CHAPTER 77 THE INTERROGATION

Minerva The moon was so bright, casting a glow over the forest clearing where Dominic and I stood, facing the young man. The trees around us moved in the night breeze, their shadows dancing on the ground. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, but the atmosphere was tense, charged with the gravity of the moment. Dominic's tall, muscular frame, clad in a black leather jacket and dark jeans, crunched softly on the forest floor as he stepped closer to the young man. His normally warm and expressive eyes were now cold and hard, like chips of flint. I could see their barely contained fury—a storm ready to break. I wore a dark green hooded cloak that blended with the shadows of the forest, my hands hidden in the folds of the fabric. Underneath, a simple tunic and leggings allowed me freedom of movement, with the cloak's hem swaying slightly as I shifted my weight. The young man before us trembled, his ragged clothes hanging off his thin frame, dirt and leaves cli