"I didn't kill Lily!" I screamed, my voice raw with desperation. "I swear on the Moon Goddess! I swear on my own life!"
Anastasia’s grip loosened. Tears streaked down her face.
Marcus was beside her in an instant, pulling her into his arms. Then he turned to me. His eyes burned with fury.
"Why can't you just admit it, Cie?" His voice was cold, distant. "It’s the only thing your family wants. Just tell us where Lily’s body is."
I stared at him, my heart shattering all over again.
"I told you—I never took Lily. I never hurt her!" My voice broke as I knelt on the cold floor. "Why won’t any of you believe me? Why?"
My father stepped forward, his face unreadable, but my mother’s was twisted with grief and fury.
"How can we believe a liar and a murderer?" my father snarled. "Even the Moonstone showed it was you!" His hand shot out, gripping my throat.
I gasped. My lungs burned, my vision blurred.
"Would the Moonstone lie?!" he bellowed. "Why won't you just tell us the truth?! You're evil—you deserve to die!"
I didn’t fight back. I just stared at him, the man who once called me his daughter.
Then I smiled bitterly.
"Then kill me," I rasped. "Isn’t that what you want? The murderer dead?"
His hands trembled against my skin. Then, suddenly, he released me, and I collapsed onto the marble floor, gasping for air.
"Kill you?" His voice was steel. "No. You deserve to suffer for what you've done. I won’t let a Hansen get away with murder—not even my own blood. As Alpha of Redmoon, I will see that justice is served."
I pushed myself up, my limbs weak but my resolve burning.
"You talk about justice," I said, my voice steady despite the agony inside me. "But you're not fair. If you were, you'd listen to me instead of condemning me without proof. You’d give me a chance to clear my name instead of throwing me in a cell like a criminal."
A sharp slap cracked through the air.
Pain exploded across my cheek. I tasted blood.
"You have no right to disrespect the Alpha!" my mother spat.
Despite everything, despite the unbearable pain they caused me… I still cared.
I still loved them.
"I respected you all my life," I murmured, my voice cold. "But I’ve finally learned… enough is enough."
Another slap—this time from my father.
"Say one more word, and you'll get worse than that," he growled.