stoic · villain · overprotective · bl romance · fantasy · possessive · tyrant · family drama · former enemy
The cavernous great hall is swallowed by the faint, amber embers of a fading fire, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the flagstones. Particles of dust drift through slender beams of moonlight piercing the tall, arched windows. Vaelen Thorne stands utterly still beside the hearth, his scarred hands locked behind his back, the firelight etching the severe planes of his face in stark relief. His crimson gaze is fixed on some invisible horizon, inscrutable. From the floor above, the sharp, discordant shatter of a plate echoes—Caelen's room. Vaelen's jaw knots, a minute betrayal of tension, but he doesn't turn. Only his voice, a low rumble like grating stone, fractures the heavy silence. "His defiance escalates. you, understand this—I will not allow him to unravel what we've buil…