I clenched my teeth together tightly. The forced smile straining my cheeks was beginning to ache.

"I think it's time we expand our rule, Mother. The royal consorts come from lands ruled by power-hungry rulers that only know war and greed, sacrificing the lives they govern to gain more than they need."

The woman sighed and settled her cup onto the table. "I am no stranger to such rulers, son. You tend to forget how your father was, but then again I did rid myself of that pest when you were fairly young."

She turned her eye onto me. They dropped to the black lines resembling whisps of smoke that formed a dark and distinct symbol on my neck by my shoulder. It matched the detailed symbol that lay on the back of Cassius's hand that was in the open for all to see. The intricate symbol did little to hide the scared bite marks that lay beneath.

Her black eyes rose to meet mine. She gave me a sweet, motherly smile. "Don't be afraid to do the same, my dear. Especially if this one starts turning into the nuisance his father was."

My smile became even more strained. What kind of mother reassured you it was okay to off their son if they were a problem? She frightened me.

Cassius's grip tightened on my waist, making my discomfort levels rise. Raising his hand, he held a fork that carried steaming garlic potatoes, green beans, and a piece of meat that I wasn't going to dare to question the origins of to my mouth.

I shifted uncomfortably, the movement only adding to the red I could feel staining my cheeks. It was already prominent due to the multiple sets of eyes around the dining table that I could feel focused on me as Cassius continued to feed as I sat perched on his lap. I didn't understand why I couldn't use the empty seat at our side, but when I had been wrestled out of it by him earlier, being placed on his thigh, I had refrained from causing a commotion due to the strange faces that now watched my discomfort with intrigue.

Like I was an exotic pet.

My fist tightened, bunching the fabric of the dress I has been given when we had arrived at the monstrously large castle we now sat in a few hours prior. The instant, yet stomach-turning, journey that brought us here hadn't left much room for me to appreciate the architecture. Cassius had been gracious enough to mention in passing that the large, cold, extravagant structure that screamed of history, old money, and discomfort was going to be my new home, so I guess I had plenty of time to later.

At least until Ares thought of a way to get us out of here. Preferably before I was carrying an heir.

I avoided looking at Cassius's all too eager to meet me mother and locked eyes with a still pale-faced Ryder. He was seated nearest to the head of the table where Cassius and I sat. I had refused to let there be much distance between us since I had laid eyes on him after returning with Cassius and Axel. Feeling him get so close to death through the bond had shaken me more than I thought was possible.

At his side sat Ares, the one I was putting all my hopes on. Though I could still see the strain the poison had wreaked on him in the exhaustion lining his features, he had recovered far quicker than the others. He said it was because apparently after years of taking microdoses of poisons he was able to survive and overcome most deadly ones.

He had refused to let me leave his sight since I had shown up being dragged behind Cassius, even going so far as to punch the man when he tried to walk off with me, but at my request, he had calmed down and had been staying near Ryder when I couldn't. Like a few hours ago when I was dragged away to be forcibly stripped, bathed, groomed, and dressed by women who seemed all too excited to shave the hair from my pits that most definitely gave off an unnaturally foul stench. It didn't provide the same level of reassurance as having my own eyes on him, but I trusted Ares enough that I could breathe easy just knowing that he was near.

Beside Ares sat Ezra, a sight I wasn't quite sure how I felt about seeing yet, followed by a few unfamiliar faces.

Unfamiliar and not fully human, I thought as I eyed the jewel-coloured skin of a thin willowy woman and the tusks that protruded out of a well-dressed man's face. Not all of them had inhuman characteristics, many of them could easily fool me into thinking they were human, but most of the ones that did had extremely noticeable features I couldn't help but stare at.

Across from them sat Zev, Jaxon, and Axel followed by more unfamiliar faces. The six men I knew aside from Cassius were all dressed in similar colours. They wore cream and gold colours with royal blue fabric and stones decorating them strategically. I had a feeling the matching clothing had to do with the announcement that was made alongside the one revealing me as the new Queen when we first entered the dining hall. The one where Cassius had labelled the six as consorts of the royal harem, an old practice that had apparently been retired with Cassius's great grandfather centuries ago if the whispered gossip was true. The whispers are also what made it clear that the scars on my neck that lay beneath his mark were the reason why the west wing of the castle, the old royal wing, was being prepared to be resided in again. It was where previous rulers resided with their spouse and their chosen consorts.

"I remember vividly, mother," Cassius frowned at the woman seated across the table loaded with a feast fit to feed an army. He prodded my lips with the fork until I opened my mouth to accept the offering. "I have no ambitions to follow in father's footsteps," he told her as I chewed.

As reluctant as I was to enjoy anything provided by him, I couldn't help but crave another bite. When my cravings were answered, I was ashamed at how quick I was to open my mouth.

