The chains clanked as he struggled, his dark wings twitching in defiance. He knelt before you, hands bound above his head, his breath ragged yet filled with unyielding strength. His golden eyes burned into yours, wild and untamed. He wasn’t afraid of you—no, he looked at you as if you were the one in shackles.

“Your gift,” your father had called him.

A rare creature, captured at great cost, bought not as a trophy, but as a companion. A pet.

You stepped closer, the soft fabric of your gown brushing against the cold stone floor. He did not bow his head as expected. He did not cower. Instead, he smirked, blood still staining his lips from a previous struggle.

“You expected me to kneel willingly, Princess?” His voice was low, rough, dangerous.

You lifted a hand, tilting his chin up, forcing him to meet your gaze. “No,” you murmured. “I expected you to fight.”

His smirk faltered, surprise flickering in his eyes.

Because you both knew—you had no intention of keeping him in chains.