A new wave of possessiveness had come over Chimera. With Viper pregnant, pups on the way, Siren smelling so delectable and enticing, and Aliana almost being murdered by a jaguar... Chimera felt the need to claim. To claim all of them and remind them just who they belonged to. He knew exactly where to start. The slave girl had almost been taken from him by the jaws and claws of a big, spotted cat. Not that any mindless predator would take note of Chimera's signs of ownership, but he felt the need to show that ownership anyway. Now that he was on light duty due to his injuries, the black and white man had time to kill. He traveled to the mainland and conferred with some of the crafters on the island. The man had something in mind, but it would need a special touch. Something more delicate than he was capable of. For days he rested, all the while watching the women of the island. Finally the call came, notifying him that his items were ready. Perhaps he was just wired differently than other wolves, but Chimera delighted in knowing that he had power over others. He thrived on dominance and aggression. Knowing that others realized how powerless they were against his will was the icing on the cake. And so, when he'd accepted the items from the crafter, the striped brute immediately made his way across the island towards where he knew the clouded woman would be. "Speech"

In the days that followed the jaguar incident, Aliana had been ordered on light duty while her body recovered from the ravaging Chimera had put her through. Siren had tended to her most immediate wounds, but had given explicit instructions to take things easy until she recovered enough to return to her normal duties. Den-bound, the clouded young fae did her best to make herself useful, still cleaning where she could, still changing out the bedding in Chimera and Viper's bed chambers, still tending to the dogs and her herb garden just outside, but beyond that she rested and recovered. Painkillers helped ease the dull aching left inside her and the ragged tears on the back of her neck had been stitched, bandaged, and now scabbed over as fresh pink skin formed there to create what would no doubt become a scar. Just another permanent reminder that she belonged to a very dangerous sort of wolf.

Aliana had noticed Chimera missing for a couple of days, and when he had returned, he was sporting a broken rib. Someone had done a good job tending to him it seemed, as he was able to make it back home in one piece, but it surely was not comfortable. Ali's focus had shifted to Chimera's comfort, making sure he was supplied with painkillers and that his rib remained set while it healed itself. It seemed everyone on the island had some sort of affliction. Her healing wounds, Chimera's broken rib, Viper's growing pups... It was a lot for Siren and herself to deal with. But they managed, and as the days turned into a week, Ali healed enough to no longer limp as she walked, and she was able to turn her head without feeling the sting in her neck.

This day, Ali was storing her excess herbs in the shelves and jars in the den, making sure she had plenty of meadowsweet given how many painkillers the wolves of the island needed right now. She’d tried to keep her head down, and it seemed to be working so far. Chimera, in his incapacitated state, hadn’t tried to do anything with her again since the jaguar attack, and Viper just seemed to be ignoring her. It was an odd sort of stillness in her life, and Ali busied herself making sure her master was comfortable and healing properly to keep herself distracted.

"Aliana"

Padding gingerly into the den, Chimera's pale pink eye rested upon the working form of the grey woman. Always working. She'd been a bit more industrious lately and he could tell that she was avoiding him. Who could blame her? He'd really done a number on her last time and she'd taken it just like a slave should. She was such a good girl, and that was the reason that he'd gotten her a little present. Coming before Aliana, Chimera unceremoniously dropped a tied bundle before her. He wouldn't say anything. He would simply let her open it. Inside the giant leaf wrapping would rest a luxurious jaguar pelt crafted from the very cat that had tried to kill her. The spotted pelt was clean and gleamed brightly even in the muted light. The opposite side of the fur was a patchwork of soft rabbit pelts. The large fur would keep the woman warm during the cold winter months to come. In the center of the wrapped bundle was one other thing. A black leather collar, also gleaming brightly with a well oiled sheen. The tall leather collar had grommets up the throat and would be secured with delicate little laces. A collar crafted for a well behaved slave. A gift and yet blatant proof of ownership. Chimera stood there and stared down at the small fae, waiting in anticipation at her reaction to the gifts. "Speech"

Aliana didn't hear Chimera come back into the den. She only noticed he was there when she began to turn and saw his massive frame in the doorway, obscuring the light from outside with his bulk. She gasped quietly and averted her eyes down, but quickly recovered so she could turn back to grab some of the painkillers she'd just put away. No doubt he would want some more to ease his recovery process, and she did not want to make him mad when he was also in pain, too afraid to see what that combination would be like when mixed with Chimera's violent outbursts. Dainty paws scurried to grab the herbs and some dried berries to make them a little more palatable since she knew he hated them, not saying a word to him before she got him some relief.

