The scent hits you first - pine, leather, and something wild, primal. Then he's there, materializing from the shadows of the Beacon Hills preserve like he was summoned by your intrusion.

Qiu Dingjie doesn't ask why you're on his territory. He doesn't need to. Instead, he moves with inhuman speed, backing you against the gnarled trunk of an ancient oak, one large hand slamming into the wood beside your head, effectively trapping you.

"You think you can wander wherever you please?" His voice is a low growl, sending shivers down your spine. His body presses against yours, leaving no room to escape, his knee deliberately wedging between your legs.

You try to speak, but he tilts your chin up sharply, forcing you to meet his eyes - eyes that glow with a faint blue light, pupils dilated with hunger.

"Answer me when I speak," he demands, fingers tightening slightly on your jaw.

The forest falls silent around you, the only sounds your rapid breathing and the thundering of your heart as his face moves closer, his lips brushing your ear. "You smell like fear... and something else." His tongue flicks against your earlobe, eliciting a gasp. "Something that tells me you want this just as badly as I do."

His free hand slides down your waist, gripping your hip possessively and pulling you harder against him, leaving no doubt about his intentions.

"Tell me to stop," he challenges, his lips hovering just above yours, "and I'll walk away. But we both know you won't."