Chapter 39 Hearing
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 hearing revolve around who struck first?” Dante lazily interjected from the corner, his tone almost bored. “You assaulted them. They’re injured. You’re not.”
Ronan’s voice cut through the air like a blade–smooth, cool, and terrifying in its certainty. “Injuries don’t prove guilt. They only prove who lost.”
All eyes snapped to the two of them. Curiously, they never looked at each other, not even while arguing.
The Alpha instructors exchanged a glance, clearly mind–linking. Then Alpha Hugo leaned forward and asked me directly, “Alpha Seth, let’s start at the root of the matter. Did you attack them?”
My muscles tensed. The truth could doom me, declare me guilty before this hearing even began. But I straightened my spine and nodded.
“I did.”
Their expressions hardened in unison.
“But,” I continued before any of them could speak, “I had a reason.”
Alpha Gideon’s voice cut in, sharp as a whip. “And what reason could possibly justify the extent of violence you used? A broken hand, a shattered knee-”
I glanced at Ronan.
His expression was unreadable–no worry, no tension, as if this dangerous hearing had nothing to do with him. He looked like a man watching a play he already knew the ending of.
“Alpha Ronan,” I said meaningfully.
He rolled his shoulders in a casual shrug, then, without a word, nodded toward the door. A moment later, it opened.
Alpha Asher entered quietly, bowed respectfully to the instructors, and approached the desk. He placed a small black glass bottle in front of them, then stepped back.
Alpha Hugo lifted it with a puzzled frown. “What is this?”
“That,” I said, my voice unwavering, “is Alpha Ronan’s cologne. Tampered with. Reed and Cassius laced it with a rare wild berry known to trigger rut in unmated Alphas. Their intent was to humiliate me by making me lose control, and drag Ronan down with me.”
The air in the chamber shifted. Alpha Gideon’s gaze snapped toward Reed and Cassius like a bullet–sharp, deadly, and full of
rage.
“Tampering to force an Alpha into rut?” he snarled. “Are you out of your damn minds?”
“It’s a lie!” Reed shouted, his voice cracking. “We never–he’s framing us!”
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Cassius jumped in quickly, voice rough with panic. “You asked for proof, didn’t you? Then where is it? You expect us to believe this berry proves anything?”
“I don’t expect you to believe anything,” I replied coolly. “But I do expect you to listen.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, crushed berry–the same one I’d picked up in the chaos. I placed it beside the bottle.
“This fell from Reed’s pocket during the fight,” I explained. “That’s how I figured it out. He even admitted it, in front of Ronan and the others. They all heard him.”
I gestured toward the berry, its faint scent still clinging to my fingertips. “Even squeezed and crushed, you can smell what was mixed into that cologne.”
Alpha Jude leaned forward and brought the bottle to his nose. He inhaled, his eyes narrowing.
A moment later, he looked at Alpha Gideon and gave a single, grim nod.
Confirmation.
Reed and Cassius visibly paled as I laid out every detail. Their six fellow Alpha companions might’ve stayed quiet so far, but if summoned to testify, they wouldn’t risk lying–not in front of the Alpha instructors. Those idiots would confess before they were even asked just to protect their own standing. Reed and Cassius knew that. And judging by the panic flickering in their eyes, they were terrified.
Alpha Jude narrowed his gaze, his voice a low snarl. “Is this true? How dare you two stain the sacred legacy of this Academy with such vile behavior?”
Their gazes snapped to each other, exchanging a desperate look.
Then Reed spoke, “It’s all a lie, Alpha. He’s making it up. We don’t even know what that berry is. Never seen it before.”
Cassius quickly backed him up, emboldened by the strategy. “Exactly, I’ve never seen that thing in my life. Hell, does it even grow in this region? Is anyone here familiar with it?” He glanced around triumphantly before locking eyes with me. “See, Darven? Not even the Alpha instructors have heard of it. So how dare you throw around accusations based on something this absurd?”
For a brief moment, the instructors‘ expressions shifted–uncertainty flickering in their
Ah. So they wanted to play dirty? Fine.
eyes.
I tilted my head slightly and gave them a razor–edged smile. “Of course you haven’t seen those berries before… because someone else gave them to you. Am I wrong?”
Cassius‘ face twisted. “Another baseless accusation!” he shouted, but the crack in his voice betrayed his nerves.
“Go on, then,” I said, voice silky–smooth. “Say their name. Or are you afraid of getting your ass handed to you for exposing
them?”
Cassius flared like a bull ready to charge. “Don’t try that smart–mouth shit with me, motherfucker! I’m not afraid of any hierarchy-”
“CASSIUS!!” Reed snapped, eyes wide with panic. But it was already too late.
The corner of my mouth curved up slowly. “Interesting. I never said it was someone in the hierarchy, Alpha Cassius.”
A hush fell
All eyes turned on him, and I watched sweat break across his brow as the implication of his outburst sank in.
Reed cursed under his breath and glared at me. “You really are a cunning mutt, aren’t you?” He stepped in close, teeth bared in frustration. “Provoking us into saying things we never meant to say.”
“You mean like accidentally revealing that someone with rank was involved?” I shot back, my tone deceptively light. “Cassius dropped the word ‘hierarchy.‘ And the only two involved in this mess with that kind of status are Alpha Ronan…” I paused, letting my gaze drift.
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“…and Alpha Dante.”
The moment his name left my lips, the entire room stilled. Every gaze turned, sharp and searching, toward Dante.
His expression didn’t flinch, but I caught the steel hardening in his jaw. A warning.
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Cassius‘ eyes flickered in panic. Reed glanced at Dante, saw the cold threat in his face, and instantly stepped between me and Cassius like a wall.
He loomed over me again, chest heaving. “Shut your mouth. Don’t drag Alpha Dante into this. He has nothing to do with us! You got any proof, huh?! Any at all?! No? Then keep your filthy mouth shut, liar!”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ronan move. His presence, once calm and restrained, now bristled with power. The air around him thickened, darkened.
But before he could step in-
I gasped. Loudly. “Wait. Did you just call Alpha Ronan a liar?”
The whole room froze.
Reed’s bravado crumbled instantly. “N–No! I—when did I ever say that?! I didn’t even mention him!”
A small smile appeared on my lips, “But it is Alpha Ronan who says that it was Alpha Dante. Denying his claim, are you not calling Alpha Ronan…” I paused and titled my head, “…a liar?”
The room fell into a dead silence. Reed’s shaking eyes went to Ronan who pinned him with a blank yet challenging stare.
I turned toward Ronan, walking slowly, deliberately, until I stood just in front of him. Our gazes locked.
“Alpha Ronan,” I said softly. “Time to finish your job as a watchdog. I’m returning your prey to you, just like you wanted back then.”
A slow srnirk curled his lips. “You really do know when to release the leash.” He stepped in, closing the last inch between us. “But I have a feeling… you will discard this dog later, saying you hate dogs, right?”
He read me. He caught me. I held his gaze, unflinching. “That depends.” My voice dropped to a murmur only he could hear. “Maybe I’ll start liking the dog… if he shows me he’s worth keeping.”
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