Chapter 203: The Meeting of Supremes — I love a Rotblood

The room remained silent after Malachi’s words, and it was definitely not because they suddenly agreed with him.

Cassian knew better than that.

Everyone here had spent years hearing the word Rotblood spoken with disgust. A few minutes of conversation and some ancient parchments weren’t going to erase generations of hatred in the blink of an eye.

But at least they were thinking now, and that was something.

Roderic slowly leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping against the armrest. "Suppose everything you have said is true," he began. "Suppose Rotbloods are not cursed, and suppose this particular one can actually absorb Moonfire. What exactly do you expect us to do?"

"Change the way your territories treat them," Cassian replied.

"That isn’t a war strategy." Roderic gave him a cold look.

"It is part of one. A very significant strategy,"

"Significant?"

"Yes. Because if the information Rowan has been spreading reaches every territory, then eventually someone might just discover another Rotblood. Or, a Rotblood in hiding could reveal themselves,"

"And if that happens?"

"They need to be protected."

A few Supremes exchanged looks.

Caelan shook his head and sighed, "Protected?" His voice carried disbelief, "We are talking about a war. You are telling us to start searching for Rotbloods and protecting them while an army of rogues is burning our lands?"

"I’m telling you that killing the only people capable of dealing with the thing — capable of walking through Moonfire without getting hurt — destroying us would be stupid."

"What if we find no rotblood?"

"We know one."

"Then tell us where this one is." Varek insisted.

"We already answered that." Cassian’s expression was like a brick wall.

"No. You avoided it." Someone replied.

Caelan leaned forward, his palms pressing against the table again, "If she can absorb Moonfire, then keeping her hidden while our territories fall is no different from allowing this war to continue."

Malachi remained silent, and Cassian noticed something had been subtly different about him.

Earlier, Malachi had been listening. Now he looked as though he had stopped hearing them altogether.

His eyes were fixed somewhere beyond the table, beyond the walls of the ancient hall.

Della.

Cassian knew exactly where his mind had gone.

She had told him what she wanted. He’d heard them arguing that morning all the way to his castle.

Not his apology.

Not his crown.

Not his promises.

She wanted him to leave everything behind.

His position.

His territory.

His authority.

His people.

Everything.

She wanted him to stand beside her while the world burned, and Cassian believed Malachi would never do it. He had watched the man fight for his territory for years. He had seen him bleed for Eclipse Crown, sacrifice for his people and carry responsibilities that would have crushed most Alphas.

Malachi was many things, but abandoning his people had never been one of them.

It’s always been Duty over Desire. Never changed. And it was never going to change.

Cassian’s only worry was the tight position Malachi was now in. How else was he supposed to win her back?

"How many days?" Seris suddenly asked.

Everyone looked at her.

"How many days do we have before the rogues reach the central territories?"

"We don’t know." Cassian exhaled slowly.

"Then estimate."

"We can’t."

Seris frowned.

"The attacks are spreading. The rogues have been circling us, and every territory that falls gives them more ground."

Silence.

"If I had to give an estimate, I’d say we have just a few days left to do what we have to do."

"We are already preparing." Saelis said again.

"Preparing isn’t stopping them." His words hung heavily in the room, and nobody shook it.

No one argued.

Because he was right.

Cassian had been receiving reports since dawn.

Another village destroyed.

Another patrol missing.

Another pack forced to evacuate.

The rogues were seriously advancing.

"Then perhaps there is another solution." Roderic broke the silence, and his fingers stopped tapping.

Malachi finally looked at him.

"If this Rotblood refuses to help us, we find them." He said coldly.

Cassian’s expression immediately changed, "No."

"We have twenty-five territories represented in this hall. Surely someone can track one wolf." He barked again.

"The awakened Rotblood isn’t an ordinary wolf."

"Everything leaves a trail."

"Not her."

"You seem remarkably certain." Roderic’s eyes narrowed. "You know more than you’re telling us."

Cassian’s hand tightened beneath the table.

That was becoming a problem.

"We know enough to understand that hunting them will make things worse." He said instead.

"How?"

"Because they aren’t hiding from the rogues."

Cassian stopped.

He had almost said too much.

Caelan noticed and pushed again, "Then what are they doing?"

Cassian glanced at Malachi.

He still hadn’t moved.

"Caelan," Cassian said slowly, "You don’t want to know."

"I think I do."

"No." The answer came from Malachi this time, and the attention was on him again.

He finally lifted his head, and the calmness that radiated off him was even worse than the last one, "Because whatever you think you’re going to do once you find them, you won’t."

"And why is that?" Roderic studied him.

Malachi’s gaze moved toward the ancient scroll lying between them, "Because you are still thinking like the wolves who created this problem." He said, "You hear that a Rotblood can absorb Moonfire, and your first thought is to find them."

Malachi’s eyes moved slowly around the table.

"Not to ask them, not to understand them, and not even to consider what they might want. You immediately thought about what you could take from them."

Several Supremes shifted uncomfortably.

"That is exactly why she will never help you." Malachi continued.

"Do not presume to speak for someone you refuse to identify." Roderic’s expression darkened.

"I don’t need to presume. I know them,"

The words landed differently, and Cassian watched his friend’s face again.

It was... absurdly blank.

There was no anger in it anymore.

No desperation.

No hesitation.

Only a frightening kind of certainty.

"Oh heavens...," Roderic observed, a certain glint in his eyes, "Malachi...You loved this Rotblood,"

It wasn’t a question.

"Yes," Malachi answered.