Chapter 95: Seeds of doubt

Dear Readers, I hope you enjoy this mass release of eight Chapters to celebrate the new month!

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If Selene was still holding the tray, it would have slipped out of her grip by now, and its contents would be scattered all over the floor by now.

She remained calm though.

As calm as she could be at the moment.

"I think you would know," She replied, her voice giving nothing away, "You always know the truth about everything, Malachi. If you didn’t, your enemies would have killed you years ago,"

He nodded in agreement, "That’s true," He said, straightening, "But these days, I find myself questioning every single thing that I’ve ever believed in,"

Selene didn’t say anything.

"Like if I’ve always had full control over everything, or...if I made a good choice agreeing to the marriage proposal IronRidge sent us weeks ago," He paused, and Selene felt the air tighten to a height that sucked the air out of her lungs, "or if...I trusted the right people,"

A thin smile curled up against her lips, and her eyes sank, "I knew we were gonna have this conversation sooner or later, and I don’t blame anyone for this. After all, it’s only right that you get to the bottom of everything Della said about me that night, that she said about Beatrice too,"

"Yes," He placed both hands on the table, "It’s only right I do,"

Now, the situation looked very different from when she had walked in.

It looked like she was about to be interrogated.

Standing there, staring down at a man looking up at her with eyes that held no room for lies or misunderstandings.

"Is it true?"

Those three words struck hard, but she maintained her composure, "No,"

"So you didn’t do a single thing she accused you of?"

"No, I did not,"

Malachi held her gaze for several long seconds, "The Ceremony banner."

"No."

"The forgotten law."

"No."

"The assassin?"

"I’ve never hired one."

"Beatrice?"

Selene’s brows knitted together, "I don’t understand."

"Della claimed the two of you worked together."

A flicker of disbelief crossed Selene’s face before she let out a quiet breath, "I’ve barely spoken to Lady Beatrice outside formal gatherings."

Malachi watched every twitch of her face.

"So you’re saying Della fabricated every word she said?"

"I know so. But you also need to investigate them."

That answer made him pause, "You don’t sound afraid."

"Should I be?"

"If you’re innocent, no."

"If I’m innocent," she repeated softly.

Malachi slowly rose from his chair, and the scrape of wood against stone echoed through the study. He walked around the desk until only a few feet separated them.

"You knew Katherine."

"I did."

"You cared for her."

"I did."

"You mourned her."

"Every day."

His blue eyes bored into hers, "One specific thing keeps bugging me though...,"

He took another step.

"She said you were there."

The words hung heavily between them.

"The night Katherine died."

Silence.

"So I’ll ask you again." His voice dropped lower, "Were you there?"

Selene looked straight into his eyes, "No."

"Can you swear it?"

"I swear it upon my wolf."

The room fell quiet.

Malachi didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

He simply stared.

Finally, Selene drew in a slow breath, "May I ask you something, Alpha?"

"You just did." His expression didn’t change.

A faint, humourless smile touched her lips, "Do you truly believe I poisoned your mind?" She asked. "That I manipulated you? That I orchestrated all of this?"

"I asked you a question first."

"And I answered it."

She clasped her hands together, her fingers trembling just enough to appear wounded rather than afraid, "I’ve stood beside you ever since Lady Katherine died."

Malachi remained silent.

"I watched you lock yourself away from the world. I watched you refuse happiness because you blamed yourself, and I watched you bury your grief beneath duty until you barely resembled the man you used to be." Her voice softened. "I never once left your side."

She swallowed, "And now..." She lowered her eyes, "...because a Rotblood—someone who admitted before that she tampered with the Ceremonial banner, admitted she worked with the IronRidge Pack, admitted she wanted to ruin the ceremony—because she spoke my name..." She looked back up at him, her eyes glistening, "...you looked at me as though you didn’t recognise me."

Malachi’s jaw tightened slightly.

"I expected anger from you," Selene whispered, "And I did expect you to question me. But I never expected..." Her voice cracked, "...that after everything we’ve been through together, you would think I was capable of murdering Katherine."

The study fell deathly quiet, and Selene shook her head slowly, as if struggling to understand it herself, "Do you know what hurts the most?"

Malachi didn’t answer.

"It is understanding that I could spend years proving my loyalty." She gave a small, broken laugh, "And all it took was one night for you to wonder if I’d been lying to you all along."

She looked down, wiping at the corner of one eye, "I suppose that’s the difference between us."

Malachi’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, "I never doubted you, Selene,"

She closed her eyes briefly, as though those words alone had eased a wound deep inside her, "Thank you." She said.

"But I do now."

Her eyes flew open, and the relief that had begun settling across her face vanished so quickly she couldn’t hide it.

Malachi noticed.

"I don’t know whether you’re guilty," He admitted calmly. "And I don’t know whether Della lied." His voice remained level, "What I do know is that my instincts and my judgement disagree."

Silence.

"I’ve ignored my instincts before." His gaze drifted past her for only a second, towards the window, "It cost my daughter her life."

Selene felt her throat tighten.

"I’m not making that mistake again."

"Malachi..."

He raised a hand, stopping her, "I’m not accusing you." His expression remained unreadable, "I’m questioning everyone."

A long pause followed.

"You. Beatrice. IronRidge. Leopold. The council. My own decisions. Myself," He listed out.

Selene forced herself to smile, "And what if this is exactly what Della wanted?" She asked gently. "To make you question everyone until you stood alone?"

"I’ve considered that."

"And?"

His eyes settled on hers again, "If that’s her plan, then I’ll discover it."

Another pause.

"And if it isn’t..." The air in the study seemed to grow colder, "Then I’ll discover something else."

Selene could only nod, as she couldn’t think of anything else she could say. But she could tell something was different now.

Something was different about him.

He wasn’t acting like a man looking for a confession from her, or anyone, in fact...he was acting like a hunter that had finally caught a scent.

And hunters never stopped once they did.