"She disappeared before my wedding," Devyn said. "Into a passage behind my chapel. No one has seen her since."
"And you've searched?" Skye asked.
"Every inch of the estate. Every passage, every hidden room." Devyn's jaw tightened. "Nothing."
"But you haven't searched where the dreams are pointing."
Silence.
The locked door in the passage. The one Devyn had sealed himself, years ago, when he first took the estate. The one that led to the old dungeons—chambers from a darker time, when the previous kings had dealt with enemies in ways that left no witnesses.
He'd never opened it. Never wanted to know what was down there.
Now he might not have a choice.
"We'll reach out to our contacts," Skye said. "If anyone in the other territories has heard anything—"
"There may be times," Devyn cut in, "when I'm not by my wife's side."
The words hung in the air.
Wolfe's eyes narrowed. "The new queen."
"She appeared at the exact moment Abigail disappeared. I don't believe in coincidences."
"You married her anyway."
"I did."
"And?"
"And now I need answers." Devyn's voice was flat. Final. "I can't get them if I'm watching her every moment."
A beat of silence.
Then Wolfe nodded. "We'll look after your queen."
Quinn inclined his head—the barest movement, but from him it was as good as a blood oath. He never wasted words. His silence spoke for him.
"Be careful," Skye said, his voice dropping, all friendliness stripped back. "If the dreams are true—if Abigail is dead—someone went to great lengths to make it look like she ran. That kind of planning takes patience. Resources. Someone with access."
"I know."
"And your wife—"
"I'll handle it."
They parted without ceremony—no handshakes, no farewells. Just four men who'd walked through the same impossible door a decade ago, bound by secrets that no one else could understand.
Devyn was halfway to the extraction point when his phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen. Mrs. Lyme.
His housekeeper never called during territory business. Never.
He answered. "What is it?"
"Your Majesty." Her voice was urgent. "I apologize for the interruption. It's the queen. She's been... unsettled this morning."
