SERAPHINA
Silence followed my words, a silence so taut it hummed in my ears.
Alpha Jude’s fingers paused mid-thought against his chin. Alpha Hugo leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly through his nose, though his expression remained unreadable.
“No recordings?” I asked, tilting my head as my eyes flicked to Reed and Cassius before shifting back to the instructors. “No witnesses beyond those in this room? Then it’s all hearsay, isn’t it? And if that’s the game we’re playing, I’d prefer mine be heard in full.”
Reed shifted uneasily. Cassius refused to meet my gaze, chewing the inside of his cheek like it might erase the whimpering he’d done earlier.
“I asked a question,” I said again, calm but firm, directing it at the two Alphas. “Is there any proof I struck first?”
“Why does this
