Alpha Terrell's POV
"Bring her here."
Gareth changed direction without breaking stride, and they all came to a halt in front of me - Sheena between two of my generals, her robes disordered, her expression filled with fear.
I looked at her.
She looked back at me.
"Why," I said, "would you lie about something sacred?"
"I didn't lie." The words came out with a lot of conviction. "I misread the goddess's message. The smoke moved toward Lord Merrick, the signs were… I interpreted what I saw and I reported what I believed to be…"
"Sheena." I kept my voice even. "I have known you for so many years. I have watched you work. You do not misread. That is specifically the thing you do not do." I looked at her face - at the fearful expression she was trying to hide. "You reported what you wanted to be true."
Silence.
She held the look for three long seconds.
Then something in her face shifted. Dropped. Became… smaller.
