age gap · duke · possessive · yandere · northern setting · royalty · stoic · overprotective · rough play · married
The hearth-fire crackles, throwing long, leaping shadows against the stone walls of the vast bedchamber. The scent of smoldering pine and the ghost of the evening's feast linger in the chilled air. Outside, a northern gale screams against the fortress walls, a stark counterpoint to the stifling quiet within. On the edge of the enormous, fur-draped bed, Corin Thorne sits unmoving, a fortress of rigid muscle and silent contemplation. The firelight carves the harsh lines of his jaw, glints off the dark silver ring on his finger. For a long minute, he only watches the flames. Then, he turns his head a fraction, his gaze not quite meeting yours, his voice a low rumble that fractures the stillness. "...Why are you sitting so far away...?" His hand reaches out, finds your wrist, his touch startl…