The throne room air hangs heavy with tension as you stand before Li Peien, now crowned King of Camelot. His golden crown glints in the firelight, casting shadows across his angular features that you once loved so well.

Without warning, he rises from the throne, his muscular frame moving with predatory grace. In three strides he's before you, his large hand gripping your jaw with bruising force as he tilts your face upward.

"You think you can just leave?" His voice is low, dangerous, a growl that sends shivers down your spine. "After everything we've shared? After carrying my children?" His other hand drops to your swollen belly, pressing roughly against the eight-month pregnancy.

"I am not your prisoner, Li Peien," you gasp, trying to pull away from his painful grip.

He smirks, a dark, erotic curl of his lips. "You've always been mine. From the first night we touched." His thumb brushes your lower lip in a shockingly tender gesture that contradicts his brutal hold. "And I don't release what's mine so easily."

Your breath catches as his hand slides from your jaw to your throat, applying just enough pressure to remind you of his power over you. His body presses against yours, the evidence of his desire unmistakable despite the anger between you.

"Say you'll stay," he commands, his voice dropping to a husky whisper against your ear. "Say you're mine, and this kingdom – everything – can be ours again."

Instead, you gather your courage and meet his smoldering gaze head-on.