"I wish your brother held the same ambitions," the black-haired woman sighed. She pouted her candy apple red lips as she rested her chin in her palm. I refused to believe she was the mother to two grown men and possibly a deceased woman. "Such a waste."

Rattling chains sounded from the corner she had turned her attention to. He struggled against the thick chains that held him in place in the isolated corner.

My hand unintentionally reached for Cassius when he caught me looking at him and lunged towards me, teeth bared. No matter how many monsters I faced, he would always be the greatest.

"Gertrude," the woman called, raising her hand to signal towards the woman who stepped forward in response. "Be a dear and take my son to the lower levels, please. His unruly behaviour isn't fit for a celebratory feast. It already isn't fit to welcome a new Queen, let's not ruin it further, shall we."

"Yes, Sovereign Mother," the woman answered, respectfully bowed her head before approaching him while he continued to struggle against his constraints.

"I can summon the-"

"Gertrude is more than capable of handling your brother," Cassius's mother chastised, cutting him off.

Cassius sighed in annoyance. It was under his breath and barely noticeable, so much so that I was the only one aware of the display. "I wasn't implying otherwise. I was just offering to ease her workload."

"Thank you, King Montgomery, but I can handle this on my own."

"Cassius," he corrected. "King Montgomery was my father."

Gertrude smiled at Cassius before approaching him. Her lips moved, forming soundless words as she neared. The chain began to rattle, not from his manipulation, but because of the words Gertrude was silently speaking. When she was close enough, she reached out and dragged her thumb down his forehead and over his nose. Before she could reach the crooked tip, they were gone. Nothing remained in the empty corner.

Another fork full of food brought my attention back to the table. Cassius looked down at me as I accepted the bite. The empty chair beside me gave me the hope that the hand-feeding was a one-time thing only.

"So tell me," Cassius's mother said as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Why should we waste our time and resources, risk losing the lives of our people to bring these lands in under our rule?"

I wasn't one to get jealous, but getting an aesthetically perfect view of cleavage that had me questioning if I was as straight as I believed from a woman who was old enough to have birthed fully grown adults, had me feeling less than enthusiastic about my own lacking assets.

But my own lacking opinion of myself didn't stop them from bringing me trouble though.

"I lived there among them, mother. As one of them." Cassius shook his head. "The way they treat their people, father would have loved it."

Mentioning her late husband got Cassius a reaction I bet he had already anticipated.

She took a sip of her drink, pursing her lips. "Do not try such underhanded methods on me, boy," she warned. "I am not above switching your behind before your wife." She rose her glass again. "You may be grown now, but I'm still your mother."

Cassius set the fork down. "My apologizes."

While his mother looked like she expected the response, I, along with Jaxon and Axel, couldn't hide the surprise from showing on my face, even if it was slightly.

The Sovereign Mother acknowledged Cassius's apology with a raise of her chin. "Now, tell me of the lives of these people. Are they so bad that our soldiers will risk theirs for them?"

"Yes." The answer came from Zev. I hadn't had much interaction with him since he had forcefully bonded me, forcing his twin brother to follow suit or face death. I had a feeling he hadn't expected him to choose death as much as the next person, only bonding me if I understood what it would mean.

I peaked at Ares again as I shivered thinking about what the near future held for me. I had promised to warm his bed, it was a promise I had a feeling I would need to begin fulfilling soon. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

Agreeing to it didn't mean I was ready.

"I do suppose they are a partially your soldiers too now, consort. Tell me, how so?" She asked, turning her gaze to the white-haired fae.

Zevs face remained blank. "Men are used and abused from adolescence. Beaten, raped, and forcefully wed or sold to the highest bidder. They have no rights. There are animals that are treated better."

"The women aren't spared either. Depending on the region, there are shifts between patriarchy and matriarchy. One thing in common though, is that everyone is at the mercy of those at the top," Cassius added, drawing a glance from his friends.

"So you want to be their saviour?"

"No. I want to give them a chance." As Cassius said the words, his eyes glanced towards the men the sat at his side. "They are born into a world that is already set for them to fail."

Silence followed Cassius's words.

"I didn't expect you to return so wise and worldly. You're making me feel old, boy." His mother said, breaking it. Her eyes darted to his friends. "I'm guessing they play a role in this decision as well?"

"Yes."

"Right," she nodded, settling back in her seat. "I get your reasoning, son. Your compassion is what makes you a good ruler, it's what kept me sain when fears that you would turn into your father ran wild." She took another draw from her cup. "But what I don't get, is why you're asking me if it's okay to invade? Last I checked, I did pass the crown onto you, did I not? So why am I being troubled by court matters during my retirement?"