Violet had barely finished her question when her words were completely disregarded. Her father, who had remained silent since sitting down, suddenly spoke, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.
"Is that the question? Or should we be asking how you changed your voice to sound like a man and cut your hair to pretend to be one?"
The accusation was so sudden that Violet's heart began to race. Panic surged as she glanced around, checking to ensure no werewolves were nearby to overhear. If any of them caught wind of her father's words, the consequences could be catastrophic. She turned a glare on him, snapping back with all the urgency she could muster.
"A-are you mad?" she hissed, her voice sharp and low.
"I agree—Father shouldn't have said that," Sarah added, her tone barely above a whisper. "There are werewolves around!" But Violet couldn't shake the suspicion that her father's words hadn't been a careless slip. They had felt deliberate.