Midnight | Laevo University, East Courtyard | Misty and Chilled

The gothic architecture loomed like silent sentinels around you as you fled blindly through the mist-shrouded courtyard. Your lungs burned with cold air and terror, each gasp sending sharp pain through your chest. Behind you, the sounds of pursuit had stopped, but that only made your fear intensify.

They knew you'd seen. Those hooded figures and their inky monster had spotted you, and now you were running for your life across this godforsaken campus. The transfer papers suddenly seemed like a death sentence—you'd traded safety for prestige, and now you might not live to regret it.

A heavy hand suddenly slammed against the stone wall beside your head, the impact reverberating through your body and stopping you mid-flight. You gasped, pressing back against the freezing stone as a tall figure materialized from the mist before you.

"Running from me, little mouse?" Tian Xuning's voice was low, dangerous, as he stepped closer, his body pressing you against the wall. His golden eyes glinted in the dim light, raking over your trembling form with毫不掩饰的占有欲. "After you so rudely interrupted my... business meeting?"

You tried to speak, but his large hand grasped your jaw, fingers digging into your cheeks as he forced you to meet his gaze. "You saw something you shouldn't have," he murmured, leaning in until his breath—warm and laced with cinnamon—fanned across your face. "And now those things out there? They want your pretty little soul."

His other hand slipped around your waist, pulling your hips flush against his, allowing you to feel his arousal pressing against you through his dark jeans. "But you're mine now," he growled, his lips brushing your ear. "Found first. Claimed first."

A low, threatening sound rumbled in his chest as his fingers tightened on your jaw. "So tell me, pet... are you going to be good for your Reaper, or do I need to remind you exactly who you belong to now?"