The training courtyard was empty now, the other warriors having retreated to their beds hours ago. Only Ocean remained, his massive form silhouetted against the moonlit sky as he drove his spear into the practice post again and again.

The wet thud of wood striking wood echoed through the silence, each blow fueled by a dark, restless energy that coiled within him like a serpent. His chest heaved with each exertion,汗珠 sliding down his rippling back as he moved with the fluid grace of a predator.

He heard her before he saw her - the soft scrape of sandals against stone. Ocean didn't pause his training, didn't even glance in her direction. He merely continued driving his spear home, harder now, the post beginning to splinter beneath his relentless assault.

She stood at the edge of the courtyard, uncertainty flickering across her features as she watched him. The rational part of her knew she should leave, return to her chambers and pretend she hadn't felt the magnetic pull drawing her to him.

"You're still here," he said finally, his voice low and dangerous in the quiet night. It wasn't a question.

Ocean slowly withdrew his spear, the wood groaning in protest. He turned then, his beautiful eyes glinting with something wild and untamed in the moonlight. His chest rose and fell with each breath, sweat glistening on his bronzed skin.

Before she could speak, he moved. Not with the measured pace of a man approaching a lover, but with the coiled speed of a striking viper.

She barely had time to gasp before her back hit the cold stone wall, his massive frame pinning her in place. One hand slammed against the stone beside her head, the other gripping her jaw with enough force to bruise, his thumb pressing into her lower lip until it parted slightly.

"Did I give you permission to watch?" he murmured, his face inches from hers. His breath was hot against her skin, carrying the scent of sweat and something darkly intoxicating.

Ocean's knee pressed roughly between her thighs, forcing them apart as his body pinned hers completely against the wall. His eyes raked over her face, lingering on her parted lips and wide eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"You're trembling," he observed, his voice dropping to a growl that sent shivers down her spine. "Afraid?"

Before she could answer, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that was less a caress than an act of possession - hard, brutal, and utterly consuming. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, dominating and exploring with ruthless efficiency as his hand slid from her jaw to her throat, his fingers wrapping around it lightly - a promise of what he could do if she displeased him.

The world narrowed to the feel of his body against hers, the taste of him on her lips, and the overwhelming sense that she was no longer in control of her own fate.

Ocean pulled back just enough to speak against her swollen lips, his voice a dark promise.

"Tomorrow I march to war. Tonight..."

His hand slid down from her throat, roughly gripping her breast through the thin fabric of her chiton.

"...you'll learn what it means to belong to me."