"Pleased to hear. The journey must have tired you out. Let me show you to your chamber," I diverted the topic. He gave a nod in agreement. I turned and led him inside. After showing him to his chamber, I started towards my courtroom. On the way, I heard the clank of steel and halted when I saw him. He was in the garden, training. His raven hair hung loosely on his shoulder and was wet with water or perhaps sweat. His vast muscular chest was open to gawk for the bypassers. My traitorous eyes flitted to his tanned rugged biceps that flexed proudly every time he swung his sword. Not a single inch of his body was soft. I looked up to see his face. He was bathed in sweat and still looked pleasing to the eyes. He looked too handsome for a barbarian. He was in deep concentration to catch my inspection of his person. My gaze flew to his rival. It didn't take me long to figure out who was she. His fiancee. They were training together. I couldn't hold back from scrutinizing her person. S

I willed myself to get out of the trance and looked away. It took everything in me to tear myself from this delicious sensation. But I had to. I pulled away and he too didn't resist, following me from our trance. Without saying a word, he led me towards the floor, like a task. I did everything in my power to not feel those tingles, the traitorous emotions his touch was evoking in me. We both were trying to avoid eye contact as he threaded his fingers through mine. My hands looked so tiny against his. I felt several hard calluses scattered over his palm when he pressed his rough hand against my soft and smooth ones. He was a man of labor, something I had always admired in him. He held me in place by putting one hand on my waist. I heard him releasing a shaky breath before his hold on my waist tightened a little. I had danced in this position before but with him, it felt so intimate.My eyes were wandering everywhere but at him. We started dancing to the rhythm of the music. Needless to

A few years ago"What if he rejected me, Daisy? What would I do then?" the 17-year-old girl turned her head to look at the old woman who was busy braiding her hair and explaining about mate bond. The younger princess has a dent of worry between her soft brows as she generously pondered over the possibilities. Her soft angelic voice deepened with a hint of trepidation. "No lad in his right mind would reject you, my lady. You are beautiful and obedient. Your mate is going to love you and now turn your head so that I braid your hair properly," the old maid reassured her with a fond smile. The younger woman thought over her words but failed to draw any confidence. She straightened her head and scowled into the mirror facing her. "But certainly not beautiful enough to catch Prince William's eyes," her shoulders slumped as she murmured to herself, despondently.She was heartbroken to learn that Prince William of Attiha had found his mate. The prince had caught her fancy when she had seen

PRESENTThird POVOver the years, Rosalie has gotten better with pretense. The smile on her face had successfully fooled everyone into thinking she was happy. However, beneath the surface, a storm of misery was mercilessly ravaging her and the void in her heart had stretched wider since the announcement. She was experiencing a challenge in keeping her eyes dry. She wanted someone to deliver her from this suffocating pain. The tears were eager to break free and strip her of this deception. If only she had someone to share her pain with. All she yearned to do was sit in a dark corner of her room and cry her heart out. But instead, she was here attending the dinner with King William and her ministers. The King and her ministers were busy discussing the various aspects of war as she silently played with her food.If only someone cared to see through her facade, they would see a devastated, broken, and a defeated woman. She was just that and everything else was just a play. After dinner,

Giving not a single shit to her warning, he rose to his full height. She had unleashed his feral side by speaking those words. He had seen many looking down their nose at him because of his roots, he had become used to it but hearing it from her had burned him up like gasoline. Her brows furrowed in confusion when he shot out his hand towards her and took the sword from her hand. Maintaining their eye contact, he threw the sword far away. Her gaze diverted to the spot where he had thrown the sword. So she didn't see it coming when he fisted the back of her head and yanked her forward until her lips were tightly pressed against his. This time he kissed her wildly. He nibbled on her lower lip while separating her legs with his knee. His strength was unconquerable. She couldn't do much more than struggle against his beast size as he ravaged her lips with no trace of mercy. He pulled harshly at her hair, causing her head to tilt back. Pain shot through her scalp. She gasped and he shoved