"I’m sorry," Asher said bluntly, "but I’m not a fan of anyone getting into my head without my permission, especially with magic I don’t understand."
"You’re right to be wary," Queen Seraphira nodded her head. "Caution has kept many alive. However, I am a healer, and I don’t just see wounds of the body, I sense the ones buried deeper too. And I worry that the darkness you carry might one day harm my daughter."
She admitted, "I once believed I could mend broken men, and it cost me dearly. I won’t let my daughter make the same mistake."
Asher’s jaw clenched, and Violet’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that look in his eyes — the one that said no one, not even the gods, would stop him from getting what he wanted.
Violet expected Asher to start raining threats, but to everyone’s surprise, he bowed his head, not out of submission, but sincerity.
"I love your daughter with everything I am," Asher said, his voice raw. "I would never hurt her. If anything, I’d lay my life down for her. And if you want me to prove it, I’ll do it without hesitation."
There was no mistaking the conviction in his tone. It rippled through the throne room, and everyone present felt the truth of his words deep in their bones.
For a heartbeat, no one moved. All eyes were on Queen Seraphira, every breath held in anticipation. The final decision rested with her.
Then the queen lifted her head proudly. "Then that makes you my son. May the Goddess favor your bond as well, if she wills it."
Violet exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Thank the heavens. It would have been a nightmare having to reject her mother just because she couldn’t accept Asher.
Roman made a dramatic sniffle. "Okay, that’s it. I’m crying. Someone hold me."
Griffin groaned. "I swear, if you start fake-sobbing—"
"Too late," Roman sniffed loudly, turning and burying his face in Griffin’s chest. "That was so beautiful."
Griffin sighed, letting him do whatever he wanted.
Asher looked stunned. He hadn’t expected the queen to yield that easily. In his mind, she would have given him impossible tests to prove his worth. Most people needed evidence before they trusted him, and Queen Seraphira had simply... believed?
"I’m sure your transition to the Fae realm has been a difficult one," Queen Seraphira said. "You all need rest. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other better." Her gaze lingered on Violet as she said it.
"That would be nice, Your Majesty— I mean, Mother." Violet mentally face-palmed the second the word slipped out.
"Help them settle, Lilarin," the queen said, turning away and climbing the dais once more. Her tone carried the finality of dismissal.
"Come," Lilarin said, gesturing for them to follow.
They moved as one, but Violet hesitated, turning back for one last glance. Her mother stood tall under the filtered glow of the hall, regal yet somehow gentle. When Queen Seraphira noticed, she smiled and lifted a hand in farewell.
Violet smiled back and followed the others out.
As soon as they were gone, the smile vanished from Seraphira’s gaze and was replaced by exhaustion instead. She slumped on her throne, rubbing her temple.
The remaining Fae who had escorted them dispersed, all except one. Rhara, the second in command after Lilarin, stood before the queen.
"What do you think?" Queen Seraphira asked without looking up.
"Mated to three Beastmen, with one other bond waiting to happen?" Rhara sighed. "The people are going to throw a fit. It’s not enough that she’s half Fae, now she’s entirely partial to their kind. Baron will use it to fuel his campaign."
Beastkind — that was what the Fae called any supernatural capable of shape-shifting. Some among the Fae possessed the gift as well, though they never leaned fully into the beast side the way most werewolves did. And those who did were not limited to taking only the form of wolves.
It was rumored that werewolves were descendants of certain Fae who had left the Fae realm to settle in the human world. Whatever differences existed between the "Fae beasts" and "werewolves" were likely the result of evolution.
Of course, those were just theories.
And such theories, among the Fae, were considered taboo and insulting. The proud high Fae saw it as an attempt by lesser creatures to claim divine lineage. Hence only a few radical ones believed that the first werewolves were born of Fae blood tainted by human mortality.
Still, it was not a topic one spoke of openly. To imply that a werewolf carried even a fraction of Fae heritage was to invite outrage.
"Unfortunately, it is already what it is. We cannot go against a matebond." Seraphira told her.
However, an idea struck Rhara.
"Perhaps..." she began thoughtfully, "she can keep her mates. But we could add one more to her harem. A union within our kind would show her loyalty to the Free Fae."
Seraphira’s eyes snapped open. "Excuse me?"
Rhara didn’t flinch. "She doesn’t necessarily need to love him," she continued. "The princess can keep him by her side for appearances. And if the gods will it, a child coming out of such a union would be an extra bonus for the realm."
Seraphira’s expression darkened. "Has my toxic union with Baron not taught this realm a lesson?" she asked coldly.
Rhara bowed her head. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was only offering suggestions."
"I just barely got my daughter back," the queen snapped. "She still has to prove herself worthy of the throne. I will not subject her to the same disastrous pairing my own mother forced upon me."
"I’m not saying you should force it on her," Rhara persisted. "You heard the fourth Beastman. He believes he’s next in line to be mated to her. If that is true, wouldn’t it be better if the next mate were a Fae? It would grant Princess Violet a stronger foothold in court. Right now, she stands alone."
Seraphira’s patience snapped. "Shifters love differently. Their bonds are primal and their fate is decided by the goddess. You don’t meddle with the matebond. If Asher Nightshade believes he’s meant to be mated to my daughter, then so be it. I will not entertain any other thoughts. This conversation is over!" she thundered, her power humming through the room.
Rhara recoiled slightly at the queen’s fury. "Of course, Your Majesty," she said, bowing deeper. "It was out of line. It won’t happen again."
"Just leave me," Seraphira commanded, waving her off.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Rhara turned to go, but her eyes glinted with determination.
She would prove the queen wrong.