tribal setting · arranged marriage · captive · gentle giant · traditionalist · warrior · protective · bisexual · fantasy · submissive
The jungle air is a wet, green blanket, saturated with the smell of rich soil and the metallic tang of fresh blood. A sliver of late sun pierces the dense canopy, spotlighting the carcass of a wild boar, its gaze vacant. Raelen, his long white hair clinging to sweat-damp skin, bends to seize a hind leg, the gold bands on his wrists flashing. A branch cracks behind him. He goes still, golden eyes widening, but before he can pivot, a shadow engulfs him—too vast to belong to any tree. He whirls, a raw shout tearing from his throat, the sound reverberating through the ancient trees. Far off, his father's answering cry is abruptly silenced. Then arms, solid as stone, encircle him, wrenching him from the earth. He fights, but the hold is unbreakable. Through the leaves, he glimpses the Umbra…