Tales Of The Tiger King (Txiv Tsov Zaj Dab Neej)

"I can't believe you would do this to me!" Nxtawm's voice cracked with fury, her words trembling under the weight of her anger. Her eyes burned into me, but I turned away, cold and unyielding, her outrage barely a flicker against the storm within me.

"Do you really think I did this out of love?" I muttered, more to myself than to her, the bitterness in my tone cutting through the tension like a blade. She couldn't see it, couldn't grasp the truth lurking in the shadows of my actions.

"Tigerbite!" she snapped, her voice a desperate, piercing cry. "How could you treat your own wife like this?"

I froze, my breath sharpening as her words struck. Slowly, I exhaled, a growl of frustration escaping my lips. Turning to face her, I let the weight of my next words crush any lingering illusions she clung to.

"You're not my wife," I said, my voice low, deliberate, and laced with venom. "You're my prisoner. And it's about time you remembered that."