Ethan crouches before me, his cold blue eyes boring into mine. His voice is calm, controlled, and low, but it drips with authority. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
A wave of rage surges through me so suddenly that I don't think—I act. I shove past him, startling the guards at the door.
My bare feet slap against the cold marble floor as I take two steps toward Caspian. His sharp, grey eyes meet mine, flickering with something unreadable, and I snap, "You know where I was! Why won't you tell them?"
His gaze hardens, his jaw tight. "I'm not the one being questioned, am I?" His voice is steady but distant, like he's deliberately putting up a wall. "Besides," he adds, almost casually, "I only know where you were because you told me. That doesn't make it a fact."
The betrayal hits me like a slap to the face. My breaths come faster, the humiliation stinging my skin like icy needles. I turn away from him before I can say something I'll regret.
Facing the council now, I force myself to stand tall, though my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest, and I'm an ant in comparison to them. "I was with Cassidy," I say with a trembling voice. "I was only awake because I wanted to get back to my room."
"Why?" Caspian's voice cuts through the tension like a blade, sharp and demanding. "Why didn't you decide to stay in? What made you want to leave her room?"
I whip my head toward him, my vision blurring as tears threaten to spill. The weight of the room is unbearable—like every single person here is waiting for me to slip, to fall, to prove their suspicions.
"Why?" My voice cracks, and the tears I've been holding back finally stream down my face. I throw my arms out, my frustration boiling over. "Am I not free to move about? Can I not decide to leave her room?"
The council shifts uncomfortably, murmurs filling the air. Ethan, however, steps in front of me again, his imposing figure blocking out the rest of the room. His tone is colder now, sharper. "But why did you?"
"Because I wanted to!" The words explode from my chest, raw and unfiltered. "Because I woke up on her couch and my neck hurt! Because I just wanted my bed! Because I had a hard day mowing your stupid lawns and cooking your ridiculously flashy meals, and my body was screaming for my bed! Can I not do that? Can I not?!"
The room goes deathly silent. Ethan's jaw tightens, his eyes narrowing into icy slits as he steps closer, looming over me.
I can see the retort forming on his lips, the storm brewing in his gaze, but before he can say anything, I raise a hand.
"Stop," I say firmly, my voice steady despite the tears streaming down my cheeks. "I am barely even a rogue. I just ran away from my pack that very night your prince found me." I spit the word prince like poison, my eyes flashing to Caspian.
His expression remains impassive, but there's something in his eyes—a flicker of guilt, maybe, or regret.
"Why?" I continue, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Because I was tired of being a carpet. I was tired of being the pack's punching bag because I was too weak to fight back! Oh—" I turn fully to Caspian now, my voice rising, my words cutting. "And did I mention? I also got rejected by my mate that night for being what I am! So to answer your stupid question, dear stupid Ethan—" I turn back to him, my voice trembling but strong, "I had nothing to do with the rogues breaching the hedge because I almost got killed by them. Ask your prince. He knows."
My chest heaves as the weight of my words settles over the room.
The silence is suffocating, the kind that presses against your skin and makes you want to crawl out of it.
My tears flow freely now, but I don't wipe them away. I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing me weak.
Caspian's sharp eyes hold mine for what feels like an eternity. There's no pity in his gaze, no anger...just an intensity that makes my knees weak.
Finally, he speaks, his voice low and calm. "Are you satisfied?"
For a moment, I think he's talking to me, but Ethan steps forward, his expression unreadable. "Yes."
Caspian nods, his gaze never leaving mine. "Take her to her room. She's off duty today and tomorrow. We'll send for her when the council has made a decision."
The guards move toward me, their footsteps echoing in the silent room. My body feels heavy, my limbs leaden as they approach. I am only now aware how much the work I did yesterday took a toll on me.
It feels like I'm being dragged to the ground and the more I resist, the harder it pulls me. My muscles are heavy and black spots hover around my eyes.
I'm fading out. I just used whatever little energy I had left to defend myself.
One of the guards reaches for me, his grip firm but not rough. I take a shaky step forward, but my legs buckle beneath me. The world tilts, and I sway on my feet.
"Delilah!"
Caspian's voice is the last thing I hear before my world fades to black.