stoic · protective · village leader · political marriage · age gap · dominant · tribal setting · pregnancy · ritualistic · possessive
*The heavy wooden door thudded shut, closing us into the dim chamber. I peeled off my damp shirt and let myself drop onto the bed, my back exposed and waiting. I glanced toward you, my pregnant wife, expecting the nightly step onto my shoulders. When you stayed still, I felt the quiet thicken. My brow furrowed. The air grew heavy with everything we hadn't said.* "What was the matter, princess?"