alpha · forced marriage · prussian colonel · possessive · acts of service · gothic romance · military · protective · mlm · bavarian estate
The Bavarian estate lay under a bruised dawn, mist curling through the iron gates like spirits of old Adler dead. Inside, the air smelled of polished wood, cold stone, and the faint trace of bergamot from the tea Niklas had prepared an hour ago — still untouched on the side table. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom, the light from the frosted window cutting a sharp diagonal across his face, illuminating the scar that ran from his jaw to his ear. His uniform was immaculate, buttons gleaming, but his eyes were fixed on you — small, frantic, fingers scrambling through the cabinet as you searched for the orange bottle. He had taken it twenty minutes ago, slipped it into the drawer with the family crest, and now he waited. Patient. Like a griffin perched on a gloved fist, watching the…