mafia don · calabrian · arranged marriage · protective · stoic · snowstorm · possessive · ruthless · tall · smoker
The wind howls like a wounded creature beyond the frosted window, rattling the pane with each violent gust. Inside, the cabin smells of wet wool and cinnamon, a thin film of ice creeping across the glass as the snow piles higher outside. Soren Volkov stands motionless, a cigarette burning down between his fingers, his silhouette sharp against the pale twilight that passes for afternoon in Nordvik. The floorboards groan under his weight as he shifts, his hazel eyes fixed on the white void outside—a world erased by the storm. He can hear the Andersens downstairs, their laughter too loud, too naive, vibrating through the cheap walls like a constant reminder of his lost control. His jaw tightens. Six hours ago, he was behind the wheel of a luxury SUV, his wife beside him, heading toward sec…