A soft thud of something weighted landed in front of her, tearing her attention away from the medicine she was preparing for him. Aquamarine eyes immediately sought out the object, noting the bundle tied up like a present. She gazed down at the parcel for a long moment before glancing back up at Chimera with trepidatious yet curious eyes. The massive brute was watching her expectantly, his eyes fixed on her without a sound. He wanted her to open the gift. Ali turned her eyes back to the gift, back to Chimera to make sure she was understanding him correctly, then slowly slipped from the shelf to cautiously unwrap the bundle.

Untying the leaf package, Aliana was stunned to find the jaguar pelt blanket within, a soft gasp of awe coming from her while her paws ran slowly over the exotic fur and the plush, warm rabbit lining attached to it. It was gorgeous, the pelt clean and pristine—save for a small spot where tiny nicks could be seen in a small spot, and as she laid her paw over them, her claws lined up perfectly with the almost indiscernible pocks she had left when Chimera had fucked her on top of it. Of course, it had still been attached to her would-be murderer back then, but there was no denying where the pelt had come from.

As Aliana ran the blanket through her paws, she noticed the heft of something else wrapped up in the bundle. Raising a curious brow, she carefully unfolded the blanket to release the high leather collar. Her eyes widened as she lifted the finely crafted collar, studying the supple fine-grained leather and the quality lacework that would hold it together around her neck. She turned the collar over in her paws, bringing her wide eyes back up to Chimera's hard stare, feeling her heart racing in her chest, but it wasn't from fear or panic. Her ears flicked back against her head while she tried to sort through everything in her head. "Sir, I... I don't deserve gifts this fine." Her paw ran over the smooth surface of the collar again, glimpsing her silhouette in its oiled shine. These were the nicest—and only—things she'd ever owned. Ali met his gaze again with a demure smile. "Thank you, Sir."

Looking down at the collar, Ali carefully loosened the lace to slip it on around her neck, shuffling it through her cloudy gray and white fur until it was comfortably around her throat. The weight and grip of it around her neck started a warmth inside her. She aligned the lace with her throat, feeling the black fabric dangling along her windpipe, then turned to present herself to Chimera. Sitting before him, Ali tipped her head back until her muzzle was pointed skyward, giving him access to her collar while exposing all of her vulnerable throat to him. "Would you mind tying this for me?"

"Aliana"

