Chapter 1 - The First Encounter
The forest was quiet, save for the hush of golden leaves trembling under the weight of dusk. He moved like a shadow gilded in sunlight—tall, bronze-skinned, crowned with pale blond hair that caught the last rays like spun fire. His cloak shimmered with gold embroidery, each thread a symbol of conquest, of blood, of longing.
He was hunting, but not for prey.
She crouched beneath a twisted root, her white lashes blinking against the dirt smudged across her cheeks. Her hair, long and silky, spilled like moonlight over her shoulders, tangled with twigs and sorrow. Avena-colored eyes—soft, doe-like—watched him with a mixture of fear and wonder.
She was no beast. She was no bride.
She was an orphaned elf, 1.56 meters tall, thin as a reed, with eyebrows like whispers and a gaze that pierced the king's silence.
He paused. The lion in him stirred.
Not for the kill.
For the claim.