Moonfire Bride: The One they all betrayed...till she awakened

”You,” Malachi said quietly.

Cassian tilted his head slightly, almost casually, as though the weight of the entire gathering had no authority over him at all, ”Me.”

The air between them changed immediately, and even the surrounding Supremes shifted as the pressure in the ceremonial grounds subtly altered.

Malachi was looking at Cassian with so much held back in his emotions, while Cassian’s remained relaxed.

”Nightveil does not interfere in Eclipse Crown affairs.” Alpha Roderic said.

Cassian didn’t even glance at him as he replied, his tone remaining calm and measured, ”That depends on whether I’m watching is justice... or convenience. Also...tonight just happens to be a neutral night. The torn banner doesn’t just concern Eclipse pack since every other Pack could most likely be affected by it, so...I believe Nightveil does need to interfere in Eclipse Crown’s affairs,”

Della genuinely didn’t know what to think of Cassian...yet. As of now, she was only trying to understand why someone like him would step into something that was already turning volatile.

Malachi stepped forward, and the moment he did, the weight of his presence deepened across the entire gathering, silencing even the smallest whispers as though the air itself had been forced to obey him, ”This is not your Pack. Stay out of it.” He said coldly.

Cassian’s eyes flicked toward Della for the briefest second before returning to Malachi, and that single glance carried something unreadable that made the tension feel even more unstable around the gathering.

”It seems you didn’t understand what I have just said,” Cassian replied quietly, ”But then again, Malachi, you’ve never been the type that listened. Since you’ve decided to sentence your own mate without hesitation,”

”That is not your place to comment on,” Malachi said, the coldness in his voice increasing.

Cassian’s lips curved slightly, but it wasn’t warmth this time, ”I disagree.”

The tension tightened instantly, as though the entire gathering was now a breath away from breaking. Two Supreme Alphas from the most powerful territories colliding...never ends well.

Cassian stepped forward slightly so he could be seen clearly by everyone present, and when he spoke again, his voice carried with calm authority, ”You condemned her based on evidence you didn’t question, and based on fear you didn’t acknowledge.”

”Are you lecturing me?” Malachi narrowed his eyes, and Della felt another wave of growing rage through the bond.

”I’m correcting you,” Cassian replied.

A collective intake of breath followed that statement, as several Alphas shifted uneasily at the boldness of it.

”The mate bond never lies about emotional alignment, and you know that as well as I do. She is yours, and yet you watched her get dragged, slapped, beaten, and chose verdict over instinct.”

Della’s heart jolted painfully at that, because the way he said it made it sound like something undeniable had already been overlooked. He couldn’t be more correct.

Malachi’s gaze snapped briefly toward her, just for a fraction of a second, before he forced it away again as though even looking at her for too long would be a mistake, ”I don’t need lessons in bond theory,” Malachi said flatly. ”And I certainly don’t need them from you.”

Cassian’s expression softened slightly, but his eyes remained steady and sharp as ever, ”Still traumatised by your last mate, I see?”

Malachi’s eyes flashed red for a second, ”Cassian...” He warned again

Della’s eyeballs were literally about to fall off. What in the Moon Goddess’s name did Cassian mean by ’Last mate?’ It had her suspecting that Malachi and Cassian’s bad energy went deeper than she knew. A story she would very much like to know.

”Also,” Cassian continued, ”Don’t take it as a theory, rather, take it as a fact,”

Then, he turned slightly to the entire gathering and delivered a message that started to change everything, ”I followed her after I met her earlier.”

The entire ceremonial ground froze instantly, and Della’s head snapped up in shock, her breath catching sharply.

Malachi’s expression sharpened immediately, his attention locking fully onto Cassian as the atmosphere around him tightened further.

Cassian continued evenly, as though he were describing something entirely detached from emotion, ”I saw her movements after she left the upper corridors, I saw where she went, who she avoided, and what she touched.” A murmur rippled through the crowd, but Cassian raised a hand slightly without even looking at them, and the noise turned into silence once again, ”And before anyone assumes interference, I did not approach her. I observed from a distance alone.”

His gaze shifted briefly, almost imperceptibly, toward Selene, and then toward Beatrice, before returning forward again.

