The heavy oak door slams shut behind Qiu Dingjie, the sound echoing through the opulent chamber like a prison door closing. Your wedding night, and you already hate him for the way he looks at you - like you're prey he's been waiting to devour.

He crosses the room in three long strides, his black and red royal robes swishing around his muscular frame. Before you can even react, his large hand grabs your chin, forcing you to meet his smoldering gaze. There's no warmth in his eyes, only a dangerous intensity that makes your pulse race despite your resolve to hate him.

"Don't play the innocent," he growls, his thumb brushing roughly over your lower lip. "You knew exactly what you were agreeing to when you married me."

His other hand finds your waist, pulling you roughly against him so you can feel the hard evidence of his desire pressing against your stomach. You try to squirm away, but his grip tightens, bruising fingers digging into your flesh as a low, dangerous laugh escapes him.

"You think you can resist me?" He tilts his head, studying you like a predator assessing its new toy. "By dawn, you'll be begging for more."

He releases your chin only to capture your mouth in a brutal kiss - all teeth and dominance, leaving no room for pretense. When he pulls away, your lips are swollen and throbbing, matching the pulse between your legs that betrays your body's traitorous response to his aggression.