Chapter 121 SETTING THE TRAP

Chapter 121 SETTING THE TRAP
Lucian's Pov

I watched Celestia work her manipulation magic over the course of our stay in Brazen Pack and I had to admit I was impressed. She was playing everyone perfectly and they had no idea what she was really doing.

The amnesia act was brilliant. It gave her access to everything she needed while making people think she was harmless. Pack members talked freely around her and answered her questions without suspicion.

But what impressed me most was how she was playing Raphael. She had him completely twisted up and confused about his feelings for her.

One evening I observed their interaction in the pack house garden. Celestia had agreed to walk with Raphael at his request and I followed at a distance to make sure she was safe.

"I am glad you agreed to spend time with me even though you do not remember our past," Raphael said.

"You seem like a good person. Even though I do not have memories of us together I can tell you care deeply about this pack and its people. That is admirable," Celestia said.

"I made so many mistakes. With you, with Asher, with how I led this pack. I wish I could go back and do things differently," Raphael said.

"We cannot change the past. We can only try to do better in the future. What matters is that you learn from your mistakes and become a better Alpha," Celestia said gently.

Raphael looked at her with such longing it was almost painful to watch. He clearly still had feelings for her, and her kindness was giving him hope that maybe they could have another chance.

She didn’t notice or maybe she did and chose not to acknowledge it. Her compassion was instinctive, freely given, never meant as an invitation. To her, kindness was simply who she was now—not a promise, not a reopening of old doors.

But Raphael mistook it for something else.

He straightened, resolve flickering behind his eyes, as if the past could still be rewritten if he tried hard enough. If he waited. If he proved himself worthy this time.

What he didn’t understand was that some paths, once abandoned, did not circle back.

They only led forward.

And her future no longer included him.

"Do you think you could ever forgive me? Even though you do not remember what I did I am sure King Lucian has told you the basics. I exiled you when you were innocent. I kept your son from you. I believed lies instead of investigating the truth. Those are serious wrongs," Raphael said.

Celestia paused and seemed to think carefully about her answer. This was the moment where she would plant the seeds she needed.

"I suppose I have already forgiven you in a way. Since I do not remember what happened it does not hurt me the way it would if I had those memories. I can see you are truly sorry and trying to make amends. That matters more than dwelling on past mistakes," Celestia said.

I saw hope bloom on Raphael's face. He thought she was giving him a second chance. He thought maybe if he proved himself worthy she might consider leaving me and returning to him.

Exactly what Celestia wanted him to think.

Over the next few days I watched Celestia subtly drive wedges between Raphael and Medea. She would make innocent seeming comments that highlighted Medea's failures as Luna.

"The pack members seem stressed and unhappy. I wonder if there is something the Luna could be doing to boost morale?" Celestia would say to Raphael.

"Medea is not very good at the social aspects of being Luna. She prefers to keep to herself," Raphael would admit.

"That is unfortunate. A good Luna should be visible and engaged with the pack. But I am sure she has other strengths that make up for it," Celestia would reply sweetly.

I could see Raphael making comparisons in his head between Celestia and Medea. Celestia who was helping at the clinic and talking to pack members and being gracious. Medea who hid in her chambers and avoided everyone.

Celestia also planted seeds of doubt about Eclipse's past actions. She would ask innocent questions about Eclipse that made Raphael think more critically about their relationship.

“I heard Eclipse was my personal maid before. That seems like she would have been very loyal to me. I wonder why she would have testified against me during my exile?” Celestia asked one day.

I paused, considering how much to reveal. Loyalty was complicated. It wasn’t just about service—it was about survival, about choosing where your life and your voice could matter most. “People do what they think will protect them,” I said carefully. “Sometimes that means making impossible choices, even against those they care for.”

Celestia frowned, the question lingering between us like a shadow. “So she betrayed you?”

I shook my head. “No… Not exactly, she did what she believed she had to, given her position. But betrayal isn’t always black and white… And neither is justice.”

Her eyes softened, tinged with confusion and empathy. “I suppose it’s harder to judge when you don’t see the whole picture.”

I nodded. “Exactly and sometimes… the whole picture is never meant to be seen.”

"I do not know. I never really questioned it at the time but looking back it does seem strange. Why would your loyal maid suddenly turn on you?" Raphael said.

"Maybe she was not as loyal as everyone thought. Maybe she had her own agenda," Celestia suggested.

I could see Raphael's mind working through the implications. If Eclipse had her own agenda then maybe her testimony against Celestia had been false. Maybe he had been manipulated by Eclipse and Medea all along.

The more Celestia talked to him the more doubts she created. She never accused anyone directly. She just asked questions and made observations that led Raphael to his own conclusions.

It was masterful manipulation and I was both impressed and slightly disturbed by how good she was at it.

One evening after Celestia had spent the afternoon with Raphael I asked her about her strategy.

"You are playing him perfectly. He is starting to believe you might give him another chance if he proves himself worthy. Is that really what you want him to think?" I asked.

"Yes. I need him emotionally invested in winning me back. That will make him more willing to do what I ask when the time comes. And it keeps him off balance so he does not suspect what I am really doing here," Celestia explained.

"What are you planning to ask him to do?" I asked.

"I have not decided yet. But I am setting up the pieces so I have options when I need them. Raphael is so desperate for redemption that he will do almost anything I ask if he thinks it will earn my forgiveness," Celestia said.

"That is very calculated. Are you sure you are comfortable manipulating him like this?" I asked.

“He exiled me when I was innocent… He stole five years of my son’s life from me, he deserves to be manipulated and used... I have no sympathy for him,” Celestia said coldly.

Her words cut through the quiet like steel. There was no hesitation, no hint of doubt—only the raw, unfiltered edge of betrayal still burning deep inside her. I could feel the distance in her tone, the shield she had built around herself after everything she had lost.

“You don’t forgive easily,” I said softly, though it wasn’t a question.

“I don’t forgive what I can’t forget,” she replied. Her eyes were steady, unwavering, and in that clarity I saw something fierce and unrelenting. The past had taken much from her, but it hadn’t broken her. It had sharpened her.

And if anyone thought she would ever be soft toward him again, they were sorely mistaken.

I saw the hardness in her eyes and realized she had built walls around her heart to protect herself from feeling too much. She could not afford compassion or mercy when seeking revenge.

"Just make sure you do not lose yourself in this quest for vengeance. Revenge can consume you if you are not careful," I warned.

"I know what I am doing. Once I have all the evidence I need and I have made them pay for what they did I will let it go. But not before then," Celestia said.

I supported her completely but I also hoped she could find her way back to herself when this was all over. Because revenge was changing her and I was not sure I liked what it was turning her into.