Selene’s eyes widened a moment from her brother’s words, while Beatrice’s skin began turning pale.

Alpha Cassian had... witnessed everything?!

”The Moonfire ash found on her hands is consistent with accidental contact with contaminated fabric, not with deliberate sabotage of a ceremonial banner.” Cassian declared so strongly that he left no room for uncertainty.

The silence continued.

”As for the banner itself, I have not seen any conclusive evidence that the structural failure originated from her actions, and that requires deeper investigation before any final judgment is made.”

Cassian finally turned his full attention back to Malachi.

”I will say this once,” He said calmly. ”You should not have sentenced her before verifying what you were looking at.”

Malachi’s rage was... shooting off, but Della could feel him trying to control it, ”You speak as though you understand my Pack’s judgment better than I do.”

”I speak as someone who understands that irreversible decisions made in public rarely survive private correction.”

”Why are you really here, Cassian?” Malachi asked quietly.

Cassian met his gaze without hesitation, his expression unreadable but steady, ”Because chaos always draws attention,” He replied, ”and tonight there is more chaos than explanation.”

Before Malachi could respond, another voice cut sharply through the tension, ”I can testify for Della,”

Della’s eyes snapped toward the owner of the voice, and she wasn’t sure whether to break into tears or attack the maid with a crushing hug.

Mara stepped forward, her body trembling as the weight of every eye present fell on her. Her lips quivered, and her head remained lowered to the ground.

”A...Alpha,” She almost shuddered, ”Forgive me for interrupting. I...”

”Speak of what you know!” Malachi commanded.

Mara’s eyes remained fixed to the floor, ”I was actually on duty in the Workrooms this afternoon,” she said clearly, ”I was there the entire time, till the moment the guards came for the banner...and I did not see Della enter the Workrooms at any point while I was on duty.”

Cornelia’s expression tightened immediately, and she yelled from where she stood, ”This is biased. You are close to her.”

Cassian threw her a look, and the large woman seemed to melt and lower her head once again.

”You can...check the duty rosters to confirm that I was on duty this afternoon. Della was made to scrub the castle walls all day, nothing more,”

”So you’re saying that the other woman lied about seeing Della walking into the Workrooms?” Cassian demanded.

Mara subtly glanced at Cornelia, fear flashing in her eyes, ”I...I’m not saying she didn’t see her, all I know is Della never came into the Workrooms,” She paused, thinking whether it was a good idea to add more, ”Della and I... aren’t close. I was just instructed by the Alpha when she first arrived to treat her injured leg and...show her where her duties lay. That’s all, I swear this before the Moon Goddess,”

Cornelia opened her mouth to say something, but instantly shut them back up.

”This case is finally going somewhere,” Cassian commented, more to the crowd than to himself, ”Anyone else got anything to say?”

Della now seemed a bit hopeful and kept looking at Cassian. If he really had followed her, then he must have witnessed the part where she had been caught and beaten up by Beatrice and Selene.

It means he knows his sister and Beatrice... aren’t innocent at all. He knows Beatrice faked the act.

And he could expose them.

But Della doubted that.

After all, Selene was his sister. He was probably protecting that part of the story, since it would also affect his Pack in general.

Speaking of the devil herself, Beatrice suddenly went down on both knees, startling Leopold who had been holding her. She placed both hands on the floor and said softly, ”Please, Alpha Malachi, please let there be no further conflict. I never believed my sister would go as far as sabotaging that banner. Please, do not send her to the iron pits, I plead your mercy!!”

Della didn’t even care anymore. She had this insane urge to get up and rip off that demonic tongue Beatrice carried.

”Beatrice Astridge,” Cassian called, and the girl looked up at him slowly. Della could see the fear in her eyes. Fear that he was going to somehow expose her.

”Just one more clarification,”

Beatrice blinked. ”I... I’ve already explained everything.”

Cassian nodded once, ”I know.” He paused, ”When you say you confronted Della, where exactly did this occur?”

The question seemed simple, but Beatrice stiffened. Was this his way of trying to expose her? Because he would know if she told the truth or if she was lying and would expose her.