Once she noticed his presence, the slave girl's eyes widened and she began busying herself even more. Whatever she had been preparing was forgotten as the package landed beside her. It took her a moment more to process that the wrapped bundle was indeed for her, his but pointed stare was answer enough to that. Chimera watched as the clouded fae peeled open the wrapping to her gift. The grey and white fae's eyes widened, her lips parting as a soft gasp pulled from her. Still, Chimera only watched as she slid her tiny paw down the finely tailored pelt. The stroking stopped for a moment as she came to the same imperfections that he too had noticed. They both knew where and when those marks had surfaced and he was glad that they were there. A reminder of what he'd done for her. As her admiration of the fur continued, the slave seemed to notice that there was something else tucked away within. This was the part that he was most anticipating. The black and white behemoth wanted to see her reaction as he made it even more evident that she was just a piece of property. The thought of owning her and letting the world see that she was a simple possession made things tighten down below. Reflexively, Chimera's tail curled above his spine in a show of dominance as the leather collar came to light. Rather than turn away in fear or embarrassment, Aliana thanked him. She then slid the collar over her head and did one of the most attractive things he'd ever seen a woman do to date. The slave woman tilted her head back and asked if he would tie the laces shut. Chimera's vision shook, the pale pink orb pinning as he fought to focus on the fae rather than ravage her right there. It was... difficult. Stepping forward slowly, like a predator towards prey, Chimera seated himself. Raising both paws, he took the laces and slowly pulled the collar tight. There was an urge to keep pulling; to see what her body might look like as it thrashed around, fighting for air. Would she fight him? Beg him silently to spare her? Or would she be a good little girl, just like she always was, and accept her fate? In the end, Chimera tied the laces, letting the ends drop from his paws before he pulled back. They were both recovering from injuries, but he had never wanted the slave girl more than he wanted her right now. It was a struggle to keep himself in check. So he didn't. With Aliana's chin still tilted slightly upward, Chimera's paw rose to cup her chin. His lips crashed into hers and his tongue slid into her maw, absorbing the sweet, clean taste of her. The two-faced brutes other paw moved to slide behind the woman's body and with one easy pull, he had her laying flat on her back on the den floor. She was so small and easy to handle. That was one of the things that he enjoyed about the women around him. They were all easy to throw around. He didn't throw the slave, however. Chimera was uncharacteristically gentle. The beast lowered his body over top of hers. He'd never taken her like this before but found the prospect of doing so to be rather pleasing. He could stare down into the face of his woman and see how much he hurt her. How much he pleased her. How much she wanted him to stop and how much she would never ask him to stop. Their bodies were chest to chest, Chimera's bulk threatening to crush the grey woman beneath him. He stared down at the black leather collar as he slowly sank into her. A shuddering groan left the man, his eyes drifting closed for a moment. He then locked his limbs above both of the woman's shoulders to hold her in place. Only then did he begin a slow but steady pace. A pace that was also uncharacteristic. -Fade for reasons- "Speech"

Aliana saw the gleam of dominance in Chimera's eyes when she presented herself to him with the collar around her slender neck, noting the way his eyes lit up with a fire as he appraised her with his gaze. Throughout this entire moment, her master hadn't said a word, and he wouldn't begin to now as he wordlessly slipped closer to her like an apex predator closing in on his kill. Once he was seating in front of her with his paws coming up to tighten the collar around her neck, Ali's breathing hitched, coming in shorter, anxious gasps. She could feel the leather pulling taut against her skin, applying just the right amount of pressure to her throat. Every time Chimera would pull the collar a little tighter as he tied the laces, the petite fae wondered if he would tighten it to the point where her breathing stopped. Her life was entirely in Chimera's paws and left to his whim. If he wanted to choke her and watch as she squirmed and fought for air, he could have done so in the blink of an eye. Aliana could do and would do nothing to stop him. He owned her, every single part of her, and if he wished to snuff her life out while her body writhed in a vain struggle for oxygen then she would be sure he enjoyed the final show he got from her.

That scenario never came to life though. Chimera finished lacing the collar up, Aliana feeling it tight but not uncomfortably so around her neck. She brought a dainty paw up to trace over the smooth black leather, letting a soft exhale out as she amazed at the feeling it brought her. She was Chimera's; she had been Chimera's since the day she arrived on his island, but now she had a physical manifestation of his possession over her around her neck permanently. Warm tingles started in her belly, the same sensation she'd felt when he'd pulled her into a cuddle during the thunderstorm some weeks ago. She kept her muzzle tipped back to allow Chimera to enjoy the sight of his slave wearing her new accessory and bask in the dominance he held over her. When the black and white brute caught her chin in his paw and held her still while his lips came crushing to hers, Ali gave a muffled murr of surprise. Her body quivered and she melted when she tasted Chimera's tongue slip into her maw, greeting him with her own gentle tongue as a soft whine of submission and need left her. That warmth in her depths grew, her heart racing in her chest, aquamarine eyes slipping closed behind fluttering lids, losing herself to him.

Her world began to shift as Chimera slid his free paw around her lithe body and laid her on the den floor as if it took no effort at all. Chimera's strength had always amazed her, especially when he was using it on her. He moved her gently, taking care not to harm her as he positioned her the way he desired and covered her body with his own. Ali gasped for breath while she gazed up at the behemoth, her eyes running over every part of him she could see from his handsome, youthful face to his broad, powerful chest and coming to rest on his two-toned eyes. This was the first time he had taken her this way, chest to chest, face to face. It made Ali's heart skip a beat, though the reason was lost on her while he positioned himself on top of her, her legs falling open to welcome him into her. Her eyes stayed on his while he sank himself into her, drawing breathy moans and gasps from the small woman while he filled her and she got to savor the reactions he had. Unlike before, Aliana didn't show reluctance to touch him now, tiny paws that had been curled to her chest shifting to press to the planes of his muscles and stroke over his chest and shoulders while he locked her firmly in his embrace and began to take her.

