The king's Runaway Bride

e soft glow of the moon barely visible beyond the thick clouds. She could hear faint sounds in the distance-howling wolves from the forest, the

ame tighter. Tonight was

rol

could, and turned to face her maid, Lydia, who had been her only friend in this hollow c

ia whispered, a hint of hesitati

arriage with a man everyone feared, a man who had lost three wives already. The whispers about Damon Mornings

was to be

of the decision felt like stones sinking in her chest. "Let's

re some kind of puppet being dressed for show, her fate decided by others long before she had any chance to resist. As Lydi

her stay. But he had merely looked at her with the same c

be the queen," he had said, as if tha

" she'd argued, her voice breaking as she'd for

't changed. "Then pray you'r

e delicate lace of the gown, feeling its softness even as her chest tightened. This wasn't her choice; it was never her choice. T

her handiwork. The gown was beautiful, ethereal even, but all C

sitant, softer than usual. "Do you

hing for words she didn't have. "I think... I

them. Then, a sharp knock at the door broke the tension. Lydia flinched, a

ounced, his voice cold and i

tar had been a name spoken in hushed tones, a figure as dista

heir own accord. The hallways of the castle were dimly lit, their shadows stretching like claws across the stone floors.

he doors open, and she felt the air shift, cold and still, like the breath before a storm. Inside, Damon stood alone at th

ng. But she didn't move. She couldn't. So, instead, she stepped inside, one

seemed to burn right through her. His dark hair fell just above his collar, framing his face in a way that made him look both regal and dangerous. She'd heard

lence stretched, thick with unspoken tension. Finally, he

ue with a weight that sent a shiver down her spine

to keep her voice stea

never leaving hers. "Because this union

away, even as her heart pounded with a mix of fear and something else she couldn't quite name.

asked, his tone almost mocking, as

, even if every instinct in her body told her

enough." He paused, his gaze trailing over her with a possessive

parking a faint ember of defiance within her. "I may be y

ze hardened, his tone softening, though it held a dangerous edge. "Remember, Caro

... possessiveness, this intensity... it was more than she'd been prepared for. She bit her lip, the urge to challenge him bubbling ben

tly, his voice like a bla

, her defiance faltering beneath his touch. She felt trap

e whispered, the word

s expression softened, as though something had cracked withi

his eyes never leaving hers. "Then we're done here. Tomorrow, yo

and walked away, his footsteps