Chapter 41 The Truth

Chapter 41 The Truth
The Truth
Selene's POV

My heart was beating so fast I thought it would break my ribs. One moment, I was sure I was going to die. The chains on my wrists felt heavy and cold. I looked at Riven next to me. His face was hard, but I was fast in seeing the fear in his eyes too.

Then Cael stepped forward.

He said he would not kill us.

The whole room went quiet, then loud with shouts. I could not believe it. Cael, the prince who called the guards on me, was now saving me. He showed a video to everyone. A video of a man with a scar. A stranger.

He said that man was the real traitor. Not me. Not Riven.

For a single, beautiful second, I felt hope. It was like a small, warm light inside my chest. Maybe we would live. Maybe Cael was not my enemy. Maybe I would finally get the chance to visit my parents grave one last time. This Academy was even more intense…more dangerous than I thought it would be. I thought walking in here, getting revenge would be like getting candy from a kid. Instead, it's more like going to collect it from the hands of the devil.

Then the Headmaster spoke. His voice was ugly and full of hate. Indicating that I was his whore, which was the reason he was protecting me.

The warm light inside me went out. The Headmaster’s words were like a bucket of cold water. He was right. Why would they believe Cael? He was just one boy against the whole Council. Against his own father.

I looked at Cael. He stood tall, but I saw the tight line of his jaw. He was scared too, but I knew he knew what he was doing. I watched Lyra from the side of my eyes as she breathed heavily, her eyes fixed on me. She pressed her thumb over her neck and slid it, tilting her neck. I am going to kill you. That was what the sign said.

“I did not fabricate it,” Cael said, his voice strong. “The video is real. You can have your tech people check it. They will see it has not been changed.”

The Headmaster laughed. It was a cruel sound. “And why should we trust you? You are clearly… involved with this girl. You are not thinking clearly.”

Cael’s father, the Alpha King, stood up. His face was dark with anger. “My son has been tricked. The girl has poisoned his mind. This proves she is even more dangerous than we thought.”

My mouth felt dry. This was not working. They were not listening. They did not want to listen. They wanted me dead. Why? Okay, maybe because I was an intruder, but all these surely isn't my fault entirely? The man in the video, what if he was that player? The other person begind the scenes? He was watching us take the fall for his actions while sitting comfortably in the shadows. If I ever got out of this alive, I would get him and I would rip him apart for causing me this stress. For making my life miserable and for putting a hold to my plan for vengeance.

“It is the truth!” Cael shouted, his calm breaking. “Look at the video! Look at the man’s face! Does he look like Lira? Does he look like Riven?”

The Council members looked at each other. Some of them looked unsure. They were old men, powerful men, but they were not all evil. Maybe some of them wanted the truth.

One of the elders, a man with a long white beard, stood up. “The boy has a point,” he said, his tone slow and deep. “The person in the video is a grown man. It is not one of the students.”

A little hope came back. Someone was listening!

But the Headmaster was not done. “So, a man broke in. That does not mean these two are innocent! They were caught in a restricted area! They were acting suspiciously! They are still guilty of something!”

“We were following a lead!” Riven suddenly yelled next to me. He strained against his chains. “We were trying to find out who was setting us up!”

The room erupted into noise again. Everyone was shouting.

I felt dizzy. It was all too much. The yelling, the fear, the hope, the despair. I looked at Cael. He was looking back at me. His eyes were not cold anymore. They were full of a desperate question. Trust me, they seemed to say.

And I realized, in that moment, I did. I did not know why, but I did.

The Alpha King slammed his masculine hand on the table. “Enough!” he roared. The room fell silent. All eyes turned to him.

He looked at his son, Cael. “You have brought chaos to this Council. You have disobeyed a direct order. You have chosen a traitor over your own people.” He took a deep breath. “For that, there must be a punishment.”

My blood ran cold.

“However,” the King said, his eyes sweeping over the Council. “There is… doubt now. Because of your little show.” He said the word ‘doubt’ like it was a dirty word.

He looked at me, and then at Riven. His gaze was like ice.

“The death sentence is… paused. For now.”

A shaky breath left my lungs. We were not going to die. Not today.

But then the King spoke again, and his words were a different kind of trap.

“But they are not free. They are still a risk. They will be taken to the high-security prison block. They will be watched day and night.”

Prison. Not death, but not freedom. A cage. My heart sank.

The King turned his cold eyes to Cael. “And you, my son… you need to learn where your loyalty lies.”

Cael stood very still. “What does that mean?”

A nasty smile touched the King’s lips. “It means you will be the very one to guard them.”

My eyes widened. What?

“You will be responsible for them,” the King said. “If they escape, you will take their place in the cells. If they cause any trouble, you will be punished. You will watch over your precious traitors until I decide what to do with them.”

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper that everyone could still hear.

“Let’s see how long you can protect them, Cael. And let’s see how long it takes for one of them to try and kill you in your sleep.”