Chimera was uncharacteristically gentle with her, his motions slow yet deliberate, each motion felt deep inside her but measured so as not to hurt either of them. Aliana's eyes fluttered closed as Chimera pulled gasps, heavy breaths, and moans from her, each sound a natural response to what he did to her. Her paws gripped at his luxurious fur whenever he made her body tense, her hind legs moving to find his waist and offer him every angle he desired. Ali gave all of herself to Chi, different from their normal coupling, but equally as intense to her. She basked in the weight of his body on hers, on the sounds he made, of his masculine scent in her nose and the lingering taste of his tongue in her mouth. She didn't lie still beneath him as he took her; she held him, stroked his contrasting fur and his warm skin, she rolled her hips up to meet his and feel every bit of him. Toes curled and body trembled as he worked her to her peak as often as it took for him to reach his. As much as he enjoyed her, she was enjoying him, a small smile pulling at her lips while she watched the pleasure etch itself on his face. Ali tipped her head back again, offering herself to him for whatever he wanted. She felt her collar jostle gently with each movement of his body against hers. She moaned Chimera's name between gasping breaths, announcing to the world who she belonged to in her sounds. This, right here, was where she belonged.

- fade for "reasons" -

"Aliana"

After he was done with her and they had both reached the highest peaks of pleasure, the two-toned giant stepped away, parting from the clouded fae. With his lust slated, his aggression went with it. He hadn't bitten her mid-coitus as was his way. Instead, staring down at her as he pleasured her had been enough. Seeing the collar, his mark of ownership upon her, had been enough. His teeth didn't even itch and that was rather surprising to the man.

Pulling away from the fae, Chimera strode to a water basin near the doorway and took a few heavy draws, wetting his dry mouth. The lightly striped giant wasn't one for making noise while fucking. He didn't moan or groan. Aside from growls, he was quiet. Still, sex always dried him out and there wasn't much better than a cool drink of water afterwards.

With droplets of water clinging to the whiskers on his chin, Chimera turned his pallid gaze towards the grey and white fae. "If I released you from your bonds of slavery, what would you do?" Not because he was planning to do so, but because he was curious how the woman would answer. Would she tell him what he wanted to hear or would she be honest and true with her words?

Turning away from the basin, the predator stalked back towards his prey, towering over her. The imposing beast looked down his regal nose at the woman and spoke once more, his tones a low, rumbling purr. "Would you run from here as fast as your pretty little legs would carry you?" Reaching out, Chi hooked one claw in the lower edge of Aliana's new collar, using it to jerk her upwards so that she had no choice but to stare him right in the eye. "Or have you accepted the fact that you will belong to me until your heart stops beating?" There wasn't a right or wrong answer, but the way in which she responded would affect the way in which he responded. The brow above his milky, white eye arched, silently bidding that she be careful and think about her words.

"Speech"

As both wolves came down from their climaxes, Aliana collapsed breathless and exhausted where she lay, aquamarine eyes gently closed and a content smile on her face while she panted for air. Her entire body felt warm and numb in all the best ways, only a dull ache from where their coupling had stirred healing bruises, but otherwise unharmed. This was the first time Chimera hadn't bitten her in the midst of coitus, and Ali had felt relieved to have only known pleasure, and yet strangely missed the familiar sting of his fangs sinking through her tender flesh. Perhaps she had gotten so used to his feral claiming of her body that this side of Chimera felt unusual and unfamiliar—but not at all unwelcome. She had gotten to watch the pleasure on his face, shifting his expressions with each heavy breath or growl, and she reveled in knowing that he was experiencing that ecstasy with her.

