She stumbled back, a whimper catching in her throat.
"Anirudh, please, you misunderstand! There's nothing between Veer and me, I swear it! "
He reached her, his large hand clamping around her wrist, pulling her roughly towards him. Her breath hitched. The scent of him, of rage and alcohol and raw power, overwhelmed her.
"Lies," he growled, his face inches from hers, his eyes burning into her very soul.
"Sweet, delicious lies. But tonight, Aayat, the truth will be written on your skin."
He dragged her across the ravaged chamber, her feet scuffing against shattered glass, her protests dying in her throat. Her mind screamed, a desperate, frantic plea, but no sound escaped. He pushed her against the cold stone wall, his body pressing into hers, caging her.
"Look at me,"
he commanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.
"Look at the man you have driven to madness."
Her eyes, wide with terror, met his. She saw not the king, not her husband, but a wild, untamed beast.
"You think to tempt me, to play coy, then run to another's arms?" His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her head back, exposing the delicate curve of her throat.
"Every laugh you shared with him, every stolen glance, every touch… it will be erased tonight. Replaced with my touch. My mark."
His lips, harsh and demanding, crushed hers, stealing her breath, her will. She struggled, her hands pushing against his chest, but he was immovable, a force of nature. His kiss was not tender, not seeking, but claiming, conquering. It tasted of whiskey and fury, of a desperate, possessive need. He bit her lip, a sharp sting, and she whimpered, the taste of her own blood mingling with his rage.
"Mine," he breathed against her mouth, his voice hoarse with emotion.
"You are mine, Aayat. Every beat of your heart, every thought in your head, every inch of your exquisite skin." He tore at her silken gown, the fabric ripping with a violent sound that echoed the destruction of the room. Cool air kissed her bared skin, sending shivers down her spine, but it was not from cold. His hands, rough yet precise, moved over her, igniting a fire she had never known, a terrifying, exhilarating inferno. She gasped, a broken sound, as his touch seared her, claiming her, branding her.
"Do you feel it?" he whispered, his lips grazing her ear, sending shivers through her.
"This burning? This is what you ignite in me. This is what you deny me."
She closed her eyes, tears silently tracing paths down her temples. The fear was still there, a cold knot in her stomach, but something else was rising, a desperate, primal response to his raw, untamed passion. He wasn't asking; he was taking. And in that terrifying surrender, a strange, dark pleasure bloomed. Her struggles weakened, her hands, instead of pushing, now clutched at his robes, pulling him closer, as if seeking to anchor herself in the storm he had become.
"You will remember this night," he growled, his voice thick with desire and possession.
"You will remember who owns you, who claims you, who will never let you go."
He lifted her, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, and carried her to the rumpled bed, the only untouched sanctuary in the ravaged room. He laid her down, his eyes never leaving hers, a silent, powerful assertion of his will. He shed his own clothes with impatient movements, his magnificent body, honed and powerful, revealed in the dim light. He moved over her, a shadow of power and desire. Her breath hitched. She was no longer fighting. A strange, intoxicating current coursed through her veins, a thrilling mix of fear and an undeniable, forbidden yearning. His touch, though still forceful, grew less punishing, more seeking, exploring. He kissed her again, deeply, thoroughly, and this time, a spark of reciprocal passion ignited within her. She arched into him, a soft moan escaping her lips, a sound of surrender, of nascent desire.
"Good," he murmured, a hint of triumph in his voice. "Give in, Aayat. Give in to what is inevitable. To what is ours."
His movements were deliberate, unyielding, yet as he claimed her, a tremor ran through his powerful frame. He watched her face, searching, demanding, until her eyes fluttered open, dark with a shared intensity.
Her fingers, tentative at first, then firm, wrapped around his shoulders, holding on as he pulled her into the depths of their shared, tumultuous night. Her moans, once stifled, now rose freely, mingling with his ragged breaths, filling the silent, shattered chamber.
Later, as the first hint of dawn painted the sky in bruised purples and grays, Anirudh lay beside her, his breath still heavy. His arm, a possessive weight, was thrown across her waist, pinning her close. He looked down at her, her hair fanned across the pillow, her eyes closed, the faint marks on her skin a testament to the night's ferocity.
"Do you understand now, Aayat?" His voice was a low, dangerous whisper.
"Do you understand what happens when you stray? Even in thought?"
Tears slipped from her eye . seeing her like anirudh's heart ached, he felt guilty,
His hands covered his face, his shoulders trembling.
"I was ready to burn the world for you," he whispered brokenly. "But somehow… I became the fire that scared you."
Aayat's tears fell silently. She moved closer, her hand trembling as she reached for his arm. "Anirudh…" she breathed, her voice shaking, "you're not a monster."
He looked up then, eyes glassy, expression torn open with guilt and exhaustion. "Aren't I?" he whispered.
Her heart ached at the sight — the most powerful man she knew, now broken in front of her.
She cupped his face with both trembling hands. His breath hitched at her touch.
"Monsters don't bleed like this," she whispered. "They don't hurt for love."
The room fell into a fragile silence — one that felt almost sacred. The rage had burned itself out, leaving behind only two hearts, cracked open and bleeding.
Her voice trembled. "I never betrayed you, Anirudh. I went with Veer because I wanted to bring you something special. Because…"
She hesitated, her heart pounding painfully.
"Because you're special to me."
He froze.
Her words sank deep into him — every syllable cutting through the walls he'd built around his anger. He stared at her, breath unsteady, tears glinting in his eyes, and for the first time in forever… he said nothing.
"Because you're the only one who could ever make me feel like this," she finished softly.
A tear slipped from his eye, falling onto her hand.
He looked at her for a long time — and then whispered, voice trembling, "Say it again."
She smiled weakly through her tears.
"I love you."
The words shattered what little composure he had left. His lips parted, but no sound came out — only a tear, sliding silently down his cheek.
And for the first time that night, the fire inside him went quiet with the rain falling outside the palace.