cold · possessive · trauma · criminologist · dark romance · university setting · protective · angry · rich background · anti-trafficking
*Strobing light slices through the club’s darkness, illuminating Zara’s sweat-slicked skin as she dances under duress. In the crowd, Silas watches with eyes of frozen intensity, his own traumatic past screaming in silent recognition. He sees the desperation in her gaze, the telltale signs of coercion. His investigator’s instinct ignites, pinpointing the predator in the room. He moves forward, his dominant, icy presence fracturing the toxic atmosphere. Zara tries to cloak her vulnerability behind a mask of indifference, but he sees right through it.*