As Chimera unwound himself from her body and stepped away to slake his thirst, Ali settled comfortably onto her side, half-lidded eyes watching the massive handsome behemoth as he strode away, watching how powerful muscles rippled and moved beneath taut skin and fur. Her eyes followed the slate striped along his back, moving up the near perfect seam of black and white fur from his rump up to his pink nose and mismatched eyes. He was so handsome, he could have had any fae in the world he desired with his looks alone. It made her wonder why he ever wasted his time on her. Was it convenience? Pity, maybe? The relentless urge to dominate in the ways he knew best? Whatever it was, Ali had graciously taken everything he'd given her. A dainty paw slid slowly up to trace over her new collar again, the smooth leather a physical reminder that she belonged to him—well, that and the pleasant ache deep inside her where he had filled her only moments ago.

All at once, Chimera's eyes were on her, and Aliana felt her heart miss a beat. She lifted her head to gaze at him with curious eyes. His words confused her. What would she do if she were released from his ownership? Ali just stared at Chi, trying to wrap her head around what he was asking. All she'd ever known in her life was serving someone else, doing what she was told to do, living her life for the pleasure and comfort of whoever owned her. Never once had she even considered a life beyond what she knew. How could she? Being born into shackles meant one only ever knew the embrace of a cage. Freedom seemed like such a foreign ideal that it couldn't be comprehended.

Ali hesitated, unable to form the thoughts to make any words. Chimera approached her then, and once more Aliana's heart began to race, but she couldn't tell if it was out of fear or from having him look at her with those predatory eyes that looked like he wanted to devour her again. She peered up at her master, teal-green eyes wide with bewilderment for his questions. That husky purr of his voice made her shiver visibly, but it was nothing compared to when he hooked a claw under her collar and tugged her head up so their gazes locked. The clouded fae gasped, feeling the leather pull taut around her neck almost painfully so. Her heart was going a million miles an hour now, but that heat had returned to her depths with it. This wasn't fear she was feeling anymore. He raised a brow, waiting for an answer, but it took Ali's whirling brain a few moments more to come to the answer she knew was the truth.

Raising a delicate paw, Aliana touched soft paw pads to Chimera's sculpted chest, longing for the simple pleasure of feeling him again. Her eyes never strayed from his, seeing in his pink and hazy eyes the rest of her life. "I've always belonged to you, Sir. I always will," she said, longing to call him by his name again, but not daring to upset him by stepping outside her station beyond the passions of their carnal desires. Her lyrical voice was soft as she tried to keep from choking with the added pressure Chimera was putting on her collar with his tugging. She could feel the edges of the collar pressing into the veins and arteries of her throat, not quite choking her completely, but definitely starting to make her feel lightheaded with every passing minute. "You've given me all I've ever known, provided for me, protected me. You are my life." She let her paw slowly glide from his chest to drip across the foreleg holding her by the collar. "I am yours, until the day my heart stops, and in whatever world comes next."

"Aliana"

The fear on her delicate features was just delicious as it had been the first time. The power that Chimera felt over this woman was intoxicating and he loved every minute of it. Being able to elicit this feeling within him... it made Aliana valuable. No woman had ever made him feel this way. In Chimera's mind, the slave woman was perfect. She was everything that he wanted in a woman. Obedient. Subservient. Anticipatory. Clever. Resourceful. Industrious. Devoted. Beautiful.

Seeing how she struggled against the hold that he had on her collar, Chimera held her tightly for a moment more before releasing his grip. She belonged to him and had admitted as much. He could see in her aqua colored eyes that she spoke nothing but the truth. Aliana was completely devoted to him, no matter what he did to her. That was what he wanted. What he needed.

Though he had released her collar, Chimera's black toed paw didn't stray far. The mottled pink pads slid gently across one silver and grey cheek almost lovingly. The man's pale pink eye searched her face as though he was trying to find something hidden. He respected her, he realized. It was an odd feeling. There was something about this woman that reminded him of Siren. Something that made him want to keep her safe and all to himself. That was why he had gotten so enraged when the jaguar had attacked her. Aliana was his. She belonged to him and no other. If another wolf, man or woman, ever touched her... he would kill them both.

