Chapter 26 026

Chapter 26 026

Claire's POV

I rushed down the stairs, my feet moving faster than my thoughts. Something was wrong. I could feel it before I even reached the bottom.

When I got there, I froze for a moment, my eyes scanning through the place as I wondered why everyone was staring at me.

Lucien sat at the dining table, his meal untouched in front of him. In his hand, he held a needle between his fingers, turning it slowly under the light. His face gave nothing away.

Austin stood near the doorway with his arms crossed. Shark leaned against the wall beside him, his eyes fixed on me. Marcy stood off to the side, her hands clasped together.

And the two maids, Judy and Lilly, stood in the center of the room. Both of them had tears streaming down their faces.

"What is going on?" I asked.

Before anyone else could speak, Judy stepped forward. Her face was blotchy and red, her hands shaking as she rushed it me and grabbed my hand.

"Why did you do it?" Her voice echoed."Why did you poison the Alpha and try to make us take the blame?"

I felt my stomach drop. "What?"

"Do not act innocent," Lilly chimed in, wiping at her eyes. "This was all your plot. We have been good to you. We helped you settle in, showed you around, treated you kindly. And this is how you repay us? By framing us for attempted murder?"

I was so shocked at their words because I hadn't known them until yesterday and now they claim to have helped me settle in.

"I did not—"

"We know it was you," Judy cut me off while glaring at me with disdain in her eyes. "You are the only one who had a reason to want him dead. Please, just confess. Tell them it was you so they will let us go."

Both of them were sobbing now, pleading with me through their tears. But I was not listening anymore. My eyes were fixed on Lucien.

He had not moved and I was not sure if he had eaten. Just sat there holding a needle.

I rushed over to his side, ignoring the gasps from the maids behind me. "Did you eat the food?" The words tumbled out in a rush. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? We need to call the doctor. Right now. Someone needs to—"

His hand shot out and slammed mine away from his chest. I stumbled back a step.

"Answer the question," he said. "Did you poison me?"

I shook my head frantically. "No. Why would I poison you?" My gaze still narrowed at him, trying to be certain that he was alright.

"She has many motives," Austin spoke up from his position by the door. "For starters, she wants the Alpha dead so she can escape. If he dies, there is no one keeping her here. She could run back to her village and pretend none of this ever happened."

"That is not true," I said, turning to face him. "I would never do that. Yes it's no secret that I want him dead but I will go through it when I know that it might affect my life. I hate to say this but I still want to leave"

I shot back, trying to defend myself as much as I could even though I could not understand why the Alpha would think that I was behind this when I had clearly warned him about it last night.

"Claire is a good girl," Marcy interjected, stepping forward. "I do not think she is capable of something like that. She has been nothing but respectful since she arrived."

Marcy spoke in a very calm tone and with the way she spoke, my respect for her only increased.

"Respectful does not mean innocent," Lilly fired out again. “For all we know, she might only be pretending all this while because she knows she has a plan”

I looked around the room at all of them. Judy and Lilly were still crying, clutching at each other. Austin watched me with suspicion clear in his eyes. Shark had a blank expression on his face. He was someone who was very difficult to read because his expression always remained blank.

Only Marcy seemed to believe I had not done this.

Lucien cleared his throat. Everyone fell silent immediately.

He rose to his feet slowly, the chair scraping against the floor. When he started walking toward me, I grabbed the edge of my dress nervously.

But I did not pull back. I did not lower my eyes the way Judy and Lilly had done when he looked in their direction. Instead, I stared directly into his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking, what he was planning to do.

He stopped right in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating off his body. His eyes bore into mine.

"Since none of you admits to being responsible," he said, his voice carrying through the room, "I have a way to find out the truth."

He paused and the room went dead silent. It was obvious that none of them dared to breathe since he wasn't done speaking. He held up the needle, letting everyone see it clearly.

"This needle contains a macphone," he continued. "It is a substance that reacts to human touch. Once a person has touched it, their skin absorbs trace amounts. Under blue light, those traces become visible. The fingers turn purple."

Judy's breath hitched sharply behind me. I fiddled with the fabric of my dress, trying to keep my hands from shaking.

"If any of you here touched this needle," Lucien said, his eyes still locked on mine, "I will find out.”

Then he took a few steps away from me and was standing next to Austin.

“Whoever is behind this right should step out else or be ready to face the consequences!” He threatened. But no one move, not as much as breath.