SERAPHINA’S POV
The moment I stepped into the hall, I felt the tension.
It hung in the air like something alive, settling into every gaze that turned toward me.
My eyes swept the room, taking everything in with one glance.
Clusters of OTS members dotted the room. Some stood close together; others had pulled back, as if distance could protect them from whatever was happening.
Then my gaze settled on the five strangers at the center.
Judy faced them, shoulders squared, a folder clutched too tightly in her hand. There was tension in her grip, strain in her posture.
I walked forward, each step purposeful.
The crowd parted without being asked.
“Sera,” Judy breathed, the relief in her voice barely contained.
I didn’t look at her immediately. If I did, I might soften, and this was not the moment for that.
Instead, I stopped a few feet from the man who had been speaking, meeting his gaze head-on.
“You’ve made quite a disturbance,” I said, tone flat.
