THE EXILED MATE OF A RUTHLESS KING 👑

QUESTIONING THE MERROWS

Cassius finished speaking as if it were the most natural decision in the world.

“They’ll stay here,” he said. “As long as they wish.”

For half a heartbeat, Seren simply stared at him.

Then she launched.

Cassius barely had time to brace before she jumped, arms wrapping around his neck, her feet leaving the floor as she laughed breathlessly.

“Thank you, thank you, thank youuu—” she said, words tumbling over each other. “You have no idea how exciting this is. They’ve never seen a place like this, Cassius—never stayed somewhere they didn’t have to earn every inch of—”

Her joy was unfiltered. Bright. Infectious.

Cassius instinctively caught her, hands firm at her waist, steadying them both. For a split second, he froze—aware of eyes, of propriety, of everything he’d been taught to restrain.

Then she squeezed him tighter.

He exhaled and let himself hold her.

“Careful,” he murmured near her ear. “You’ll give people ideas about me.”

She pulled back just enough to grin at him. “Too late.”

Something warm—and terrifying—settled in his chest.

Days Later: The Pushback

The council chamber was colder than usual.

Cassius sat at the head of the table, composed, unreadable. The reports before him were routine—trade routes, border patrols, grain stores—but the tension had nothing to do with logistics.

It was coming.

Julian spoke first.

“Inviting the Merrow family to reside within the castle walls,” he said smoothly, fingers steepled. “Some might interpret that as… careless.”

Cassius’s gaze flicked up. “Some?”

Julian smiled. “The pack remembers rebellion, Your Highness. Bloodshed. Betrayal. Optics matter—especially when choosing a mate with such… associations.”

Before Cassius could speak, Seren stepped forward.

Her voice was calm. Clear.

“For one,” she said, “I am not responsible for anyone else’s actions—least of all things that happened before I was born.”

A murmur rippled through the chamber.

“And second,” she continued, chin lifting, “my family has taken accountability. They didn’t excuse what happened. They helped stop it from happening again. They dismantled a reforming rebellion at great personal risk.”

She looked each council member in the eye.

“We deserve more than to be judged for something twenty years ago.”

Silence followed.

Julian tilted his head, feigning thoughtfulness. “Admirable sentiment. But I doubt they changed much, Still—some might say the future king is growing… soft.”

The word lingered.

Cassius stood.

The sound of his chair scraping against stone echoed like a warning.

“Careful,” he said quietly.

Julian chuckled. “I meant no disrespect—”

Cassius moved closer, his presence sharpening the air.

“You questioned my judgment,” he said evenly. “My authority. And my mate.”

The chamber went still.

“Let me be clear,” Cassius continued. “Mercy is not weakness. Loyalty is not blindness. And accountability does not expire simply because it is inconvenient to remember who failed to enforce consequences the first time.”

His gaze locked onto Julian.

“You will not test me again.”

Julian swallowed. “Understood.”

Cassius straightened, scanning the room.

“I have not grown soft,” he said. “I have grown precise.”

No one spoke.

Later, as they walked the corridor together, Seren slipped her hand into his.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said softly.

“I did,” he replied. Then, after a pause: “And I would again.”

She smiled up at him—proud, grateful, unwavering.

And Cassius realized something undeniable.

Protecting her didn’t weaken him.

It reminded everyone exactly why he was feared.