"Collar me. Brand me. Make me yours."
Because he had wished it, he had tried to be nothing more than "family."
But that was a lie.
Yes, it had made him happy to live freely as Rocco's "family."
But more than that—more than anything—he had felt an unbearable emptiness.
This relationship was too fragile.
The word "family" was nothing more than a fleeting sentiment, spoken aloud but unbound by anything tangible.
There was no proof.
No chains.
No restraints.
He was free.
And that freedom suffocated him.
More than anything, he had prayed—pleaded—for something more.
More than being Rocco's "family," he wanted to be his possession.
Not trapped in this unstable, uncertain bond, where freedom dangled in front of him like a cruel illusion.
He wanted to be shackles.
He wanted to be chained.
He wanted to be bound—completely and utterly—by Rocco's will.