THE EXILED MATE OF A RUTHLESS KING 👑

THE WEIGHT OF CARING 💘

Cassius

The reports never stopped.

Cassius stood at the long table in the strategy room, hands braced against polished stone as projections flickered in the air—access logs, border movement, partial breaches that never quite crossed into attack.

The Silent Fang Conclave is patient, he thought grimly.

They didn’t strike where he expected. They whispered.

A forged report here. A manipulated timestamp there. Anonymous messages spreading through lower packs.

The Merrows are too capable.

They understand systems they shouldn’t.

Why else would the breaches always stop short of disaster?

Cassius crushed the thought before it could take root.

He never doubted Seren. Not once.

But the world didn’t need proof to hurt her only suspicion.

“Your Highness,” a council aide said carefully. “Public concern is rising. Some believe… if harm comes to the future queen—”

“They won’t,” Cassius snapped.

Silence fell.

He exhaled slowly. Controlled himself.

“They will not,” he repeated, quieter. “Because I won’t allow it.”

That night, alone in his chambers, the truth finally caught up to him.

He loved her.

Not the bond. Not fate. Her.

The way she filled rooms with purpose. The way she argued with him like she wasn’t afraid. The way she trusted.

And that terrified him more than any enemy.

If I lose her, his mind whispered, I won’t survive it.

So he did what he had been taught to do.

He took control.

Seren

Seren noticed the change slowly.

The hospital hadn’t called for her in two days.

That alone was strange.

She paced the window of her sitting room, fingers tapping against her arm before finally reaching for the communicator.

“Seren Merrow,” she said when the line connected. “I was checking in, so how are things at the hospital?”

There was a pause.

Then, cheerfully, “Oh! Much better, my lady. Prince Cassius arranged for additional healers and nurses from abroad. The wards are fully staffed now.”

Relief warmed her chest. “That’s wonderful.”

“Yes he was very clear. We’re to ensure the future queen isn’t burdened unnecessarily.”

Seren blinked. “…Burdened?”

“Rest is important, of course. Especially now.”

The line went quiet.

Seren thanked them politely and ended the call, unease curling low in her stomach.

Future queen.

She loved Cassius but she had never stopped being a healer.

Later that day, she found him in the office, sleeves rolled up, jaw tight as he reviewed documents. He looked up when she entered, tension easing instantly.

“There you are,” he said, softer. “Come sit.”

She did.

They worked side by side—pack logistics, resource allocation, correspondence. It was… nice. Intimate, even.

But something felt off.

“Security’s increased again,” she observed lightly. “I hadn’t noticed patrols outside the east wing before.”

Cassius didn’t look up. “Necessary.”

“Anything I should know?”

“No.”

Too fast.

She studied him. “You’ve been busy.”

“I’m handling it.”

The words landed wrong.

Still, she didn’t push. Not yet.

Instead, she filled her days elsewhere—helping at the daycare, reading to children, organizing supplies. The little ones adored her. Their laughter soothed something restless in her chest.

Cassius visited when he could. Held her hand. Kissed her temple. Watched her like he was memorizing her.

It should have felt romantic.

And it did..but it also felt…managed.

Cassius

He hated lying by omission.

But every threat he intercepted felt like another reason not to tell her.

Anonymous notes. Veiled warnings. A blade left outside a servant entrance—symbolic, not functional.

They want her afraid, he realized.

He wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

So he bore it alone.

Callan cornered him one evening, arms crossed. “You’re hiding things.”

Cassius didn’t deny it.

“You think this is protection,” Callan said carefully. “But if she finds out—”

“She won’t,” Cassius said.

And in that moment, he believed it.

Seren

One afternoon, while helping organize daycare records, Seren overheard two caretakers whispering.

“…told us not to bother her.” “…Prince’s orders.” “…said she needs rest.”

The world tilted.

That night, Seren sat alone on the edge of the bed, staring at her hands.

Cassius was protecting her.

But he hadn’t asked.

And slowly—quietly—she realized something else.

She wasn’t being attacked.

She was being removed.

From the places she mattered most.

From the work that made her her.

When Cassius returned later, smiling like nothing was wrong, Seren smiled back.

For now.

But something inside her had begun to harden.

And when the truth finally surfaced, it wouldn’t be gentle.