Page 121 of Fated

I pulled back enough to meet his gaze. “So, what happens now?”

His eyes met mine. “When the bond is sealed, nothing and no one can deny a king’s fated one as his equal, as his queen. The bond will leave a physical mark upon us, and you will rule by my side. You’ll have as much power in this kingdom as I do.”

The weight of his words settled over me, making my throat tighten.Queen. His queen.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my nerves at bay. “How do we seal the bond?”

I asked hesitantly, though deep down I already knew.

Ash turned me to face the full-length mirror.

He stood behind me, his wings still spread wide, his hands returning to my hair, carefully removing the last few pins until it fell in loose curls around my shoulders.

He placed a soft kiss on the back of my head, his breath warmagainst my hair. “I think you already know the answer to that,” he murmured, pulling my hair aside to reveal my neck.

His lips hovered over the exposed skin for a moment, and the anticipation sent a shiver down my spine before he placed a feather-light kiss there.

“Areya, have you ever?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I looked down, embarrassed. “No.”

“Do you know how it works?”

My embarrassment quickly faded as I spun to face him, hands on my hips. “Jesus, Ash, I’m not that clueless!” I shoved his shoulder, and he chuckled.

“I do read romance,” I mumbled under my breath, and his lips curved again, though he tried to maintain a serious expression. He turned my body back to face the mirror, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “Look at yourself,” he whispered.

I did as he asked, staring at the reflection before me.

Studying the woman staring back, the truth was that I barely recognized her. The timid, broken girl I had once been when I first met Ash had faded, replaced by someone stronger, someone more certain of who she was. Strength radiated from her now, not in loud declarations, but in a quiet unshakable power that seemed to grow sharper with each passing day.

“I choose you, Areya,” Ash whispered. “I choose you because you’re not only the love of my life, but also my best friend, and I want to face everything this world throws at us, together.”

His words wrapped around me like a warm embrace, a promise seeping into the very depths of my soul. He reached for my neck, unclasping my necklace, his fingers grazing my skin before he slipped the necklace into his pocket. Then he slowly,carefully removed my earrings and bracelets, all the while planting soft, lingering kisses along my jaw, each kiss igniting sparks of heat dancing across my skin.

His fingers found the zipper of my dress, moving with agonizing slowness, deliberately pulling it down inch by inch. My heart pounded uncontrollably, as if trying to break free from my chest. My body threatened to freeze under the weight of the moment, but I fought it.

This was what I wanted—what I had been waiting for.

I let the dress fall to the floor, stepping out of it, my breath quickening as the cool air brushed against my skin. Ash’s eyes remained fixated on me, burning with intensity, never straying as he took the gown and casually tossed it away.

In the mirror, the reflection was captivating—Ash, a vision of raw power and desire, dressed in black, with his night-black wings unfurled behind us like a shield of darkness.

The contrast was mesmerizing—his figure, looming and powerful, while I stood before him in nothing but a lacy strapless bra and underwear, feeling both vulnerable and powerful under his gaze.

“Are you sure?” His voice was a low, dark whisper sending a frisson of sparks racing. His breath brushed against my neck, and his fingers hovered over the delicate hook of my bra.

“I’ve never been surer of anything.”

The instant the words left my mouth, he unhooked my bra, letting it fall to the floor. His gaze remained locked on me in the mirror, his eyes ablaze as they swept over my bare skin, taking in the soft curves of my breasts.

“You’re perfect,” he whispered, his voice a low rumble in my ear. He pulled me closer, his chest solid and warm against my back, his arousal pressing insistently against me.

“Can you feel how much I need you? How much I ache for you?”

A shiver raced down my spine, and my breath hitched at the low, desperate edge in his voice.

Then, without a word, he lowered himself onto one knee, his hands trailing down the sides of my waist before hooking his fingers around the thin straps of my underwear.

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