Chapter 161: The Powder Of Truth

Few days ago...

Annelise had just left the Healing wing after speaking to her mother. She didn’t know if there would ever come a time that her mother would understand, and it was tearing her apart.

She leaned on the door for a moment, listening to the breathless sobs of her mother. She didn’t know if there was any other thing she could do to break her heart any less.

"I’m really sorry," She murmured tearfully.

In a bit, she was on her way back to meet Della so they could leave the castle. She gripped the front of the sack tightly as she navigated through the castle, avoiding the patrolling and stationed guards.

Then, she came across the route that led to the Alpha’s chambers and halted.

She almost forgot!

Quickly, she slipped into the corridor and tiptoed her way closer to the doors of his chambers. As she approached, she pulled out a little something she had prepared from her sack, and then she dropped it in front of his room.

She then knocked once, then she turned around and ran off.

Seconds later, a grumpy Alpha opened the door.

No one was there.

He looked down and saw a little pouch with a small folded paper right next to it.

Written on the paper was:

Alpha Malachi, this is Oathroot. Sprinkle this into the flames, question them and watch as it forces the truth out of them all. And when you finally hear it, remember Della.

Come for her.

He opened the porch and saw a purple powder inside it. He’d never seen anything like it before, and it was weirdly...scentless.

Two days had passed now, and Malachi had been busy in his study. He finally returned to his room, and the first thing he saw was the note and pouch sitting right there on a small piece of furniture.

He didn’t trust Annelise enough to believe what she wrote in the note, which stemmed from the fact that he didn’t completely trust anyone. Not even himself.

Oathroot.

A substance capable of forcing the truth from someone who consumed it.

His fingers curled against the edge of the desk, and there was still a part of him that wanted to throw the powder away and pretend he’d never received it. Because using it meant admitting something he wasn’t ready to admit.

That perhaps he had been wrong.

That perhaps all those years of conviction had been nothing more than grief and rage wearing the face of certainty.

But then again, there was another way to find out if this strange powder truly held the powers of truth in them. He could use it on himself.

If it’s meant to actually poison his wolf, it wouldn’t affect him since he doesn’t have a wolf.

And he would be damned if he said he wasn’t curious enough to know if it was possible to actually get the truth out of someone.

His hands tightened around the pouch, and then he was on his way to the Hall of Ashes. He came across Cassian standing in front of the doors, staring at the ancient languages written all over the doors.

"Perfect timing," Malachi said as he opened the door, "Follow me,"

Cassian watched in awe as Malachi walked past him and into the sacred room. A second later, he also walked into the room.

He found Malachi standing by one of the burning torches, staring at a powder intensely...then he sprinkled a bit of its contents into it.

He didn’t move for a few seconds, watching the flames like he was waiting for something big to happen.

When he felt no trace of harm in the air, Malachi walked back to Cassian and stood in front of him.

"Why are we here?"

"Because I need you to ask me questions,"

"What?"

"Go on," Malachi said, "Ask me anything. If that powder I just sprinkled is what she says it is, then I should be able to say nothing but the truth,"

Cassian had no idea what Malachi was talking about, "Who gave you the powder?"

"Just ask me, Cassian," Malachi pushed, his tone cold, "This could be your opportunity to cure all your curiosities,"

Cassian considered it, "Fine," He crossed his arms curiously, "Do you trust me?"

"No...," Malachi paused, then, "Yes...in between,"

"In between?" Cassian questioned.

"Yes, in between," Malachi eyed him coldly, "Not after what you did with her,"

Oh fuck.

"Nothing happened between Della and I!" Cassian stated strongly.

"I don’t care anymore," Malachi spat, his eyes darkening, "Just ask me another question."

"Do you actually hate Adelaide?"

Malachi quietened for a moment, clamping his mouth shut. Of course he hated her! He spite her for doing all those things and still... pretending she was innocent.

He hated her for being with Cassian.

He hated her for trying to convince him the cub was his.

He hated her for sabotaging the banner that afternoon.

He hated her for coming into his life and fucking his head up.

"I do!" He gritted his teeth. "I hate her. I hate—"

His throat suddenly felt incredibly dry, but he disregarded it.

"You were saying?!" Cassian asked.

"I said I hate—" His voice cracked all of a sudden, and his lips parted on their own, and something entirely different came out, "I...love her,"

Cassian’s eyes flew open in shock, while Malachi’s hands flew to his throat and started to massage it. Why did he just say that?!

"What did you just say?"

"I said I love her," Malachi replied almost immediately, and then his face turned pale.

"Well...that’s new," Cassian replied, and then he stared at the burning torch again. Could that powder actually...be working? Only one way to find out.

"Malachi, do you truly believe that she did all those things she was framed for?"

Malachi didn’t want to say anything. Whatever had just happened to him needed to stop, but even his tremendous self-control couldn’t hold a candle against what was happening to him, "I...try to,"

"Try to?" Cassian took a step forward, "Explain yourself,"

Malachi was now glaring at Cassian, "I don’t want to do this anymore. You can stop asking me questions now,"

"I said, explain yourself!"

"It’s hard to believe she actually did those things. I want to believe she does, because it gives me a reason to hate her even more, hate what she is so that it keeps justifying why that collar is still around her neck,"

Malachi looked outright horrified and angry now, and his hands were tight fists by his sides.

"I can’t believe you," Cassian said quietly, "You actually...you treated her like a monster all this time while your instincts kept telling you that she was innocent?"

"Yes!" Malachi wanted to rip out his tongue, "I kept doing it because she was a rotblood like Katherine and I...," Malachi forced his legs to move toward the torch, anger rolling down his shoulders in waves.

"You what, Malachi?!"

"Because I never got to punish Katherine! So I decided to take it out on her!" Malachi’s voice shattered completely with rage.

"She didn’t do those things, Malachi! She didn’t kill your daughter! How could you?"

"She tried to burn us all with Moonfire...twice! She hired an assassin and she killed someone. She—"

"You don’t even believe yourself! You know you’re wrong. Deep down you know it’s all wrong,"

"She admitted to it all!"

"After she cried and begged that she didn’t. Did you ever care to know why she later admitted to it?!"

"I don’t fucking care!!"

They were both screaming now. Their voices were thunderous.

"I don’t care, Cassian. I don’t —" Malachi suddenly slammed a fist into the wall, sending out cracks around it, "I care so much, Cass. I care so fucking much but I need to let out this rage somewhere...and she’s just the perfect... victim,"

Malachi slowly pressed his forehead against the wall, leaning his whole body on it. His body was trembling from the exchange, and now he was muttering curses under his breath.

"I was right about not being the only one doing messed up shit like liking my stepsister," Cassian blurted out the last time, instantly realising that the substance was also working on him.

Malachi heard him loud and clear, and then he recalled what Della had said to Selene during her awakening.

’Another minute, you’re thinking of how to get your pussy fucked by either Malachi, the male whores...or your own brother,’

Cassian looked at the fire again, "So it works."

"It appears so." Malachi opened his eyes, and then walked back toward the torch and stared into the flames again.

There was no relief on his face.

Only devastation.

Because now he knew the powder worked.

And that meant Annelise’s warning wasn’t a desperate attempt to manipulate him. It meant she had known exactly what she was giving him.

Malachi reached into his pocket and felt the pouch beneath his fingers, "Now," he said quietly, "I want to know what everyone else has been hiding."