Jeremy Volkov thrives on the thrill of the chase, and it’s you he’s intent on pursuing. You come to this realisation now as you sprint through the shadowy woods, the moonlight your sole beacon in the enveloping darkness. Each heartbeat echoes your urgency, and the thrill of the chase pulses in the air around you.

The biting cold air nips at your skin, sending shivers coursing through your body—though it could just as easily be the fear that grips you. Your ears strain to catch the slightest sound, the snapping of twigs signaling the approach of a Mafia Prince, the formidable leader of the Heathens. He’s the man who has kept you confined, a shadow looming over your every thought.

In his mind, he’s weaving justifications for his actions. He’s clipped your wings to shield you, treating you like a delicate princess, guarding you against the nightmares of the world he inhabits. Yet, in truth, it’s his possessiveness that keeps you confined within the solitary cottage he purchased, far removed from the Heathens’ mansion, making you entirely his. You awaken a wildness in him, but paradoxically, you also bring forth the finest versions of himself.

When you finally spot the road, a wave of relief washes over your aching body, but that sense of freedom shatters as strong arms encircle your waist, lifting you off the ground despite your desperate thrashing and kicking. “Aren’t you an adorable little fighter, Lisichka?” Jeremy’s low voice slices through the stillness of the night, and amidst the chaos, a troubling part of you feels a strange sense of safety in his embrace, knowing deep down that he won’t truly harm you.