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A marriage forged in blood. A kingdom built on bones. And a queen who refuses to kneel.

When Elyra Dorne is sent to marry the infamous King Draven Valerian, she knows her life is no longer her own. The world speaks of him in fearful whispers a tyrant wrapped in shadow, a man whose throne was won through war and whose heart is said to be as cold as the steel he wields.

But Elyra is no meek bride. Stripped of choice yet unbroken, she steps into his kingdom with defiance burning in her veins. In a court filled with vipers, where betrayal is currency and secrets are more dangerous than blades, she must survive a world where love is a game and power is the ultimate prize.

Yet, beneath the king’s ruthless exterior lies something else—something dark, something waiting. And as Elyra is drawn deeper into his web, she begins to wonder: Is he the monster the world fears, or something far more terrifying?

The Bride Of Shadow

Chapter Fifteen – Unraveling the Distance

Elyra barely had a moment to collect her thoughts before the weight of the evening pressed down on her. Her heart was still racing from Draven's touch, from the way his voice had lowered when he warned her. The shift between them was undeniable—less hostility, more... something else. Something dangerous.

She should be focusing on the threat around her, on the message left in blood, but her thoughts kept circling back to him.

Unsettled, Elyra found herself stepping out of her chambers, drawn by the need for space. The corridors were quiet at this hour, the flickering torches casting strange shadows along the stone walls. She walked slowly, her thoughts tangled, until she reached the grand hall. It was empty, with a lingering cold of the night air seeping through the towering windows.

Lost in her own mind, she barely heard the sound of boots against the stone floor until his voice cut through the silence.

"You shouldn't wander alone at night, My Queen."

Elyra turned sharply to see Draven standing at the end of the hall, his dark gaze unreadable. The dim torchlight cast long shadows over his features, making him look even more imposing.

"I wasn't wandering," she countered. "I was thinking."

Draven let out a low hum, stepping closer. "And what troubling thoughts keep my wife awake at this hour?"

She hesitated before meeting his gaze. "You said they want me to break."

"And what if I don't?" she challenged, tilting her chin. "What if I refuse to be another pawn in their games?"

Draven's lips twitched as if he were amused, but his eyes remained cool. "Then you'll become a player."

The words sent a shiver down her spine. A player. Not a victim. Not a bystander. But someone who could hold power in her own right.

She studied him for a long moment. "And what are you, Draven? A player, or something else?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer so close she could feel the warmth radiating from him. "I am whatever I need to be."

A heavy silence settled between them, thick with something unspoken. Elyra should have stepped away, but she didn't. Neither did he.

Draven's voice dropped lower, more serious. "You're stronger than they expected. That makes you dangerous, Elyra."

A small, humorless smile touched her lips. "Then they should be careful."

For the first time since their wedding, she saw it something shifting in his expression. Approval. Curiosity. And something far more dangerous lurking beneath the surface.

He nodded once before stepping back, the cold detachment slipping back into place. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, you'll need your wits."

Then he was gone, leaving Elyra standing alone with the realization that the distance between them was slowly unraveling, thread by thread.

Chapter fifteen