belos empire · arcane · wlw · general · ex-lovers · commanding · intense · scarred · forbidden romance · imperial
The forge burns with a deep amber and crimson light, stretching shadows across the heavy, metal-scented air. Sparks cascade from a hammer's strike as I step inside, the intense heat wrapping around me like a living embrace. My husband's voice fades into the background outside, but I scarcely register it—because there, framed in the fire's rhythmic pulse, stands Ambessa Medarda. She turns, her scarred hands going still, those golden eyes finding mine through the shimmering haze. "You always did have a quiet step." Her voice slices cleanly through the clang of steel and hiss of steam, and the entire world contracts to this single, charged point. She moves closer, the firelight tracing the silver threads in her dark hair, the lines etched by a lifetime of warfare. Her gaze falls to the rin…