Chapter 0035 – Seraphina’s POV
Althea’s breathing grew shallow, her chest heaving as panic overtook her composure. Her pale face was drenched in sweat, and her eyes darted wildly around the courtroom, searching for a lifeline.
“I gave Lucian the antidote because… because…” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. Then, as if a light bulb went off in her head, her expression brightened, and she straightened her posture. “To prevent potential danger!”
Damon’s brow furrowed, suspicion flickering across his face. “What potential danger?”
Althea seized the moment, her voice suddenly steady and confident. “Seraphina!” she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at me. “Yes, Seraphina! She’s always been targeting me and Lucian. I was afraid she might poison my son, so I gave him the antidote just in case.”
A murmur spread through the room.
An elder nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense,” he said. “After all, Lucian has previously accused Luna Seraphina of being violent toward him—”
“Fucking bullshit!” Isolde’s roar cut through the elder’s words like a blade. She stepped forward, her glare fierce. “Seraphina never laid a finger on that child! Stop spreading lies!”
Nora stood beside her, her arms crossed. “And let’s not forget who’s really the victim here. Seraphina almost got killed, not that little brat Lucian. Quit playing the victim card, Althea!”
Althea’s composure faltered under their sharp words, her face blanching.
“What’s really going on, Althea?” Damon asked, his voice hardening as he fixed her with a scrutinizing gaze.
Althea hesitated, her lower lip trembling. For a brief moment, it seemed as though she might break. But then, with a dramatic gasp, she clutched her chest and wailed, “I misspoke earlier! I didn’t give Lucian the antidote—I thought we were talking about vitamins!”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. How could she so easily overturn her own testimony?
“But you just said—”
“I misheard!” Althea interjected, tears streaming down her face. She turned to Damon, her voice trembling with calculated vulnerability. “They were too harsh on me, Damon! You saw how they attacked me! I was terrified they’d accuse me of something I didn’t do!”
Damon raised a hand, silencing the room. He glanced at Althea, his expression softening. “From now on, no one interrupts Althea while she explains,” he commanded. Then, turning back to her, he added gently, “Go on.”
Althea sniffled, wiping her eyes theatrically. “Now that I’ve had time to think,” she began softly, “I recognize the medicine in that little bottle. It’s just vitamins. Lucian hasn’t had the best nutrition over the past three years, so I’ve been making sure he gets proper supplements.”
Damon’s gaze softened further. “You’ve done a good job, Althea. Lucian needs someone who truly cares for him by his side.”
I clenched my fists, fury burning within me.
In less than ten minutes, Althea had not only nullified my evidence but also managed to twist the narrative against me. Worse, she painted herself as a caring mother and me as the neglectful stepmother.
And Damon… he believed her without hesitation.
Caden’s sharp voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. “Just vitamins? That’s not what your pharmacist said.”
A soldier from Obsidian Crest Packpushed Jimmy, Althea’s pharmacist, forward. The man stumbled to his knees, trembling.
“Miss Althea asked me for an all-purpose antidote,” Jimmy confessed, his voice quivering. “I asked her why she needed it, but she told me to mind my own business.”
The room fell silent. All eyes turned to Althea.
Althea, however, didn’t flinch. She lifted her chin, her voice dripping with disdain. “Jimmy is lying.”
Nora narrowed her eyes. “Lying? He’s your pharmacist.”
Althea waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, but clearly, he’s been coerced. Look at him—trembling and on his knees! Alpha Caden must have used his power to intimidate him into giving false testimony.”
The soldiers from Obsidian Crest Packbristled, their sharp gazes fixed on Althea.
Althea shrank slightly under their scrutiny but forced herself to continue. “In fact,” she said, her voice rising, “I think the vitamins in that bottle were swapped for an antidote just so they could frame me!”
She turned dramatically and threw herself at Damon’s feet, sobbing.
“Damon, please don’t believe their lies!” she cried. “And don’t trust Jimmy—he’s been compromised!”
Damon bent down, pulling Althea to her feet. He murmured comforting words, shielding her from the storm of accusations.
I felt a chill settle over my heart.
Althea’s cunning was unmatched. Even in the face of damning testimony, she managed to twist the situation to her advantage.
But then, Caden’s calm, commanding voice echoed through the room. “Bring in the other witness.”
My head shot up. Another witness?
The tension in the room rose as a soldier left and returned moments later, dragging a small, struggling figure by the collar.
It was Lucian.
“Let me go, you idiot!” Lucian screamed, kicking wildly.
“Lucian!” Althea gasped in horror.
“My son!” Damon barked, his expression darkening. “Alpha Caden, what is the meaning of this?”
The soldier placed Lucian in front of Caden. The boy froze under Caden’s icy gaze, his defiance evaporating.
“Listen carefully, Lucian,” Caden said, his voice cold and deliberate. “The same poison you used on Seraphina was burning in the car that brought you here. You’ve already inhaled a lethal dose.”
Lucian’s face drained of color. He let out a choked cry of terror.
Althea swayed, nearly collapsing into Damon’s arms.
Caden held up the small plastic bottle, waving it in front of Lucian’s face. “The antidote is right here. I was going to give it to you, but your mother insists it’s just vitamins. So I guess it’s useless to you, isn’t it?”
Lucian’s wide eyes fixed on the bottle, his breathing shallow. “Give… give it to me,” he stammered.
Caden tilted his head. “Why? Vitamins won’t help you.”
“No! It’s not—”
“Lucian!” Althea screamed, her voice shrill. “Don’t fall for his trick!”
But in his panic, Lucian blurted out, “It’s not vitamins! It’s the antidote! Mom said if I took it, I wouldn’t be poisoned like Seraphina! Now, give it to me! I don’t want to die!”
The courtroom erupted into chaos.
Caden tossed the bottle to Lucian, his lips curling into a cold smile. Then he turned his piercing gaze to Althea.
“Now we have a witness who can’t be bought,” he said icily. “Your own son has testified against you.”
