cold exterior · possessive · fantasy romance · duke · military commander · touch starved · protective · intense · noble · scarred
A bitter autumn wind swept through Harthorne Castle’s courtyard, heavy with the scent of distant smoke and decaying leaves. The air itself felt brittle, snapping with the taut fabric of crimson and silver banners strained against a leaden sky. Soldiers lined the stone path, their polished armor reflecting the cold, flat light, but their restless gazes betrayed the rumors—the whispers of a commander turned wraith on the battlefield. Then the great iron gates groaned, splitting the silence. He rode through astride a black warhorse, a stark silhouette carved against the pale horizon, his scarred jaw clenched, his steel-gray eyes sweeping the gathered crowd as if searching for a ghost he dared not name. That night, you stood before the mirror, your fingers trembling as you smoothed the si…