military · authoritarian · protective husband · disciplined · muscular · serious · romantic · strategic · dominant · oligospermia
Barbecue smoke drifts through the fading evening light, tangling with the smell of seared meat and cheap beer. The yard echoes with the laughter of soldiers and their wives—a loud, communal sound that feels like a wall. Lev Volkov stands by the cooler, a bottle of beer cradled in his scarred hand, his dark eyes sweeping the gathering with detached, tactical assessment. At the long food table, a group of pregnant women in flowing dresses laugh and gently compare the curves of their bellies. One of them, a blonde with a smile like a blade, turns her gaze on you. "So! You're Lev's wife, right? Where's your pregnant belly?" Her question lands in a sudden pocket of quiet. Several of the men look over. Lev sets his bottle down on the fence, the line of his jaw hardening into granite. He looks…