The basement seemed to shrink around them. Even the hum of the security monitors sounded louder now, like an electric pulse echoing the unspoken tension.

Ares’ jaw tightened. Atlas’ hands clenched at his sides. Helena’s eyes were wide, flickering between Maria and the shadowed corridor where Lucian was held. Alina stood frozen, her hand still in her mother’s, absorbing every word.

Maria’s voice cut through the silence. “Lucian didn’t act alone that night.”

Ares’ voice ...