I narrow my eyes as I glance between the three of them—my father, brother, and the Elf. They all think they’re so clever, trying to bring me to heel.
They’re wrong, and I’ll make them regret it.
The Elf’s eyes never leave mine, and Gods help me, my traitorous heart flutters as an infuriatingly handsome smile curls at the corner of his lips.
CHAPTER 5
AUREN
Vivienne’s hands tremble in mine. If she wasn’t shooting seething glances at her father and brother, I might think it was nerves. But no—this is pure, unfiltered rage.
And gods, she is glorious in her fury.
The priest drones on, his deep voice echoing off the marble walls of the great hall as we recite the human vows of binding. When it’s time for rings, she presents me with a simple metal band made of silver.
She hesitates a moment before sliding it over my finger.
When it’s my turn, I present her with my mother’s ring. Three thin bands, twisted together with a round moonstone in the center—simple, but elegant. It has been in my family for generations, and I’m proud to give this to my bride.
After the exchange of rings, we move on to the binding. Although we had a human ceremony, I insisted that my customs be honored as well. The green silk ribbon winds around our joined hands—her right, my left—tied in the ceremonial knot of my people, sealing the union not just by law, but before the gods.
Her pulse flutters against my fingers, fast and uneven. I tighten my grip before I can stop myself, steadying her… or perhaps myself.
Vivienne barely spares the ribbon a glance. She doesn’t understand what this means. But I do.
Dark elves do not take this binding lightly. In my homeland, this knot is more than tradition. It’s a claim, a promise… a tether to something far greater than law or duty.
Vivienne thinks she’s enduring a punishment. She does not yet realize she is becoming mine. Not by force, but by a sacred binding as ancient as the stars.
She is mine to care for. Mine to protect. Mine to cherish. The primal instinct surges within, deep and immovable—as natural as breath, and unyielding as stone.
My second-in-command, Captain Dain, stands at my side as my witness, his face a perfect mask of neutrality, though I know better. He finds it rather amusing that such a fiery human has captured my heart.
At Vivienne’s side, Crown Prince Aldric, her older brother, watches me with quiet calculation. He knows who I truly am and has welcomed me into the family without hesitation.
Vivienne, on the other hand, looks ready to throttle him.
A lesser man would wilt beneath the glare she levels at her brother, but I suspect he and her father have spent years enduring her wrath.
“You may now kiss your bride,” the priest announces.
I turn toward her, lifting our bound hands, preparing to claim what is now mine, but at the last second, she turns her head sharply, and my lips land on her cheek in a chaste kiss instead. Her skin is warm, soft, and flushed with outrage.
She whirls away from me so fast the ribbon pulls taut, yanking my hand forward. “This is ridiculous,” she huffs.“You’ve made your point. I’ve learned my lesson. You can stop this absurd charade now.”
Her father exhales a long-suffering sigh. “It’s not a charade, Vivienne. You are wed. Before the gods, before the law. This binding is final.”
She pales, her lips parting in shock, and then her wide, pleading gaze sweeps to Aldric.
Her brother smiles and clasps my shoulder. “Welcome to the family, Auren.”
A laugh catches in my throat as Vivienne gapes at him, betrayal written across her lovely features.
“Aldric,” she hisses. “How could you?”
“Quite easily, actually,” he muses. “I rather like my new brother-in-law.”
Aldric is a good man. He’s the one who met me a year ago to broker peace between our people when a land dispute broke out in one of the border villages.
