through the bond, she felt Osias’s tension spike.
When Celina finally climbed into the Ferrari, she knew this wasn’t just another drive to the pride lands—this was the moment Osias would be forced to exile the family members who’d betrayed him, and Celina would face the people who’d tried to destroy her happiness.
The engine soon purred to life with expensive precision, and as they pulled out of their drive, Celina reached across the center console to take his hand. His fingers intertwined with hers immediately, and she felt some of his tension ease through their bond.
“I’ll stand beside you every step of the way,” she said, squeezing his hand gently.
Through the completed bond, she felt his grief and hurt war with anger, but underneath it all, a glimmer of hope. The Alpha who’d spent fifteen years protecting everyone, including the people who’d ultimately betrayed him, still wanted to believe in redemption.
Beverly Hills blurred past the windows as they drove toward the pride lands in the afternoon sunlight, the familiar landscape taking on ominous significance. Somewhere ahead, Braxton and Margot waited in detention, and beyond that, Rennick was still plotting his next move.
But for the first time in hours, Celina felt something other than rage and betrayal coursing through her veins. She felt determination, clarity, and the unshakeable certainty that whatever happened, they would face it as the strong unit they’ve become.
Ten minutes later, the pride town hall entrance loomed ahead of them and Celina’s anticipation spiked as they approached the wooden doors.
Through their bond, Osias’s emotions crashed over her in waves—grief so deep it made her chest ache, fury burning like molten steel, and underneath it all, the terrible certainty of a man who knew exactly what he had to do.
Osias reached the entrance first, his hand steady on the brass handle despite the storm raging beneath his composed exterior, and pulled the door open for her.
The gesture was automatic even in this moment of crisis, but she felt the change in him immediately as they crossed the threshold, the Alpha reasserting himself for this reckoning.
The massive space stretched before them, the afternoon sunlight shining through tall windows to illuminate what felt more like a courtroom than a community center.
Near the front, Juno stood with focused attention alongside Seth and Thomas, their postures rigid with the formality the situation demanded.
And there, sitting in wooden chairs like defendants awaiting sentencing, were Braxton and Margot.
Celina had expected defiance or anger. The kind of righteous indignation that came from people who believed they’d been wronged.
But instead, both figures looked utterly defeated, their shoulders curved inward with guilt and what appeared to be genuine remorse.
Braxton’s usually perfect hair was disheveled and his designer clothes were wrinkled as if he’d been wrangled.
While Margot’s impeccable composure had crumbled entirely, leaving behind a woman who looked every one of her fifty-eight years.
Neither of them was restrained, yet they sat motionless, as if invisible chains held them in place.
They look like people I could actually reason with, Celina thought, surprised by the observation because she’d braced herself for a battle, not this quiet surrender.
Osias stepped away from her, and the tender mate who’d held her hand in the car vanished, replaced by the Alpha who’d led his pride for fifteen years.
His spine straightened, his jaw set with granite determination, and when he moved forward, every step carried the weight of absolute authority.
Through their mate bond, she felt the tremor of guilt and hurt that threatened to break him, but also his unwavering understanding that sometimes an Alpha had to do impossible things to protect the people who depended on him.
He stopped directly in front of the chairs where Braxton and Margot sat, his towering presence casting them in shadow, and the silence stretched until it became suffocating. When Osias finally spoke, his voice held the controlled power of a man delivering judgment.
“We know that you two conspired with Rennick. First, with the attempted kidnapping of
Celina the day we first met to keep us apart.
Second, with the defamation of my character over the past two weeks, including carrying out that on-set accident to paint me as dangerous.
Third, with the rogue lion attack in broad daylight to force me to shift in public and expose our pride to Hollywood. ”