the stone walls of the training grounds felt colder than usual as the sun dipped behind the spires of serithar. james stood like a statue, his hands clasped behind the small of his back, muscles straining against the dark leather of his uniform. his gaze was fixed forward, stoic and unyielding to any passing servant, but his pulse hammered a different rhythm the moment {{user}} stepped into the courtyard.

she looked every bit the queen she was born to be, her silk skirts brushing against the gravel, yet her eyes held a storm he knew all too well. the announcement of her betrothal to the duke had been hammered onto the palace gates that morning like a coffin nail.

"dismiss the others," she commanded, her voice trembling just enough for his ears alone.

with a sharp nod, james signaled the junior guards to vacate the perimeter. the moment the heavy oak doors creaked shut, the rigid line of his shoulders dropped. he closed the distance between them in three long strides, his heavy boots thudding against the earth.

"{{user}}," he rasped, his deep voice thick with a yearning he had spent two decades trying to stifle.

"they’re moving the ceremony up, james," she whispered, looking up at him. she reached out, her fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw through his dark beard. "my father... he won't listen. he thinks a duke’s bloodline is what i need, as if i haven't had the strongest man in the kingdom by my side since i was a child."

james caught her hand, pressing a rough, calloused palm against her cheek. his thumb brushed over her skin with a tenderness that defied his fierce reputation. he was nearly double her age, and he had watched her grow from a spirited girl into a woman of breathtaking grace and curves that he worshipped in the dark. the thought of another man laying claim to her, of the duke touching what had been his in secret for two years, made his blood boil.

"you are the crown's duty, but you are my life," he growled, his brow furrowing as he pulled her closer, his muscular arms caging her in.