Chapter 0030
Seraphina’s POV
“But how is that possible?” I gasped, my voice trembling with shock. “That candle must have been poisoned! I only started feeling sick after Lucian brought it into my room!”
“I know,” Trent replied, his tone grave. “But the test results indicate that the candle is safe. It’s just a regular scented candle.”
I shook my head, unwilling to accept this. “Maybe there’s something wrong with the testing agency? What if they faked the results?”
Trent’s voice remained steady. “I don’t think so. Alpha Caden chose the agency himself—one he trusts. His soldiers were stationed there the whole time to ensure the process was accurate.”
The weight of his words settled heavily on my chest. If the testing agency was reliable, then the candle must have been swapped.
My mind raced, piecing together the events of that night. Lucian… He had left the room at some point to inform Althea. Could he have switched the poisoned candle for a harmless one while Caden was focused on saving me?
I grabbed the door handle and urgently said, “Tell Caden that Lucian might have swapped the candles—”
“That’s exactly what Alpha Caden said!” Trent interrupted. “He’s already working on finding the poisoned candle. The entire Emerald Howl Pack is assisting him.”
Before I could ask how Caden planned to retrieve it, voices erupted outside the door.
“Hey, you! Get out of here! No visitors!” a soldier barked.
“I have to go,” Trent said hastily. “Tomorrow morning, Damon is taking you to court again. We’ll do everything we can to expose Althea’s crime before then!”
Trent’s hurried footsteps faded down the corridor, leaving me in silence.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Slowly, I walked back to the couch, where Isla rushed to my side, her tear-filled eyes wide with fear.
“What do we do now?” she sobbed, clutching my arm. “Can we still go back to Emerald Howl Pack after this?”
I stroked her hair gently, forcing a reassuring smile. “We will. I promise.”
But deep down, uncertainty gnawed at me.
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If we couldn’t prove the candle was poisoned, Althea would spin the narrative in her favor, convincing everyone that Caden’s presence in my room was evidence of an affair.
And Damon? He’d use the situation to his advantage, stripping me of everything I had fought so hard to reclaim—my soldiers, my assets, the Carnival City project…everything.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, clenching my fists.
I had underestimated Althea. She wasn’t just cunning; she was ruthless, a venomous snake coiled and ready to strike.
But I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Isla,” I said firmly, “let’s search the room. We might still find evidence to prove Althea’s guilt.”
“Okay!” Isla nodded, her resolve mirroring mine.
We began scouring every corner of the room, leaving nothing untouched—not even Lucian’s bed.
To my frustration, his bed was pristine, devoid of any clues.
But then, as I sifted through the trash bin, my fingers brushed against something. Pulling it out, I found a crumpled piece of tissue with a hardened wax stain on it.
I gasped, holding it up for Isla to see. “Look at this! I used this tissue to wipe off wax that dripped on the table the other day. I tossed it in the trash afterward.”
Isla’s eyes lit up with realization. “If the wax on this tissue is toxic, it proves Lucian swapped the candles! And it would also prove Althea tried to poison you!”
I nodded, determination flaring in my chest. This was the evidence I needed.
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That night passed excruciatingly slowly. Every second felt like an eternity, my thoughts consumed by the upcoming trial.
At 7 a.m., a loud knock echoed through my room.
When I opened the door, a group of armed soldiers stood waiting.
“It’s time, Luna Seraphina,” one of them announced.
I took a deep breath, glancing back at Isla, who stood frozen with worry etched across her face.
“I’ll be okay,” I whispered to her.
With that, I stepped out, surrounded by the guards.
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The courthouse wasn’t far, but as we approached, I was taken aback by the sight before me. The doors were wide open, and the space was packed—onlookers filled the seating area, the corridors, the staircase, and even spilled out onto the streets.
“What’s going on?” I asked one of the soldiers urgently. “I thought this was supposed to be a closed trial!”
The soldier shrugged, his expression indifferent. “Your alleged affair with Alpha Caden is big news. These outraged citizens volunteered to witness the trial.”
I stared at the sea of faces, a mix of judgment, curiosity, and anticipation etched into their expressions.
This wasn’t just a trial anymore—it was a spectacle.
I straightened my spine, lifting my chin high.
Let them watch.
If Althea thought she could use this crowd to humiliate me, she was about to learn the hard way just how wrong she was.
