Chapter 198: When the Sun comes up.

Della stood up, her face red with anger and madness.

She didn’t even say a word to him and started to walk away.

Her thoughts were rampant, and her emotions were one touch away from becoming explosive.

Her veins were bulging up her neck like they were about to pop, but the most annoying thing was that some part of her wanted to turn around and jump into his arms again.

And that was because the Moon was peeking somewhere in the sky.

She kept walking, not looking back once.

She was never returning to those chambers again.

Cassian had betrayed her trust.

The sound of rushed, approaching footsteps and tense, quick breath caught her ear right before Malachi grabbed her arm from behind in an attempt to stop her.

The moment he touched her, all hell broke loose.

"Get your filthy hands off me!!" She roared, turning around to face him, "Tell me, are you happy now? Did you enjoy yourself all night? Did you enjoy taking advantage of the Full Moon and the mate bond?"

"Della—"

"You and Cassian can go fuck yourselves now!" She continued in her rage, "You can go screw yourselves till the rogues and the Moonfire come for all of you,"

"Moonfire, I promise you. I didn’t plan this. I didn’t—"

"You didn’t know what happened to mates on the night of the Full Moon? Of course you do. Did you think fucking me would change my mind? Did you think I would stand up the next morning and everything that happened in the past would be erased? No, Malachi. I still hate you. I still hate all of you, and I want nothing more than to watch you all burn!"

Malachi looked devastated, and he knew he shouldn’t reach for her again, but it was like a deep-rooted ancient instinct. He raised his hand to touch her pale face, and her claws returned the touch.

Three long claw tears slashed against his wrist.

"Keep those hands to yourself!" She spat, "Just try and touch me again and see what I will do to you,"

Malachi didn’t even acknowledge the wound.

All he cared about was her.

"I’m really sorry, Moonfire. I—" He dragged a deep breath down his lungs, and she could hear his organs rattling from it, "I should have been more cautious. I shouldn’t have come tonight,"

"Yeah? Well, too late!" She turned around and resumed walking.

And the Moon Goddess save him because if he tried to stop her again, the entire limb was going to come off and she would turn him into her personal punching bag after that.

Malachi did follow her, and she growled when she heard him approaching. Only this time, he didn’t touch her. Instead, he walked in front of her, moving backwards while facing her with a regretful, haunted look, "Moonfire, please listen to me,"

"We have nothing to talk about,"

"You have to listen to me. You have to help us,"

"I don’t have to do shit for anyone! Go fucking burn to death!"

"What about the people who have helped you?"

"Is your memory defective? They are all dead!"

"Rowan did nothing but help you...and he’s still alive,"

That made her halt completely, and she glared up at Malachi.

"He went against my orders and helped you escape the first time. He was also the one who got the cottage for you and Annelise to stay in at the human town. When you first awakened, and I sent him to find out the truth about Rot-bloods, he didn’t just bring evidence. He also dug into the Moonfire incident at IronRidge that night, and that was how I began to realise that you were innocent all along,"

Della’s angry looks faltered for a moment.

Rowan had never really treated her badly. She still remembered the day after Garrett had been arrested that he’d brought her food, and how Annelise had talked about their ’secret helper’ and Della had initially thought it was Malachi.

Turns out it was both of them.

"Fine." Della shrugged, "Then I’ll save him. Only him,"

"The problem is he won’t agree to that,"

That beta would rather fall with his pack and people than be saved alone, and Della knew that, "That’s no longer my problem,"

She started to walk again, and Malachi kept following her. Still trying to convince her. To do anything.

"Think about Annelise. Think about everything that she did for you,"

"Don’t say her name!" Della threw out her claws again, and she caught him across the shoulder this time.

He didn’t groan.

He didn’t even bother to dodge.

"She wouldn’t have wanted you to do this," Malachi continued, his voice so soft it only intensified her anger.

"You have no idea what she would have wanted. You know why? Because she’s dead! She tried to help me, and she was slaughtered like sheep!"

"And I am so sorry, Moonfire. I am so very sorry for her loss...," His voice cracked badly as he stared down at her flat stomach for a second and the five-dotted scar that rested there — where Selene had shoved her claws into and killed their baby, "For every loss, for every pain. For every moment. I am so very sorry!"

"And you would remain sorry for the rest of your life!"

"Moonfire—"

"Stop calling me that!!"

Malachi closed his eyes herself, the skin between his eyebrows lining up as more and more torrents of pain and regret slammed into him, "I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,"

"If you’re really sorry, then give it all up!" She barked, "Give it all up and join me. Prove to me just how sorry you are,"

"You know I can’t,"

"Then get out of my face. Malachi, I rejec—"

"I refuse!!" He growled back.

"You are selfish all the way," She said and let out a dark, pitiless, and humourless chuckle, "You want me, but you don’t want to pay the price. And that, Malachi, is exactly why I would always hate you. You could come at me on nights of the Full Moon, and we would fuck like animals everywhere, but when the sun comes back up...I’ll remind you exactly where you stand,"

Malachi didn’t follow her this time.

He just stood there, frozen with a pounding, heavy heart as she once again walked away.