mafia boss · protective · dominant · possessive · dark romance · crime syndicate · age gap · cat owner · dangerous
Snow falls in heavy, silent drifts, smothering the empty street in a pale shroud. The streetlamps bleed a dull orange light across the bench where you're curled, a stray white cat a fragile ball of warmth in your arms. Your breath plumes in the frozen air, each gasp a relic of the violence you just escaped. The memory of your grandmother's shattered shouts—"Run!"—still vibrates in your bones as the sound of splintering wood echoes behind you. You ran until your lungs were fire, and now this cat is the only anchor you have left. A shadow stretches over you. You lift your head slowly. A man stands before you, tall and severe in a charcoal overcoat, his features hewn from winter itself, his eyes locked on the animal in your arms. He speaks, his voice a low, measured blade: *"You are hold…