"Then you are free," he informed her, his face still close to hers. Close enough that he could feel her anxious breaths upon his sensitive muzzle. He gave her freedom as a reward for her service. As a reward for her continued service. She was a good girl, just like he'd told her to be. "You will start sleeping beside me in my bed chamber," he ordered. "Equal standing with the rest." Aside from Siren. She would always stand higher in Chimera's eyes. "Well, Aliana," he purred out her name, his tongue protruding to drag over her chin and bottom lip. "Your first words as a free woman?" Would the lack of slave title change her or would she continue to be just as devoted as she always had been? The funny thing about titles was that they could be changed. If she let the words to go her head, she could easily be enslaved once more.

"Speech"

There was something in Chimera's eyes that she couldn't quite place. It looked like the possessiveness he held over her always, but... softer? More caring? Words failed Aliana while she gazed into her master's eyes, wondering where these questions were coming from. The behemoth released her collar after a moment, and the monochromatic fae gasped softly for a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. He looked like he was appraising her, trying to determine an unknown answer in his head. Ali peered up at him, eyes soft and gaze demure through her lashes while she waited for whatever was coming to happen. Would he strike her? Bite her? Kiss her again? That nervous flutter started up in her stomach once more as the anticipation ate away at her nerves.

For all the things Ali thought he might do, she did not expect the gentle caress of his large paw against her cheek, though she leaned her head appreciatively into his touch with just a slight tilt of her skull, almost nuzzling into his uncharacteristic affections. The words he spoke next shook her world. They were never even a thought in her head. Aqua eyes widened in shock, petite mouth hung agape in a silent gasp. He was freeing her? Ali's breath caught in her throat, but resumed into quick, stuttering breaths as his face lingered so close to hers that she could feel the warmth radiating off of his skin, his scent so rich and masculine in caught in her nose like a fine cologne.

Aliana's body quivered with that yearning as he spoke, deep voice coming in rumbles, telling her she was now to sleep with him in his bed, that she would be an equal to Viper. Her head swam with the very notion, the world now seeming closer to a dream than reality. Where was the rub? When would she be suddenly yanked back into reality from this impossible fantasy? He said her name in that purr that made her heart skip beats, scarcely breathing while soft, wet tongue ran up the end of her muzzle. What would her first words as a freed woman be? This moment seemed like such an impossibility, the gray-clouded fae didn't know how to respond.

Thank you. No, questioning him for this gift didn't feel right. Chimera hated being questioned on a good day anyway.

You don't know what this means to me. Oh, but he did! That was why this moment was so impactful and had shaken her to her core.

I love you. Did she even know what love was? It was a foreign concept, an ideal she'd never felt from anyone in her life. But surely, if there was to be a definition of love, was this not it? Her master, the one who had saved her from slavers, the one who provided and kept her fed and sheltered, had released her into a breathtaking new world. Was that not love?

"Thank you for giving me this life, Si-" She hesitated, realizing once again that she was free. "...Chimera." For the first time, saying his name unabated with fear of reprisal, it tasted good on her tongue. As she gazed deeply up into his contrasting eyes, a shy smile pulled at her lips and she felt a little more emboldened to act than she ever had before. Putting her new freedom to good use, she tipped her muzzle up to glide her own tongue along the bottom of his chin in a ginger, submissive kiss. Her heart hammered against her chest from such a daring act, never thought of by a slave before! She was freed, but she was still his, and would forever be his, and she wanted to be sure to show him that every day of her life, starting with this.

Tiny paws slowly came up to rest on his chest, finding the edges of his defined muscles and following them along the contours of his body. "Would you still have me as you did before, Chimera?" she asked, wondering how, if anything, being a free woman would change what she knew as normal. Aqua eyes gazed longingly up into his, wanting to lose herself in him for all time. "Would you have me like you just did, and would you have me the way you did when you marked me?" A paw moved from his chest to the back of her neck, where the scars he'd left on her neck after the jaguar attack were hidden by her collar. She wanted to revel in being free, but she also wanted all of Chimera, from the gentler wolf that had laid her down and brought her such pleasure in this very spot to the predator that had ravaged her senseless time and time again.

"Aliana"

He expected the woman to be shocked at being freed from her verbal imprisonment, but he hadn't expected her to recover so quickly. He hadn't expected her demeanor to shift so drastically either. Chimera's eyes narrowed as the woman licked his chin, the brazenly rose up to stroke him with her tiny paws. One brow arched as he stared down at the woman. The brute's tail curled above his spine in a show of dominance. He didn't like this change in her, but he didn't act against it. Instead, he waited to see what she would do.

