Darius' POV
The moment I arrived at the corridor leading to the Emperor's chamber, something felt… off.
Two B.A.M soldiers stood like statues, rifles tight to their chests, faces carved from stone. The kind of tension that made your instincts crawl. No casual glances. No formal greeting. Just silence. Heavy. Uninviting.
I slowed my pace.
"Stand aside," I said firmly, flashing my clearance. "Commander Darius. I need to speak with the Emperor."
The taller guard, the one I trained myself, didn't flinch. "Orders from His Majesty. No one enters."
I narrowed my eyes. "Not even me?"
"Especially not you, sir."
Especially…?
Now that got my pulse ticking. I took one step closer. "Look—I don't care what Chris told you. He trusts me. You know that. And if Amara is in there too, then I definitely need to be inside."
The second guard's grip on his rifle tightened. "Sir, we were given strict orders. You approach this door again, and we are authorized to respond with force."
Respond with force? To me? Something had shifted, and fast.
I stepped back slightly, but not in retreat. No, this wasn't fear. This was calculation.
Chris had locked down his chamber and shut out everyone—his wife, his closest commanders, his allies. And now, the Emperor of Blackwood was keeping secrets inside the only room in the empire more guarded than the treasury.
And if that wasn't enough…
Why hadn't I been briefed?
I pulled out my communicator. Dead silence. No updates. No override command. Just a locked channel.
I looked at the guards one more time. They wouldn't budge. I knew that look.
Something dangerous was going down behind that door.
And the worst part?
I wasn't sure who I was more worried about: Chris… or Amara.