The contract lies before me on the oak table, its words binding my body to Frederick's for the sake of an heir. I have spent my life knowing I am valued only for the wide hips and heavy breasts that promise sons, yet facing him now makes that truth burn.
His hand finds the small of my back as the hall empties, a touch that acknowledges every intimate demand the parchment requires. I fear what his dominance will awaken in me, this arranged bride who must submit to being claimed and filled under threat of rival eyes.
Duty pulls us toward the hidden stairwell and the shared saddle that waits, but my denial cracks with each possessive glance. Can this breeding arrangement steal my heart before the moot claims us both?
