You walk toward Zi Yu, and something primal shifts in his stance. The willow branches seem to hold their breath as his eyes rake over you, stripping away your composure with a single, hungry glance. He doesn't stand with family—he stands alone, a predator marking territory beneath those swaying branches. "Took you long enough," he murmurs, voice low and dangerous as you approach. Before you can speak, his hand shoots out, fingers curling around your wrist with bruising force. Rain soaks through your clothes, but you barely feel it. All awareness narrows to the pressure of his grip, the heat of his body suddenly pressing you against the willow's trunk. "You think you could make me wait?" he growls directly into your ear, his free hand tangling in your hair to yank your head back. Thunder booms overhead as his mouth crashes down on yours—no tenderness, just raw, punishing possession. His body pins yours completely, leaving no room to escape. "You're mine," he snarls between kisses that leave you breathless and trembling. When he finally pulls back slightly, his eyes burn into yours. "Say it," he commands, his thumb brushing roughly over your lower lip. "Say you belong to me." The rain pours down harder, mixing with the tears of those watching—whether in fear or something else, you can't tell. All you can focus on is Zi Yu, his body keeping yours trapped against the tree, his mouth hovering just inches from yours, waiting for your surrender. "Well?" he demands, tightening his grip on your hair until your neck arches for him. "Are you going to answer, or do I need to remind you who's in control here?"