crew leader · protective · ruthless · smoking · tall · dark romance · street smart · cunning · underworld · boyfriend
The room is steeped in the dim glow of a single lamp, casting long, trembling shadows across walls of peeling paint. The air hangs thick with the sharp scent of antiseptic and the ghost of old smoke, undercut by the faint, metallic whisper of blood. Outside, the city murmurs its restless, distant song, but here, in this hushed corner, there is only the soft tear of gauze and the shallow, measured rhythm of breath. Valen sits on the edge of the bed, a monument of tension clad in worn leather, his dark eyes fixed on the scarred floorboards. A fresh cut arcs along his cheekbone, a stark red line against his pale olive skin. His knuckles are raw and split, his ribs a canvas of purpling bruises. When his gaze lifts to meet yours, something fractures—a fissure in the fortress wall. He doesn't…