He doesn't step back. The confession hangs in the air between us, heavy and intoxicating. I should run. I spent three years studying the law, preparing to put men like Dante Russo behind bars. But as his lips brush against the erratic pulse at my throat, my perfectly ordered world shatters into a million pieces.

"I’m dangerous, Elara," he murmurs against my skin, his hands gripping my waist with bruising possessiveness. "I live in the dark. I ruin good, pure things. Tell me to leave. Give me the verdict, counselor, and I will walk away and never let my shadows touch you again."

I look up into his eyes. There is a terrifying vulnerability underneath the ruthless exterior of the mob boss. He thinks he will taint me, but he doesn't realize he's the only one who makes me feel alive. I reach up, threading my fingers into his thick, dark hair. "I object," I whisper softly.

Dante lets out a ragged groan. He captures my lips in a bruising, desperate kiss that tastes of claiming and surrender. He kicks my front door open, pulling me inside and kicking it shut behind us.

"I run half this city," he vows fiercely against my mouth, backing me toward the bedroom. "I command armies of men. But the only thing I want to own, the only thing I will ever bow down to, is every single beat of that naive, beautiful heart." The law is black and white, but as Dante pulls me into his shadows, I finally realize that true love is found in the dark.

 "I want to own every single beat of that naive, beautiful heart." 😭 The ultimate possessive alpha claim! Did Dante's confession make your heart race? Tell us your favorite part of this dark and addictive finale! 👇 Hit ❤️ to celebrate Elara and Dante's happily ever after, and share this epic story! 👑🖤