His words against hers... everyone would believe him!

”I was...near the inner corridors when I noticed her sneaking around the castle.” She replied.

Cassian tilted his head a bit, ”That is not what you said earlier.”

A ripple passed through the crowd, and Beatrice’s head lifted quickly. ”Yes, it is.”

Cassian didn’t react, but simply continued, ”In your first statement, you said you noticed her while you and the maids were preparing for the evening. Doesn’t that place you in the work-preparation wing?”

Beatrice hesitated, her body beginning to slowly tremble.

”But you are now describing the inner corridors which are nowhere near close to the work-preparation wing...how?”

Beatrice’s fingers tightened as she felt multiple gases landing on her back, ”I... I was moving between areas,” She said quickly. ”It was a busy evening. Things were everywhere, I—”

”Between areas is not the same as being in one place.” Cassian cut in gently.

”I actually don’t remember the exact path,” she admitted more quietly, trying her possible best not to give anything away, ”It all happened so fast—”

Cassian tilted his head slightly, ”But you remember confronting her clearly.”

Beatrice nodded quickly. ”Yes.”

Cassian’s eyes sharpened, ”Alone?”

Beatrice hesitated, then she quickly answered, ”There were maids nearby. They witnessed the confrontation,”

Big mistake from her.

A faint murmur spread through the crowd, but Cassian didn’t even react to it yet.

He hummed under his breath, like he was thinking of something crucial, ”How come you didn’t mention them before. You clearly told all of us that you confronted her, she attacked you and beat you up before the guards later arrived and apprehended her. If the maids had been there...,” He paused for effect, ”I highly doubt a weak, wolfless servant like her would be able to beat you so badly that even your clothes are ripped. It sounds... illogical,”

Beatrice’s lips parted, but nothing came out immediately. Her breathing had become very uneven, and she couldn’t even bare to look up again.

Arms came around her shoulders instantly, and Leopold’s protective warmth surrounded her as he helped her up. His arms tightened around her petite frame, then he looked up at Cassian ”She is under stress, Alpha. This entire night has been chaos. I kindly ask that you do not twist her words.”

Cassian finally looked at him with not a single whiff of hostility in his eyes or body language, ”I am not twisting anything, Leo,” he said calmly.

Then his gaze returned to Beatrice.

”I am simply separating them.”

Beatrice swallowed hard, stuttering as she spoke, ”I... I may not have emphasized every detail earlier,” She said quickly. ”That doesn’t change what she did, and I couldn’t raise my hand back at her...because we are sisters and I love her so much!” Beatrice burst into tears once again, clinging hard unto Leopold.

Della rolled her eyes.

”Beatrice loves her sister very much. Even during our wedding, the Rotblood slapped her and Beatrice would have torn her to shred at that moment, but she didn’t,” Leopold grounded out.

”The things that happened during the wedding doesn’t concern what happened today. I am simply here to tell your wife that the consistency of her earlier words, and the account she just gave...mismatch,”

Cassian then faced Malachi again, and as if on cue, the wind picked up again and every banner still standing flapped hard under the intense force of it.

”Which brings me back to my request, Malachi,” Cassian stated, his eyes sharper than before.

Malachi has never looked more deadly before.

”I will be taking the servant back with me after tonight as you thoroughly investigate what happened here, since clearly, you cannot see things as they are,”

Rowan looked like he was a breath away from shifting.

”You’re overstepping!!” Malachi’s eyes flashed again.

”Am I?” He questioned, ”Sentencing your own mate to the Iron pits less than ten minutes after evidence starts appearing in front of you,” Cassian’s eyes then narrowed, ”Evidence that is now falling apart. The banner remains unexplained, and so is the Moonfire ash found on it, and the testimony remains inconsistent. Yet somehow the only thing certain about tonight is the destruction of your mate... don’t you find that insanely suspicious?!”

Della actually saw many Alphas look at Malachi. It seems they were also getting convinced.

”So no,” The wind intensified, and several wine glasses rolled off the table and shattered, yet no one even breathed, ”I am not asking permission, and I will take her away whether you like it or not, not until you start doing the right thing and stop punishing her for Katherine’s sins,”