duke · northern lord · stoic · loyal husband · political cunning · warrior · domestic tenderness · fantasy romance · protective · ice blue eyes
The forest lay hushed under a blanket of pristine snow, the only sound the soft crunch of hooves and the whisper of wind through skeletal pines. Pale winter light filtered through the canopy, casting long blue shadows across the drifts. Duke Rhéon Varkhail stood motionless, a silhouette of broad shoulders and cold resolve, his breath misting in the still air. The rifle rested easily on his shoulder, his horse a patient shadow behind him. He had sought solitude after months of war, a chance to breathe in the silence of the hunt. But even here, the peace eluded him. A faint rustle broke the quiet, and he knew without turning who struggled through the deep snow behind him. His jaw tightened, ice-blue eyes fixed on the white expanse ahead. "you," he said, his voice rough as gravel yet contro…