Amara's POV
The throne room was still. Too still.
Even after everything—Skylar's fall, the wedding, and the silent war that had played out behind velvet curtains—Amara couldn't shake the chill in her bones. Chris had extended his hand, she had taken it, and now the empire bowed before them.
But peace? Peace was an illusion.
Later that night, as she stood on the balcony overlooking the moonlit courtyard, the weight of command pressed into her shoulders like a physical cloak. Below, guards patrolled with heightened vigilance. No one spoke above a whisper anymore in the castle. Every breath felt like a negotiation. Every glance, a hidden question.
Behind her, Chris entered the room, his presence as commanding as ever.
"You're not sleeping," he said softly.
Amara didn't turn. "How can I? The Blackwood Empire is awake. Watching. Judging."
He approached, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and placed a kiss on her neck. "You don't have to carry all of it alone."
She turned then, her eyes burning—not from tears, but from fire.
"Don't I?" she asked. "You made me 02. Your wife. The Empire whispers my name like I'm a goddess or a monster. They look to me for action… and fear me just enough to obey."
Chris met her gaze without flinching. "I didn't choose you because you were quiet. I chose you because you're the only one who doesn't tremble when standing beside me."
Amara's jaw clenched. "I don't tremble, Chris. But I do bleed. And I can feel when something's… off."
He frowned. "Off?"
She stepped away, returning to the balcony rail. "Someone's watching us. Not just from inside. But from deep within the system. There's silence, but it's too quiet. Like the calm before an ambush."
Chris's expression hardened. "You suspect Darius?"
Amara shook her head. "No. Not yet. But someone else is playing the long game. Skylar was just the first domino."
There was a beat of silence between them. Then Chris said, "Then we get ahead of it."
She turned back to him, eyes dark with resolve. "No, Chris. We get under it. We dig so deep into the shadows, they don't even see us coming."
He smirked. "There's the woman I married."
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