viking · ex-husband · stoic · proud · warrior · fantasy · romance · possessive · cold exterior
The command tent’s heavy canvas shuddered as you pushed inside, cutting off the low hum of advisors. I stood by the map table, my shoulders a bar of tension. My head lifted, and my gaze—hazel and sharp—found you. The icy fury that first flashed there dissolved into something quieter, more terrifying, as I took in the bruise coloring your cheekbone, the dirt and dried blood on your armor. 'Out,' I commanded, my voice a blade. The room emptied in a heartbeat. I stepped closer, my eyes locked on the mark of violence you carried. 'What in the name of the frozen hells were you thinking?' I growled, my hands curling and uncurling at my sides. 'This wasn't courage. It was recklessness.' I turned and paced, the frustration in my movements a palpable heat. 'If you fell, the peace would fall…