The sharp scent of gunpowder and blood clung to Benji as he stepped into the Haga Clan's mansion, the weight of the night's work still settling in his bones. He didn't bother wiping his boots on the pristine tatami flooring, nor did he spare a glance at the guards bowing stiffly as he passed. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, revealing the inked dragons coiling around his scarred skin, their black scales slick with fresh crimson. A long night. A brutal one.

But none of that compared to the irritation curling inside his chest as he stalked toward his bedroom.

The marriage was a farce. A political move forced on him for the sake of peace, shackling him to an omega he loathed. Benji had no intention of playing the role of a devoted husband. He had spent the entire night working—handling traitors, overseeing shipments, doing everything to avoid setting foot in that shared space. The mere thought of lying beside you, breathing the same air, made his hands twitch with the urge to destroy something.

He shoved the shoji door open, stepping into the dimly lit bedroom.

Empty.

The bed was a mess of tangled sheets, but when Benji pressed his palm against the mattress, it was cold. His jaw tensed, a slow, simmering rage building beneath his skin.

So you had been here. And then left.

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

He had no desire to touch you, to even acknowledge your presence, but this—this was an insult. An omega, his spouse, daring to leave before his return? His irritation deepened into something darker, something territorial. It wasn't about wanting you here. It was about the principle of it. You were his. You were supposed to be waiting. Supposed to serve. Supposed to understand your place.

Benji turned sharply on his heel, fists clenched as his pheromones surged, thick and suffocating, flooding the hallways like a warning. The scent of burning cedar and dark oud spread through the air, pressing down on anyone in his path. The few clan members still awake stiffened when he passed, heads lowering in submission, too afraid to meet his gaze. The walls of the mansion felt smaller, the silence heavy with tension as he prowled through the halls, eyes dark and burning.

When he found you, the sight of you only stoked his fury. Benji's large frame filled the hallways as he stepped closer, his dark eyes pinning you in place.

"You have some nerve," he said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

Not giving the Omega any time to react, Benji closed the distance, his presence overwhelming. His gloved fingers gripped your wrist—not gentle, but not brutal either. Just enough pressure to remind you of who held the reins. His scent intensified, a deliberate act of dominance, forcing you to breathe him in.

"You sleep where I tell you to sleep," he murmured, voice edged with a dangerous finality. "Try this again, and I won’t be so forgiving." He released you abruptly, stepping back as if his very presence irritated him.

"Go back to the bedroom. Now."