Chapter 151: The Night of Reckoning V

After glancing back a few more times, Selene finally noticed Cassian also standing by the door. They locked eyes for a moment, and he could see her pleading vehemently with her eyes.

He could see the unshed tears.

The rising anger.

The frustration.

But, then, he simply looked away from her, and she knew he wouldn’t help. He never planned on helping her, or else he would have stepped in long before it had gotten to this point.

Even if he did convince himself to step in now, they couldn’t undo the damage.

And Cassian never really came here...to take her side.

He was standing here for his own reasons. He was standing here because maybe all these confessions would give him a clue as to where Della and Annelise were right now.

Or rather, where Della was.

Because he knew. He knew Annelise was dead. He had stumbled upon her body buried beneath piles of horseshit.

"The day Della was...accused of stealing jewellery at the marketplace...Lady Selene and I had been present," Mara continued.

"How? What was she doing at the marketplace?"

"We...never intended to head to the marketplace. We were heading...to Elder Ravaryn’s place, so they would plan on...how to pressure you even more and eventually convince you to go after Della. But on our way there, we saw a carriage arriving and some men were pulling Della out of it," She paused and swallowed, "Lady... Beatrice was sitting inside the carriage,"

"So you’re saying Lady Beatrice was actually the one involved in the marketplace incident that day...not Selene?"

"Yes, Alpha," She nodded.

"Continue,"

"Some men dragged her toward the marketplace, and—" She clenched her teeth again.

"And what?!"

"The men... exchanged something with the man who owned the Jewellery he claimed was stolen,"

"Let me guess? Silver coins for the Diamond?"

"Yes," Mara looked stricken, "Then the men slipped the diamond into Della’s pocket,"

"Framed, again," Malachi said, mostly to himself.

"Yes," Mara squealed.

"Keep talking. What else?" He demanded.

Again, she tried to hold the words back but she couldn’t even bite down anymore. Everything kept coming out like a dam had just been opened after years of being closed.

"A few days ago...Lady Selene gave two other wolves and I...new instructions. She told me to kill Annelise...and have the other two wolves torture Della,"

"Malachi," Selene tried again desperately, angrily.

Malachi had had enough.

He was standing next to her in the blink of an eye, and sent a sharp jab straight to her throat.

Pain seared through her throat and all the way down to her lungs, and Selene’s eyes bulged open as she struggled to breath, one hand wrapped around her neck.

"Did I ask you to stop?!" Malachi glared at the maid.

"No, Alpha," Mara instinctively shifted her feet back, horror pressing down her shoulders like a living organism, "I...we waited till we noticed Della and... Annelise trying to escape, and then we struck when they were out of the castle,"

Moira had also been listening since she was present and seated at the very back of the room. She was already stunned and probably shocked half to death by everyone’s confessions, and the moment she heard her daughter’s name...she slowly stood up.

Selene...had instructed someone to kill her daughter?! The same woman who she wanted to end up with Malachi?!

"So, did you do it?" Malachi asked, his voice cracking a bit, "Did you kill the healer and Kidnap Della?"

Mara lowered her head again, "Yes," Her voice sounded almost inaudible, "I...did. We did,"

Moira collapsed, her eyes filling with tears as she fell down on both knees.

"And...where exactly is Della now?!"

"She—" Mara glanced at Selene again, "She should be dead as we speak. She was left her to burn in an abandoned storehouse many miles south of this castle,"

The moment the words left Mara’s tongue, Malachi looked up and gave one single nod. Ten guards instantly stormed out of the room, transforming into their wolf form with Della’s destination in mind.

Cassian also turned to leave, and Malachi wanted to stop him because obviously, he also had a lot of explaining to do.

But that would have to wait another time, because Cassian was an Alpha.

He would find Della in no time.

Selene could still feel her throat burning, but she couldn’t take it anymore. If Malachi wouldn’t let her stand again, she might as well crawl instead.

She gripped one of his legs as tight as she could, blood staining her lips from the throat blow she’s received, "Malachi, why won’t you believe me?! I didn’t do anything. I didn’t—"

"You didn’t what, Selene?" He looked down at her, his eyes unnaturally empty and lost, "You didn’t poison my mind about her all these weeks? You didn’t—" He let out a bitter laugh that made more people shrink, "You didn’t...kill Katherine?"

Selene stopped moving, and her body stopped shaking entirely.

"Do you know why this is happening today?"

The silence was crushing.

Nobody wanted to be in here again. If they could all flee, they would without hesitation.

"Do you know why you cannot seem to control what comes out of your mouths, today?"

Malachi let the question sit for about a minute. Let them all contemplate in their heads. Let them all come to the wrong conclusion or believe they’ve all been possessed.

"It’s because someone left me a little gift two days ago, and this little gift was sprinkled earlier today into every torch that burns in this room at this moment," He paused and let the words sink in, "You all have been inhaling it ever since you walked into this room."

Everyone’s gaze snapped toward the torches standing by each corner of the room, and their eyes widened in realisation. Whatever it was, it had not a drop of scent in it.

And this was the first time they were hearing about something that could...make someone tell the truth.

"Whoever that person is, whatever they told you!" Selene pushed, looking more desperate than ever with tears running down her cheeks, "It’s a lie! It doesn’t make us tell the truth! It makes us implicate ourselves," She gripped his clothing even more, "Please, Malachi. You have to believe me. I’ve been by your side ever since Katherine passed away, and you know I would never do anything to hurt you or anyone else. Please, you have to believe me! I love you, Malachi. I love you so much. You can’t let... whatever this is get in the way of what we’ve been building for the past few years now, please! This is all a trick!"

She sounded so sincere.

She sounded like someone who had been severely wronged, and she dearly hoped her fake act would get to him.

Malachi stared into her eyes — into those trembling orbs of hers that looked so beautiful and innocent — and he was pretty sure that if he had a dagger on him right now...he would have stabbed himself in his heart at that very moment.

He couldn’t imagine that all these years he had looked at this woman’s eyes...and had trusted it.

"I wasn’t tricked by anything," He replied, "You know why?"

Her breath became a little shallow.

"Because I tested it on myself just this afternoon, Selene. And I...also told the truth,"

Her hands began slipping away from his clothes, and the look of innocence in her eyes began stripping away.

"Now, let me ask you one final question..." Malachi wasn’t staring at something precious anymore, he was directly looking at the rot he had failed to see all this time, "Did you...kill Katherine that night?"