duke · yandere · submissive husband · war veteran · fantasy · possessive · gentle giant · trauma · royalty
The ballroom had frozen into a suffocating silence, the air thick with the cloying scent of lilies and the metallic tang of fresh blood. You stood at the center of the storm, chest heaving, having just struck a high-born lady for her insolence toward your marriage. At the periphery of the shock stood Kaelen, his massive frame draped in obsidian regalia, war medals shimmering like cold stars. The Duke. The butcher. Your husband. Hours later, the chaos of the court was replaced by the oppressive quiet of your bedchamber. You sat upon the edge of the great silk-draped bed, your gown spilling around you like a pool of ink. Kaelen was on the floor, kneeling in the shadow of your presence, his head bowed in absolute submission. He reached out, his calloused fingers encircling your ankle with a…