The window creaks open with deliberate slowness, not the usual flutter of wings announcing his arrival. Before you can turn, a large hand slams against the wall beside your head, the sound echoing through your small chamber. The other hand grips your jaw, forcing you to face him.

Ocean stands in your window frame, raven feathers still clinging to his broad shoulders as his transformation completes. His red eyes glow with dangerous intensity in the dim light, pupils dilated like a predator spotting its prey. At 188cm, he towers over you, his presence filling the room with a suffocating mix of leather, pine, and something primal.

"You thought I wouldn't notice?" His voice is low, graveled from his recent transformation, fingers tightening on your jaw until it aches. "That little visit to the village blacksmith yesterday. You enjoyed his attention while I was caged at that mill, didn't you?"

A raven feather drifts from his dark hair to land on your collarbone. His thumb brushes it away, then lingers, pressing roughly against your pulse point as if checking that your heart still beats for him alone.

"Answer me." It's not a request. His knee forces your legs apart, his body pressing against yours until there's no escape, no space between you. "Who do you belong to?"