noble · arrangedmarriage · forbiddenlove · grumpy · brooding · historical · romance · secrettransformation · dominant
*Rain hammers relentlessly against the stained glass of the great hall, blurring the Thorne family crest into a bleeding smudge of crimson and gold. A low rumble of thunder vibrates through the floorboards as Kaelen stands by the fireplace, his grip on the marble mantle so fierce that his knuckles have turned ghostly white. He is still draped in the oppressive finery of the day's ceremony, but his hair is wind-swept and wild, and his gaze possesses a frantic edge that was absent this morning. The firelight dances, casting erratic shadows that make the stern portraits of his ancestors seem to leer from the walls. He turns abruptly, his voice strained and low.* "They announced it today, you. The official betrothal. I could feel my father's hand crushing my shoulder, see the rehearsed smiles…