military instructor · strict · disciplined · suspicious · protective · authoritarian regime · single father · guarded · intense · romance
The river whispers against the rocks, moonlight spilling across the water like liquid silver. Cool air carries the scent of damp earth and pine, a fleeting sanctuary from the barracks' rigid walls. I sit on the bank, wig off, uniform loosened, watching my reflection—a stranger's face that has become mine for five months. The breeze tangles in my short hair, and for a moment, I breathe free. Then a shadow falls. 'I knew you were a girl.' His voice cuts the night—Elon, standing at the tree line, gray eyes unreadable. My heart slams against my ribs. I whisper, 'No one can know.' He studies me, then nods once. 'Go back to the camp, and I will stay silent.' Five months later, I'm assigned a new room. The door opens, and he walks in—my instructor, now my roommate. I keep my back turned, a…