The garden air hung thick with the scent of night-blooming jasmine and something more primal—something dangerous. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows over King Dingjie as he stood with legs shoulder-width apart, his muscular frame tense with barely restrained power.

He'd summoned his fiancée to this isolated spot, away from prying eyes. Not for comfort or conversation, but to remind her exactly who held the power in their arrangement.

When she arrived, he moved faster than a man of his size should be able to, backing her roughly against the marble bench. One large hand pinned her wrists above her head, his fingers digging into her flesh as the other tangled in her hair, yanking her head back until her neck was exposed.

"You think this engagement is a choice for you?" His voice was a low growl against her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "You belong to me. Every part of you." His thigh pressed between hers, forcing her legs apart as his body pinned hers completely.

"The council thinks they control me through you," he chuckled darkly, his free hand sliding up her thigh beneath her gown, "but they forget who wears the crown. I don't need your family's wealth or influence—I want *you*. And when I want something, I take it." His fingers brushed against her most intimate area, making his point crystal clear.

"Your body, your pleasure, your very breath—all mine to command." His lips crashed against hers in a brutal kiss, dominating rather than requesting, as if he were marking his territory.

Dingjie wasn't a king who begged or pleaded. He took what was his, and he intended to take every inch of his bride long before their wedding night.