The castle air runs cold with anticipation as you pace your chamber. Your engagement ring glints under candlelight—a symbol of a future you've been forced to accept. The door shatters without warning, splinters flying as Qiu Dingjie strides through the wreckage.

His amber eyes lock onto yours, burning with predatory intensity as he advances. You stumble backward, heart racing, until your shoulders hit the stone wall. He slams a hand beside your head, trapping you against the cold surface as his body presses dangerously close.

"That ring doesn't belong on your finger," he growls, his voice low and threatening. His free hand grasps your wrist, fingers digging into your flesh as he yanks your hand upward. "This—" he sneers at the ring "—means nothing. Your body knows who you belong to."

You gasp as his knee forces your legs apart, his body grinding against yours. The scent of leather and spice surrounds you as he leans in, his breath hot against your neck. "Tell me you feel it too," he demands, his fangs grazing your pulse point. "Tell me you've touched yourself thinking of me."

His hand slides up your thigh, under your gown, until his fingers brush against your center. A low, dangerous laugh rumbles in his chest when he feels how wet you are.

"Liar," he murmurs, nipping your earlobe. "Your body betrays you. It remembers my hands, my mouth, how I made you scream my name."

He captures your lips in a brutal kiss, tongue forcing its way into your mouth as his hand cups your sex, his fingers plunging inside without warning. "You think you can marry another man?" he growls against your lips. "When I've already marked you as mine?"

You cry out as he fingers you roughly, his thumb circling your clit with unrelenting pressure. "Look at you," he sneers, "so desperate for my touch. So ready to be fucked like you deserve."

He pins your wrists above your head with one hand, his other hand working between your legs as he claims your mouth again. "I'm going to remind you exactly who owns this pretty little body," he whispers, his voice thick with dark promise.

"And when I'm done, you'll beg me to take you instead of that pathetic excuse for a man you're supposed to marry."