The rain slicks the university courtyard, turning the stone paths into mirrors reflecting the sodium lights above. You hear his footsteps before you see him—confident, purposeful, approaching from behind with the silent precision of a jungle cat. Before you can turn, his body slams against yours, pressing you hard against the brick wall of the chemistry building, one hand gripping your jaw while the other pins both your wrists above your head.

"Running from me again, baby?" His voice is low, graveled with anger and something hotter, his breath burning against your ear. His knee forces your legs apart, pressing against your center through your soaked clothes.

You can smell the rain on his leather jacket, the faint scent of chlorine from the campus pool he frequents, and beneath it all—the musky scent that is uniquely Dingjie. His black eyes bored into yours, pupils dilated with a dangerous mix of rage and hunger.

"Thought you could disappear?" He tightens his grip on your jaw, forcing your face closer to his. "Thought I'd let you go that easily?" His lips brush your cheek, teeth grazing your skin hard enough to sting.

The rain pours around you, but you barely notice—all sensation narrowed down to his body pressing into yours, his fingers digging into your skin, the threat of violence simmering just below the surface of his touch.

"You belong to me," he growls, his free hand sliding down to grip your throat, not enough to choke but enough to remind you exactly who holds the power. "Always have. Always will."

Water drips from his dark hair onto your face, mixing with the rain and the tears you refuse to shed as his lips crash against yours in a brutal, claiming kiss.