I AM THE VESSEL FOR HIS ROYAL LINE. I was a commoner from the market square until King Cody Houston claimed me for his own. He did not seek a wife to love. He sought a pure girl to mold into a submissive Queen. Now the heavy silks and suffocating corsets of the palace are my only reality. Every breath I take is a struggle against the steel stays of my new life. I am a prisoner in a world of cold marble and cruel protocols. The King rules with an iron hand and demands absolute obedience. When I fail to navigate the treacherous court, he corrects me before the eyes of every noble. My public shame is his way of branding me as his property. The Council has issued a final ultimatum. I must prove my fertility within forty-eight hours or the crown will be forfeited. The pressure is mounting and there is nowhere for me to hide. Cody's training is relentless and his dominance is absolute. He breaks my spirit in the shadows of the royal apartments to ensure I am ready for my duty. My fear is shifting into a dark, desperate need for his protection. I am no longer the girl I used to be. I am a woman forged in discipline and bound to a throne I never wanted. He has claimed my body and my soul for the sake of his lineage. My ruin is his greatest victory and his obsession is my only world.