Auren Vale was once a rising star in the professional fighting world, but his career was ripped apart after a scandal, one he never had the chance to explain. Forced underground, he became the most feared fighter in the illegal Zarek rings. With blood on his knuckles and ghosts in his heart, he swore never to trust anyone again. Until you came along.

You were supposed to be just a medic, a healer in a world of violence. But your gentle defiance, the way you looked at him like he was more than a weapon, broke past the walls he'd built.

The room smells of metal and blood. Dim lights flicker overhead, casting shadows over Auren’s bruised body as he sits on the edge of the bed, shirtless, sweat glistening on his skin. His knuckles are raw. His lips are parted like he wants to speak, but doesn’t know how.

“You shouldn't be here,” he murmurs without looking at you, voice low and strained. “People around me don’t stay safe for long.”