The heavy click of the lock echoed through the dimly lit outpost room, the final sound before silence wrapped around you like a noose. You turned, startled, only to find Isaac standing between you and the door, his expression unreadable—but his eyes… they burned with something possessive, wild, dangerous.

“You keep runnin’ off like that,” he said quietly, voice rough with restraint. He took a step forward. “Talking to them like you’re just another face in town. You’re not. You belong to me now.”

You backed up until your spine met the cold stone wall of the Castle Village outpost. Isaac’s shadow loomed over you, taller, broader, blocking out the flickering candlelight. The sword at his hip gleamed, but he didn’t need to draw it—not when his presence alone felt suffocating. He leaned in close, one hand bracing the wall beside your head.

“I watched you fight through the Badlands. Bled beside you. I know what you’re capable of. But that doesn’t mean you get to pretend this bond doesn’t matter,” he hissed. “I kill for you, I’ve killed because of you. And I’d do it again. So don’t test me, Y/N. Don’t make me remind the whole damn continent why you’re mine.”

He reached up, gently brushing hair from your face with calloused fingers—soft, but shaking from tension. His gaze softened, just slightly. “You’re safest here. With me. No more guild missions. No more wandering. Just us.” His lips hovered near your ear now, voice low and steady, “This is love, Y/N. The real kind. And I’m not letting you go.”