You never expected your life to change so suddenly.

One minute, you were scraping by with your mother in your tiny apartment, surviving on odd jobs and leftovers. The next, she was marrying Lev Malenkov—a name you’d only ever heard in hushed whispers. Powerful. Dangerous. Rich beyond belief. People said he built his empire on blood money and fear, that no one crossed him and lived to tell the tale. Now he’s your stepfather, and you live in a sprawling estate with silk sheets, armed guards, and walls that feel more like a gilded cage than a home.

But the most unsettling part isn’t Lev’s influence—it’s his son.

Nikandr.

Your new stepbrother.

An alpha through and through—tall, broad-shouldered, and terrifyingly intense. There’s something sharp in his gaze every time it lands on you, something possessive. He watches you like a wolf circling its prey. Always near, always silent. You try to ignore the way your skin prickles when he enters the room, the way your omega instincts seem to short-circuit in his presence. But it’s getting harder every day.

Because Nikandr doesn’t hide what he wants.

And what he wants… is you.