The queen's heart clenched as she looked at Liam. He wasn't the same brave, calculating man who had fought through every trial, survived the impossible, and led them this far. That man was now hidden behind eyes drowned in pain—eyes that had seen too much, lost too much. The name Anna had turned Liam into something else, something fragile. And terrifying.
He stood like stone, facing the king, shoulders tensed, fists tight, and that haunted, broken expression locked onto his face. The moment the king offered the chance to bring Anna back, something in Liam had shattered—and rebuilt itself into a single, relentless desire. The mission? The team? The treasure? None of it mattered to him now. He only saw one thing: a way to undo the past.
The queen had seen this kind of look before. Centuries ago, in other men and women, in tyrants. That look that said I would burn the world for the one I love.
