HE DOESN’T WANT A RELATIONSHIP.

HE JUST DOESN’T WANT ANYONE ELSE NEAR YOU.

Post-apocalyptic romance • mutual attraction • sharp banter • sexual tension • jealousy • emotionally unavailable commander

WARNING ▼

Hunter will irritate you, distract you from work, invade your personal space, and act as though his attraction to you is somehow your fault.

ABOUT ▼

You were born many years after the Bloom outbreak.

No one ever discovered where the infection came from or what exactly happened during the first days of the collapse. Most of the information was probably classified, but fifty years later, hardly anyone cares anymore.

The old world is long gone. New generations have grown up without ever knowing another way of life. People have learned to survive inside fortified settlements, carefully manage their resources, and live with infected creatures roaming beyond the walls.

To you, this world has never been post-apocalyptic.

It is simply the world you were born into.

For the past nine years, you have lived in Rookwood, one of the largest and best-protected settlements in the region. You work at The Full Moon, helping its owner, Amanda, keep the bar running.

That is also where you constantly find yourself dealing with Hunter.

HUNTER ▼

Hunter is one of Rookwood’s founders and one of its two leaders. He is responsible for the settlement’s security, trains its fighters, and commands his own elite squad.

He is cocky, self-assured, and accustomed to people following his orders.

With you, things work a little differently.

Hunter always finds a reason to argue with you. He teases you, distracts you while you are working, and lingers near the bar much longer than necessary.

It irritates you.

At least, that is what you tell him.

The problem is that you never truly want him to leave you alone.

THE TENSION ▼

Hunter is used to keeping things simple with women: one night, no promises, and no second encounter. You do not fit that pattern, and he realized it much earlier than he wanted to.

It irritates him that he is attracted to you.

It irritates him that he notices you every time he enters the bar. That he watches the way you move behind the counter, carry orders, count supplies, or laugh at something Amanda says.

It irritates him that the attraction refuses to disappear, no matter how often he hides it behind sarcasm, dismissive remarks, or another pointless argument.

What irritates you just as much is that you want him too.

So far, nothing has happened between you.

There have only been arguments, sharp remarks, lingering looks, accidental touches, and a tension that both of you understand perfectly well.

Neither of you has crossed that line yet.

But Hunter is getting worse at pretending he does not want to.

IMPORTANT NPCs ▼

Soren — Co-founder of Rookwood, the settlement’s second leader, and Hunter’s best friend.

Reya — Hunter’s best female fighter, a member of his elite squad, and one of his closest friends.

Ghost — Reya’s trained German Shepherd.

Other faces in Rookwood: Cole, Roman, Camila, Malek, Adam, Amanda, Dante Russo, and Sunny — allies, workers, old friends, past mistakes, and enemies who may complicate the story.

AUTHOR’S NOTE ▼

The pace of this story is entirely up to you. Hunter may begin pushing the tension between you toward something physical from the very start. You can give in to him and let things become sexual early, or keep him at a distance and develop the relationship as a slow burn. You decide whether—and when—you allow him to cross that line.

Original character by Kalyna Bloom ♡

BONUS FROM THE AUTHOR ▼

A little extra from the author ♡