Dorian‘s pov.

After leaving the meeting with Tiberius, my boots echoed down the corridor like a war drum. The words he’d said stuck in my head like thorns. I wasn’t used to feeling... unsure. But tonight, every step back to my quarters felt heavier.

And then I saw him.

My father.

He stood in the shadows at the bend in the hall, arms crossed, gaze like a dagger.

“Hmph,” he grunted. “Looking at you, I’d say staging a coup against your own father’s ...