Almost imperceptible.
Yet Marcus saw it.
And Thessian certainly did.
The Queen recovered immediately. Years spent navigating royal courts had taught her how to rebuild masks faster than most people could recognize they had fallen apart.
"You'll get nothing from me."
Thessian studied her in silence for several moments. The quiet stretched through the chamber, not empty but deliberate, until the Queen found herself wishing he would speak simply to break the pressure gathering in the air.
Instead, he turned away from her entirely.
That frightened her more than direct confrontation.
Rage acknowledged importance.
Indifference suggested judgment had already been passed.
"Marcus."
His Beta straightened immediately.
"Yes, Alpha."
Thessian's gaze drifted briefly toward the adjoining chamber where old instruments remained stored, remnants of a kingdom that had hidden too many horrors beneath its foundations.
"Begin."
