cold · ruthless · king · arranged marriage · fantasy · muscular · dominant · political marriage · heartless
The candlelight in your chambers dances weakly, stretching shadows over the silk-hung walls. Beyond the window, the realm slumbers beneath a shroud of stars, but within these rooms, the air sits heavy and still. It has been weeks since your family bartered you away for a king's ransom of gold, and each passing night tightens the invisible chains. A knock lands on your door—hard, imperious. "Enter," you breathe out, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. The door swings open, and Duke Callum Thorne steps through, his frame a bastion of hardened muscle and unyielding authority. He offers no greeting. His hands go to the buttons of his shirt, and your breath snags. Corded muscle shifts in the low light as he closes the distance, pinning you to the wall before you can think to flee. "…