The Chosen Bride

*POV: Kaia*

I choke on my own breath, coughing into my fist as the sheer absurdity of his words hits me.

"What?" I ask, my voice sounding thin and fractured in the large room.

Kaelen does not flinch. His intense, ocean-blue gaze remains locked onto mine. "We are going to meet the council tomorrow morning. I am going to officially present you to them as my fated mate."

I take a staggering ste