All Chapters of AN OATH STRONGER THAN DESIRE (To love beneath the crown): Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The city below was waking, golden light spilling across rooftops like molten metal, but Kaelin barely noticed. Her eyes were fixed on the palace ahead, its towers and turrets looming with the weight of centuries. Each flag snapping in the wind was a reminder of the rules she had once broken, the chains of a kingdom she had long been exiled from. She had returned, and every step forward felt like stepping into a cage she had built herself.She pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders, even though the morning air was crisp, not cold. Every detail mattered—the sound of her heels on the polished walkway, the careful adjustment of her gloves, the way her gaze swept the courtyard to memorize its every angle. The palace would know her as Kaelin Verain, a political strategist recently hired to stabilize the monarchy during a precarious transition. The truth—her real name, her past, her family’s betrayal—was buried beneath layers of carefully forged credentials and forged letters of recomm

The night settled over the palace like a velvet shroud, soft and suffocating all at once. Candles flickered along the corridors, casting long shadows that twisted against the marble floors and painted the walls in warm, golden hues. Kaelin paused outside the strategy chamber, the maps and notes of the day still pressed to her chest, though her mind had drifted far from the weight of the crown.It was him. She could feel it before she saw him—the subtle, magnetic presence that had haunted her for years. He wasn’t speaking, but the air between them vibrated with tension, a current she could almost touch.“Kaelin,” Riven said, his voice low, intimate, and deliberate, slicing through the quiet like a blade.She looked up, heart thundering. The uniform he wore clung to his shoulders and chest, every line of his body drawn sharp and impossible to ignore. Her breath hitched. Every thought she had fought to suppress—the longing, the desire, the reckless curiosity—surged in an instant.“You sh

The palace was alive with whispers, shadows twisting along the corridors like secrets eager to be revealed. Kaelin moved carefully, her boots clicking softly against polished marble as she made her way toward the council chamber. Every corner seemed sharper, every shadow darker, every servant’s glance a reminder that danger could hide in the most mundane places.Her pulse was already quickened, not only from the weight of her responsibilities but from the knowledge that Riven would be present. He was always present, like a storm contained in human form, magnetic and dangerous. She tried to remind herself: last night was a stolen moment, a lapse of reason. Today was strategy, diplomacy, and survival.And yet, the memory of him lingered in every nerve, every sense, an invisible tether she could not sever.⸻The council chamber was already full, advisors and nobles murmuring among themselves, their eyes flicking to her as she entered. Kaelin’s posture was perfect, her expression calm, th

The northern wind swept through the palace courtyards, carrying the chill of early winter. Kaelin wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders, her eyes scanning the horizon. The message from the informant had been urgent: a masked figure had been spotted near the palace walls, someone moving with purpose, almost daring them to notice.Riven was already there, leaning against the stone railing of the balcony. He was silent, but every line of his body spoke alertness and readiness. Kaelin’s pulse thumped—not just from the threat looming in the distance, but from the nearness of him.“You’re late,” he said, though the edge of his voice softened as she stepped closer.“I was preparing,” she replied, though her mind was elsewhere. The memory of his presence last night, the warmth of his hand brushing hers, lingered like a spark she could not extinguish.Riven’s eyes darkened, sharp and piercing. “The palace is vulnerable tonight. We can’t afford mistakes.”Kaelin met his gaze, noting th

The chamber was quiet, the only sound the faint flicker of the lantern casting long shadows across the walls. Outside, the palace lay in uneasy silence; inside, Kaelin and Riven were trapped in a tension far hotter than the winter wind.They had been forced to remain together after uncovering the council member’s betrayal. Every whispered plan, every shared glance, and every accidental brush of hands had woven a slow-burning heat between them. Now, with the night pressing in, that heat could no longer be denied.Kaelin shifted in the narrow space, aware of the close proximity between them. Riven’s presence was overwhelming—his height, his warmth, the steady rhythm of his breathing just inches away. Her pulse raced, and though her mind screamed caution, her body betrayed her, leaning ever so slightly toward him.“You’re aware,” he murmured, his voice low and velvety, “that desire does not respect duty.”“I am aware,” she whispered, eyes locking on his. Her voice shook slightly, betrayi