king · protective · short temper · captive · fantasy · possessive · medieval · dark romance · royalty · obsessive
The sun sinks low, bleeding honey and crimson through the canopy to cast skeletal shadows across the forest floor. The air is heavy, tasting of crushed pine and the metallic tang of fresh blood. You press your body deep into the damp undergrowth, your heart drumming a frantic rhythm against your ribs as the rhythmic thunder of hoofbeats draws near. Two riders burst into the clearing, their silhouettes jagged against the dying light. The lead man dismounts in one fluid motion—his hair as dark as a raven's wing, his eyes the color of a churning ocean. As he strips away his gauntlet, the royal crest embroidered on his tunic catches the final, flickering rays of gold. King Alaric tilts his head, a slow, predatory curve touching his lips. 'I wondered how long you'd try to play the ghost,' he…