"Oomph!" The sound rushed out of my mouth as the door opened before I could reach the handle and my body hit a wall. I took a step back and realized that it wasn't in fact a wall, but instead a very attractive male. I looked up at his head to see a very messy, but sexy, mop of black hair on top of his head. When I looked closer, I noticed that his hair was a very deep brown that was probably often mistaken for black. My gaze traveled downward to his eyes, where I found two deep, ocean blue eyes looking back at me. My gaze travelled farther down to his crooked nose, to which I assumed came from too many fights. My eyes finally found his pink, very plump lips, which were turned into a sneer. "You have got to be kidding me!" His pink lips said in a very offensive voice. My eyes turned questioning as I looked back up into his eyes. "Whatever, lets finish this. I, Ashton Carter, reject you, as my mate." He, or Ashton, said with venom lacing his voice. He quickly turned and walked down the now vacant hallway with no glance back. Rejection? On my first day? The first person I make eye contact with at this school, rejects me. I guess that's how this school works, if the hottest boy in school rejects you, you're a nobody. So much for making friends, or mates, or whatever they call people at this school. I shake those ocean blue eyes out of my head and continue into the office to start my new life.

He's the most feared king, with a reputation of the World's biggest Tyrant. And he's the spawn of the devil. A handsome man with a fearsome beast locked within. He's invincible. She's just a plain maiden, with a pure heart and an innocent mind. Yet he wants her. He wants to taint the pretty girl in the white dress, wants to ruin her purity, wants to shatter her world. So he takes her and makes her His Reluctant Bride....

I hated Zane Khan. I hated the way he was so cocky and sure of himself. I hated the way he always knew how to get under my skin. I hated the way he always pretended not to care. He wasn't a nice person; he's made that clear. Yet I still can't stay away from him. But what I hated about Zane the most, was how he made me fall irrevocably in love with him.

***2016 WATTY AWARD WINNER - VORACIOUS READS*** WINNER OF THE FICTION AWARDS 2016 - HISTORICAL FICTION Against all odds, Libby Marks-Whelan is back at court - and no longer confined to the service corridors as a lady-in-waiting. With the start of the new Winter Season, however, the competition for a crown just got a lot fiercer. Now that there are two princes searching for wives, Libby struggles not just against the other debutantes but also against the monotony of court life in her new position. With the queen's disapproval aimed squarely in her direction, will she weather the storm to win her prince? ***Please note that this story is the sequel to The Season. Since there are many characters, backstories, and subplots that I won't be able to fully explain in the first few chapters, I strongly recommend you read The Season first!***