Caught by the Mad Alpha King-Chapter 275: Uncontainable royal entertainment

Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Uncontainable royal entertainment
Sahir went still.
Dax stopped breathing. The idea settled into him slowly, winding through his posture, loosening something in his shoulders and sharpening something entirely different behind his eyes. Sahir, who had long ago learned to recognize danger disguised as curiosity, saw it instantly: the subtle shift from alert restraint into something far more deliberate, far more dangerous, and honestly far more entertained.
For a man like Dax, few things were more appealing than an opponent willingly lining themselves up to be humiliated.
And now, apparently, Chris was inviting him to enjoy it.
"They want to test limits?" Chris said again, as if they were discussing dinner plans rather than international brinkmanship. "Then let them." He lifted one shoulder in a faint, measured shrug, the robe sliding lower over his dark silk shirt. "I want to see what they plan. Don’t you?"
It was the calm that sparked the king. If Christopher had sounded righteous, Dax might have soothed him. If he had sounded angry, Dax might have protected him. If he had sounded wounded, Dax would have burned Rohan to the ground.
But Chris sounded amused and that... that delighted Dax.
"Oh," Dax said, a slow, pleased breath leaving him as the edges of his mouth curved into something that was deeply satisfied. "I absolutely do."
Sahir exhaled softly with the resigned composure of a man who realized the situation had officially evolved past
"manageable diplomatic problem"
and into
"uncontainable royal entertainment."
Watching Christopher absorb Dax’s theatrical cruelty like second-hand perfume was, in a word, unfortunate.
"Your Grace," he attempted gently, as if speaking to someone who had decided gravity was merely a suggestion. "You understand that
’entertaining’
Rohan generally results in terrified officials, restless governments, and at least three very dramatic protest songs about His Majesty being a tyrant?"
"They really are absurdly catchy," Dax commented thoughtfully.
Sahir ignored him.
"And this time," he continued, directing his gaze firmly back to Chris, "it involves you, which means any escalation they provoke will be aimed at you first."
"I’m aware," Chris said, simply acknowledging the truth before setting it aside. "Which is exactly why I’m curious to see what they believe they can do with me."
Dax watched him the way he always did when Chris surprised him, which was often, though he never admitted it out loud. There was warmth there, yes, affection threaded into it, but under it hummed that sharp, prowling fascination Chris had started stirring in him more and more lately, the realization that his omega was not simply standing beside him out of necessity, but out of the sovereign presence of his own.
"You’re enjoying this," Dax said, flashing a smile.
Chris didn’t deny it. His expression settled into a firmer kind of composure that promised something far more dangerous than theatrical outrage.
"Shouldn’t I?" he asked. "They’re the ones walking into our territory. They’re the ones stepping into our court. They provoked a public humiliation and now want to negotiate like they hold leverage. And their grand strategy is to send a jealous alpha from your past and a child they once tried to use as a marital bargaining chip." His brow lifted slightly, his voice turning faintly dry. "If that is their strongest play, then yes, I would actually like to see how confident they still believe themselves to be."
Sahir went still.
Dax laughed heartily, as if he was overjoyed with the direction the evening had taken.
He stepped closer, amused warmth resting beneath the raw admiration in his gaze.
"There was a time," Dax murmured, his voice softer now but somehow even more dangerous, "when I genuinely believed I would have to do this alone forever. The threats. The theater. The weight of power and the responsibility of being sharper than anyone expected. I thought I was destined to keep the world back with my own hands."
Chris raised a brow while crossing his arms. "Dax, I’m not your partner in crime. I just want to know how they want to sway you. You will do the heavy lifting."
Dax didn’t laugh this time.
He just looked at Chris with that quiet stillness he rarely allowed anyone to see. The look he usually reserved for war maps and heads of state.
"You are my partner," he said, voice low. "But understand something clearly, Christopher. I will never let them touch you. Whatever they try, whoever they send, however subtle or civilized it pretends to be, I am the wall they break against first."
He didn’t raise his voice.
Chris held his gaze, accepting the weight of what that meant and refusing to let it be the end of the conversation.
"I know," he said quietly. "And I trust you with that. But I’m not asking to fight in your place. I’m asking to stand next to you while you’re doing it. Because if I’m going to live in this world, if I’m going to sit in those halls and be crowned in that palace and carry the title they want to hang on me... then I don’t get to close my eyes just because you’re willing to keep them open for me."
His arms tightened across his chest, the fine material of the robe tightening at his elbows. "And I need to know what they want."
A small muscle moved in Dax’s jaw.
"Why?" he pressed softly. "You said it yourself. I will handle the force required. I will do the heavy lifting. You don’t have to put that weight on your back unless you want to."
"That’s the problem," Chris replied. "I think someone out there is counting on you lifting too much."
Dax tilted his head, daring Christopher to continue.
Sahir, who had remained respectfully silent, straightened subtly.
Chris continued, his voice calmer than the tension beneath it.
"The Maleks have been quiet," Chris continued, the words coming slower now. "They haven’t protested, haven’t whispered influence into Parliament, haven’t rattled chains just to remind us they exist. A family that loud doesn’t suddenly discover humility."
Sahir inclined his head with reluctant agreement. "You think they are waiting."
"Waiting for distraction," Chris corrected. "Because right now, all attention is about to shift. There’s a wedding coming. There’s a coronation not long after. Security resources are stretched. Foreign eyes are incoming. Political structures are adjusting. And your focus," he added with a quiet honesty, "is being pulled outward more and more."
Dax’s brows lowered, thoughtful now. "You think they’re hoping I’m distracted."
"I think they’re hoping everyone is," Chris said. "Because chaos doesn’t always come from obvious enemies. Sometimes it comes from the quiet ones who wait for you to turn your head."
Sahir let out a slow breath, one he usually saved for terrible but unfortunately logical conclusions. "It would align," he admitted. "The Maleks thrive on advantage, not confrontation."
Dax looked between the two of them, definitely not pleased with the conclusion.
"So," he said, voice settling back into command, "you want to see what Rohan thinks they can do while making sure no one else uses that moment to move unnoticed."
Chris nodded. "Exactly. You keep the front strong. I keep watch on the sides. I don’t want to be protected from reality if we’re both expected to rule inside it."
"Fine," he said reluctantly. "We do this together. But let me be absolutely clear: if anything so much as brushes wrong, if that envoy misjudges their breath, if anyone thinks
’testing boundaries’
means testing you, I will end the conversation and the diplomacy immediately."
His gaze softened as his hand reached his mate’s back.
"I am not negotiating your safety."
Chris didn’t smile, but something warm settled in his chest anyway.
"I’m not asking you to," he said. "I’m asking you to trust me enough to let me stand with you while you do it."
Dax swallowed once.
Sahir pretended very hard not to notice it.
Finally, Dax’s mouth curved just slightly. "If anyone is hoping I’ll be distracted... Then they can start running now." His smile turned almost gentle.