THE EXILED MATE OF A RUTHLESS KING 👑

ALONE

Seren

Seren woke before the bells.

The castle was still wrapped in that early-morning hush she’d come to recognize—lamplight dimmed, corridors quiet except for the soft tread of guards changing shifts. She dressed quickly, braiding her hair back out of habit, then paused by the window for a moment, watching frost cling to the stone balustrades. The North was beautiful in its stillness. Severe, yes—but honest.

Breakfast passed easily. She read while she ate, one of the histories Cassius had left on the side table for her days ago, its spine already worn. A servant paused to ask if she’d be needed at the hospital today.

“No,” Seren said gently. “But thank you.”

That, too, had become normal.

The hospital hadn’t called for her help in days—not since Cassius had brought in healers from neighboring regions. At first, she’d felt relieved. The attack had shaken everyone, and the wards were fuller than she’d ever seen them. Extra hands were welcome.

So instead, Seren had turned her attention elsewhere.

The pack offices smelled faintly of parchment and ink. She’d learned quickly—how to organize incoming requests, how to log patrol reports, how to recognize which matters needed Cassius’s signature and which could be delegated. She liked the rhythm of it. Liked feeling useful.

If she couldn’t heal bodies, she could help steady the pack.

She was reviewing a trade proposal when a messenger approached, hesitant. “Miss Seren—future Luna—there’s a scheduling conflict for the western delegates.”

Seren glanced up, already scanning the document. “Move them to tomorrow afternoon. Prince Cassius has council this evening.”

The messenger blinked. Then nodded. “Yes, my lady.”

The title still felt strange—but she didn’t correct him.

Cassius

Cassius stood at the long table in the strategy room, listening to Axel read the latest report.

“…another anonymous warning near the eastern border. Blood this time. No breach, but panic’s spreading.”

Cassius didn’t look up. “And the source?”

“Nothing traceable. Same pattern as before—third-party channels, dead drops.”

Cassius exhaled slowly. “Log it. Increase patrols, but quietly.”

Axel hesitated. “The healers are asking why Seren hasn’t been called back.”

Cassius’s jaw tightened—not in anger, but resolve. “Tell them she’s not needed.”

He signed another document, the pen pressing hard into the parchment. He didn’t miss the way his shoulders eased when Callan reported Seren was in the pack offices, not beyond the castle grounds.

Good. She’s here.

That was all that mattered.

He told himself it wasn’t confinement. Seren could leave whenever she wished. She walked the gardens freely. She wasn’t locked behind walls.

But safety wasn’t about walls.

It was about distance from danger.

Cassius dismissed the council early and went to find her.

Seren

Cassius appeared in the doorway mid-afternoon, sleeves rolled back, expression tired but softening the moment he saw her.

“You’ve been busy,” he said.

Seren smiled. “You’d be surprised how much paperwork a pack generates.”

“I’m not surprised at all.” He stepped closer, glancing at the documents. “You reorganized the patrol reports.”

“They were out of order,” she said lightly. “And the delegates from the west needed rescheduling.”

Cassius nodded once. Approval flickered across his face—quick, but genuine. “Good.”

The word warmed her more than she expected.

They worked side by side until dusk crept in through the windows. It felt… easy. Comfortable. Like this was what they were supposed to be doing all along.

Later, they ate together in his chambers, sharing quiet conversation. Cassius listened when she spoke, asked questions about the Merrow territories, about her healing practices, about how she’d handled disputes back home.

Seren noticed he touched her more lately—not possessively, just… reassuringly. A hand at her back. Fingers brushing hers when he passed.

She assumed it was lingering fear from the attack.

She didn’t blame him.

Cassius

That night, the letters came again.

Callan brought them this time, face grim. Cassius dismissed him with a nod and burned the worst of them himself.

Historic traitors.

Merrows always play the long game.

You’re blinded.

Cassius crushed the paper in his fist before tossing it into the fire.

They wanted fear. Doubt. Division.

They wouldn’t get it.

When he returned to his chambers, Seren was curled on the couch, book forgotten, half-asleep. The sight of her steadied him instantly.

Safe.

That single word anchored everything.

He watched her for a moment longer than necessary, then joined her, pulling her close without waking her fully. She murmured his name, instinctive, trusting.

Cassius closed his eyes.

I won’t lose her.

Not to them. Not to history.

Seren

Days passed like this.

The castle grew busier, security tighter—but Seren adapted easily. She helped where she could, learned what she didn’t know, asked questions. Cassius seemed… calmer when she stayed close.

She noticed things, of course.

Guards lingering. Meetings reassigned. A healer thanking her for “the rest.”

But Seren didn’t assume malice. Cassius was leading a kingdom under threat. Protecting the pack came first.

She believed that included her—but she didn’t think it was about her.

When she smiled at him across the office table one afternoon, he smiled back with unmistakable relief.

She mistook it for affection.

Cassius

The reports worsened.

Whispers became accusations. Accusations became unrest.

Cassius handled it all—tightened ranks, issued orders, took the weight onto his own shoulders. He didn’t tell Seren. Not because she couldn’t handle it.

Because if she knew, she’d act.

And action meant risk.

Late one evening, as he watched her review documents by the fire, Cassius felt the truth settle heavily in his chest.

This wasn’t strategy anymore.

This was love.

And love—he knew now—was the sharpest weakness of all.

He would not let it be used against her.

Even if it meant carrying the fear alone.

End of Chapter