Aliana's words met his ears and a low growl pulled from the man. She questioned him, wondering what might change between them. Internally, he laughed. As though some silly words would stop him from doing as he pleased. Free or enslaved, Chimera would have the ashen fae however he wished, whenever he wish, wherever he wished. "Don't get the wrong idea," he growled, one paw sliding between them to settle upon her chest. With force he pushed hard, slamming the fae onto her back on the ground. Chimera continued to keep her prone form trapped beneath his standing frame. The paw that held her down snaked up to press down upon her throat. The bastard pressed hard, but not hard enough to damage her. It would be difficult to breathe, however.

Lowering his muzzle until it was beside her ear, the beast spoke quietly. "Free by word, but you'll never be free of me. You're mine until the day you die, Aliana." Had he ever said her name out loud before? Hmm. He pressed down harder on her throat and his lips brushed her ear in a tender, delicate manner as he spoke. "I'll have you whenever I wish, however I wish. Don't ever forget that." With his threat and promise delivered, Chimera lifted his paw off of the woman's throat, allowing her the freedom to breathe once more.

"Enjoy your freedom, Aliana." Choking the woman had left a fire within him. He needed to abuse something. He needed to hurt something. He would be a terror to be around until he extinguished the need within him.

Chimera left the den. He left the island all together. Left Ashen as well. The beast knew the route of a band of slavers. He met them, paying handsomely to rape and strangle not one, but two fae's to death. Both of whom had Aliana's face as Chimera's eyes were closed.

"Speech"

Aliana hadn't been expecting Chimera to change his ways with her—in fact, she hadn't wanted it either. But he was quick to glare at her from her show of affection. Her ears fell, tail curling around her hips to submit to the giant brute. He warned her not to get the wrong idea—and then Ali found herself on her back again, staring up at the split-toned face of her former master and forever owner. For the briefest of moments, the clouded fae thought he might have his way with her again, and she was already mentally preparing to try and convince him he was too injured, but the mounting never came. Instead, the brutal behemoth stood over her, keeping her pinned to the ground with an impossible amount of strength and his weight. She gasped as she stared up at him with wide, fear-filled eyes, feeling his paw slide its way up her chest and over her slender throat until his digits rested around her windpipe, right between those delicate laces of her collar. Then the pressure came and her breathing stopped.

Ali tried to gasp, but the sound barely came out as a choked wheeze, the tiny fae fighting to suck in as much air into her lungs as she could while Chimera whispered into her ear, reminding her that she would never be free of him, that she was his until her death. Then he said her name again, his growling tones sending a shiver through her body that ended in heat between her thighs. She choked again when he pressed harder, tiny paws reaching up to grasp at his paw out of reflex, but doing nothing to try and push him away. Wide, frightened aqua eyes gazed up at the den ceiling just past his shoulder while he brushed those warm lips against her delicate ear, making the appendage flick in response. She tried to say his name, but all that came out was more feminine choking. More threats—no, promises—that he would have her however he wished, and again that heat flared inside her depths. Long legs kicked in the air, perhaps trying to find purchase on something to give her body leverage to find the oxygen her lungs ached for, or perhaps just to give him something to enjoy watching while she suffocated. Her tiny paws flexed over his massive one on her throat, silently pleading him for a breath while simultaneously never feeling as hot as she did right now.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, Chimera was letting her go. Aliana gasped and took a few coughing breaths as she swallowed lungfuls of relieving air. She didn't even notice when he had left the den, but once she had her breathing under control again, Chimera was gone. Ali stared where he had once been, breathing hard and quivering all over. Her heart was racing in her chest, a familiar anxiousness stirring within her from Chi's abrupt assault, but she'd also never felt so alive. She didn't know where he'd gone off to, but she knew where she was going. Silently, Aliana slipped out of the den and headed for the ocean to cool herself off with a quick dip in the sea. All the while, Chimera's voice lingered in her ears, and his presence invaded her every thought, pure and sinful alike.

"Aliana"