Nasya's POV
This wasn't the sleek, modern interrogation room I'd expected from the Bureau of Lycan Affairs. Instead, someone had gone to great lengths to make this space resemble an upscale hotel lounge - genuine leather furnishings, abstract art on the soundproofed walls, even a small zen garden in the corner with carefully raked sand. The psychological trick was obvious: make the detainee feel comfortable enough to slip up. Yet despite the expensive decor, the air carried the unmistakable antiseptic tang of government facilities, and the two-way mirror along the east wall reminded me this was still very much a cage.
"Austin," I began, "I need you to understand - I would never harm Harper. When I found her in the chapel, she was already..." My throat constricted around the words, the memory of that moment flashing behind my eyes like a grotesque slideshow. "I swear on my life."
