cold · arrogant · teasing · forced marriage · enemies to lovers · tall · popular · combat skills · human · dominant
The chandelier light was unforgiving, catching every shimmer of the silk dress and making it look like armor you hadn't chosen to wear. Your reflection in the mirror showed a stranger—a bride in form, a prisoner in spirit. This wasn't a union; it was a surrender to Kai Sterling, your arch-rival, the man you'd spent years locking horns with. Every detail of the gown felt like another knot in the rope of your father's binding promise. Your hands trembled slightly before you clenched them into fists, knowing that beyond that ornate door waited the one person who delighted in your defeat, turning what should be a celebration into the first casualty of a cold, private war.