Chapter 3

The elder studied the vial, thoughtful. “This… is indeed the forbidden substance that destroys bloodlines.” He traced the rim. A sweet, metallic stench spread.

His face darkened. “There’s Black Paw scent on it.”

“But Black Paw was banished a decade ago,” someone protested—then swung a suspicious, frightened stare to me. “It’s you!”

The crowd recoiled, leaving me a ring of emptiness.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Absurd. If I were colluding with them, would I be stupid enough to hide the proof in my own cloak and wait for you to find it?”

Lyra stepped forward, voice steady. “Then why was it in your cloak? How do you explain that?”

My mouth opened—but no words came. I had nothing that could prove my innocence.

My silence was taken as confession. Tempers rose like a blaze.

“If she’s with Black Paw Pack, keeping her is a catastrophe waiting to happen!”

“Don’t wait for the Rogue Dust to spread!”

“Stop indulging her!”

Faces twisted with disgust and fear. Red eyes fixed on me.

Once, I had protected them. Now they believed Lyra without blinking.

Ava’s voice was a cold blade in my mind. “See, Aria? They betray easily. Stupid coward.”

I turned to Damian; throat tight. “You really think it was me? I—”

Although we were over, he knows best what kind of person I am.

“Enough!” he snapped. “What’s the point of arguing? Isn’t this exactly who you are?”

Lyra clung to his sleeve, gentle as spring water. “Maybe Aria has her reasons…”

They stood together. I stood alone.

My heart felt pulped. My face went cold.

“Aria,” he said, voice like ice, “what do you have to say?”

I exhaled. “Nothing.”

Whatever I said, they wouldn’t believe it.

Lyra’s voice rushed in. “If you don’t speak, how can others believe you?”

“Isn’t my silence exactly what you want?”

Her face blanched. Tears gathered again, artful and fragile.

“Aria!” Damian fisted my collar. Panic shot through me; I struggled for air.

But his strength was far greater than mine. I could only stare in a daze at the increasingly blurry scene before me.

The elder finally cut in. “Enough. Black Paw’s poison isn’t a trifle. Until the truth is found, Sliver Moon knows no peace. Rogue Dust was found in your cloak—that is fact. Until the riddle is solved, you will be detained.”

At this point, the others finally let out a sigh of relief and stood there gloating.

Two warriors stepped forward. Cold iron shackles closed around my wrists; the chill seeped into my bones.