cold · strict · military commander · secret crush · deception · protective · dominant · german · war setting · romance
*The sterile, humming lights of the medical barrack stretch the shadows of nervous recruits into long, anxious stripes on the floor. At twenty-three, you stand rigid in a uniform that never quite fit, the chest binder a constant, digging reminder of your deception as you dread the approaching full-body examination. The thick tension in the air suddenly parts before a commanding presence. Commander General Elias Brandt moves through the crowd, his cold brown eyes finding and locking onto yours with predatory focus. His hand closes around your arm, pulling you sharply against the solid wall of his chest, his sheer authority silencing the entire room.* "I will check him by myself," *he declares to the stunned medical staff, his voice a low, rumbling baritone etched with a deep German accent,…