One Night With My Alpha Professor

Chapter 252 Audrey

They always kept the interrogation room cold-to make the prisoners uncomfortable, and thus more likely to spill their

secrets.

It was too cold in here for me, but it had little to do with the temperature. I never liked being in here, having to use my Silver Star powers to root out evil. I'd rather be in the gala hall, using my abilities for charity and healing.

Sophia sat across from me, dressed in an orange jumpsuit. Her usually-immaculate hair hung down around her face, framing the dark circles under her eyes. She was going to crack. She had to.

And yet she met my gaze, unflinching, with a faint smile playing on her lips. It wasn't the warm smile I'd come to know-it was the smile of someone who believed they were still in control

"Sophia, I would really prefer if we could do this the easy way," I said, trying not to come across as angry as I felt. "Just tell me why you've been sending kids to Coldclaw and where you've been sending them, and maybe we'll consider reducing your sentence." Sophia shook her head. "We both know that's not true, Luna Brooks. Even if I told you anything, and I won't, you're not actually going to do anything to help me."

Sighing, I narrowed my eyes and reached out with my mind, pushing past the surface of her memories. But the moment I tried, I slammed into a barrier so solid that it was like running headfirst into a brick wall.

The force of it made me gasp. Pain shot through my skull like I'd just been shot. I immediately pulled out of her mind, pressing a trembling hand to my temple.

Sophia just sat there. Calm. Unmoving.

"What's wrong?" Edwin's voice echoed through the bond, instantly sensing my pain and confusion. "You okay?"

"She's blocking me somehow," I replied silently. "I've never felt anything like this before. I knew it was possible, but... not quite to this extent."

I could feel my mate's frustration simmering through our bond. I tried again, this time pushing harder against the invisible wall in her mind. But the first beads of sweat began to form on my forehead, and the pressure mounted, like I was trying to break through steel with my bare hands.

Soon enough, I felt a warm trickle running down my upper lip.

"Alright, that's enough." Edwin was suddenly beside me, his hands gripping my shoulders and pulling me away from the table.

I hadn't even realized that he had entered the room, nor had I noticed just how long I'd been straining against the adamant walls surrounding Sophia's mind.

As Edwin pulled me out of the interrogation room, I reached up and wiped my nose, my fingers coming away smeared with red blood. But I didn't care. I needed to find out what was happening to those kids.

"No. We're not done," I protested weakly, although my body was useless against Edwin's iron grip.

"Yes, we are," Edwin growled. I knew he wasn't angry with me-his anger was directed entirely at the woman sitting smugly in the interrogation room-but he was frustrated with me. "You've been trying to break through her mind for nearly an hour."

My eyes widened. "An hour?" I sputtered mentally, glancing at the clock on the wall of the sterile prison corridor. "I didn't

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Chapter 252

realize..."

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"I know you didn't. That's why we're pulling you out." His gray eyes flashed with something dangerous as he turned his glare on Sophia one last time before we left the room. "Whatever you're using to block her-"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you mean," Sophia interrupted smoothly, folding her hands neatly on the table. She was smiling again, that same placid smile, as if we were discussing nothing more important than the weather. "Perhaps the Luna is simply having an off day."

The smugness in her voice sent a spike of irritation through me but the pounding in my head kept me from retorting. Edwin's grip on my shoulders tightened ever so slightly as he steered me out into the hallway.

Peter was waiting there, and Edwin handed me off to him. I leaned into my brother-in-law's shoulder. "Take her to the break room," Edwin whispered. "I'll handle this."

I opened my mouth to protest, but it was too late. Peter was already guiding me away, and my legs were trembling too much to resist. "Come on, little star," he said, wrapping an arm around me. "Let's get you some coffee."

As Peter led me down the hall, I caught one last glimpse of Edwin, his back turned to us as he faced Sophia. The door closed behind us, blocking out his rising voice before I could hear what he was saying.

The break room, by contrast, was warm and quiet. I sank miserably into a chair at the small round table while Peter prepared the coffee. A few minutes later, two steaming cups were between us.

Mine was too bitter for my tastes-he always made it too bitter-but I sipped it anyway, just grateful for the warmth.

"I should have been able to read her mind," I finally growled after a beat of silence. "How is it that the most normal-looking people are always the most difficult?"

Peter sighed. "Now that, I don't have an answer to, little star," he said quietly. "But Edwin, while he doesn't have your has his own... charm. He'll get her to talk."

I wasn't so sure about that, but I nodded anyway.

"What about the orphanage?" I asked. "Any evidence found there yet?"

abilities,

Peter ran a hand through his messy hair, his expression darkening. "Nothing. Whatever she's doing with those kids, she's covering her tracks eerily well. No paper trails, no digital footprint, absolutely nothing we can use."

The unmistakable sensation of fury bubbled up inside of me. I set my cup down harder than I meant to, some of the coffee sloshing over the rim and onto the table. "So that poor little boy might be our only lead."

Peter opened his mouth, then closed it again and simply shrugged one shoulder.

Only time would tell, I supposed.

We sat in silence for a while, both of us too tired to say much more. Not that there was anything to be said, anyway. All we could do was wait and strain our ears to listen to the sound of Edwin's furious voice echoing down the hallway. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Edwin

stormed into the breakroom with an irate expression on his face.

"Well?" Peter asked, although we already knew the answer

"She won't talk," Edwin muttered, flopping down on the leather sofa beside me. He turned to Charles, who had been standing guard outside the room. "Put her in solitary confinement for a couple of nights. Maybe some time alone will loosen her tongue." Charles nodded and disappeared down the hall without a word.

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Chapter 252

"Let's go home," Edwin finally said, rising again even though he'd just sat down. "We'll try again tomorrow."

I nodded, knowing that there was no use in trying to argue. These things took time, as frustrating as it was.

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By the time we reached the apartment, I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open. But as we climbed the stairs, the sound of Eliza's cheery voice drifted through the door. She had been staying with us these past couple of days, sleeping on an air mattress beside the couch where the little boy was laid up.

Edwin and I exchanged a glance before stepping inside.

What greeted us was surprising, to say the least. Eliza was perched on the edge of the couch, gesturing wildly with her hands as she told some story or another. And there, curled up beneath a blanket on the sofa, was...

Joseph.

The little boy looked far better than he had the day before. His cheeks were no longer as pale, and he held a steaming mug of hot chocolate in his small hands. His big brown eyes followed Eliza's every move, although he remained silent.

"Oh, you're home!" Eliza exclaimed, hopping up from the couch and practically bouncing over to us. Her excitement was contagious, but her expression quickly shifted to something more serious as she pulled us into the kitchen and lowered her voice.

"He woke up about an hour ago," she whispered. "I made him some hot chocolate, and he's been listening to my stories, but..."

Her gaze flicked back toward the living room, where Joseph still sat quietly on the sofa, staring down at his cup with a chocolate mustache lining his upper lip. "What is it?" Edwin asked.

Eliza wrung her hands together. "He won't talk about what happened at the orphanage. In fact...."

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She swallowed hard, her voice dropping even lower. "He's completely mute."

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