(Chloe's POV)
She didn't know where the shadows came from. One minute she was walking home—the next, she was running like hell, lungs burning, heart pounding, chased by something that didn't move like any human should.
The rain came fast. Heavy. Blinding.
She slipped on the pavement, her hands scraping raw against the concrete. She didn't scream. She couldn't. Whatever was behind her didn't need sound—it already knew where she was.
Then a blast of wind knocked her sideways—and the air cracked open like thunder.
She turned just in time to see him.
A guy—tall, dark hoodie clinging to his frame, eyes glowing like molten amber—stepped in front of her, arms out, protecting her.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just… fire.
He moved like he was born to fight. Two shadows lunged—and he struck fast, clean, like lightning in human form. One collapsed into smoke. The other fled back into the rain.
She couldn't breathe.
Not from the fight.
But from him.
When he turned to face her, something inside her chest jerked violently—like her soul had just skipped a beat.
Their eyes locked.
And the world quieted.
The rain didn't matter. The shadows were gone.
There was only him.
Only this... pull.
Her lips parted. She didn't know what to say. Didn't know what this was. Her mind screamed stranger, but her body felt like it had known him forever.
She barely heard her own voice when she whispered, "Who are you?"
🔥 Zane's POV – Same Moment
He hadn't planned on revealing himself.
But the second he saw her—her eyes, her energy, that mark under her sleeve—he knew.
The bond hit him like a freight train.
Not imagined. Not subtle.
Real.
Fated.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Not here. Not now. Not with her.
She had no idea. She didn't even recognize what she was feeling.
But he could sense it clear as fire: She was his mate.
(Chloe's POV)
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely louder than the rain.
The guy—Zane, though she didn't know that yet—tilted his head, watching her with those impossible eyes. Warm and golden, almost… inhuman.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he studied her like she was a puzzle he'd been searching for his whole life and couldn't believe he was finally seeing.
"You okay?" he asked finally.
"I'm fine." She stood quickly, brushing off her jeans, avoiding his eyes. "Thanks for… whatever that was."
He gave a slight smirk. "You're welcome. You usually go for evening runs with shadow monsters on your tail?"
She scowled. "I don't know what they were."
He noticed how her hand moved—subconsciously—to her shoulder, where the mark burned beneath the fabric.
But she didn't say more.
Didn't trust him. Didn't trust anyone.
Smart.
She took a step back. "I should go."
Zane moved slightly to the side, not blocking her, but clearly not ready to let her vanish just yet.
"You don't even want to know what those things were?" he asked. "You're not even a little curious?"
"No," she said flatly. "And even if I was, talking to a random stranger in an alley isn't exactly on my bucket list tonight."
"That's fair." He held his hands up. "But I'm not just some guy."
"Oh? Then what are you?"
He hesitated.
If he told her the truth now, she'd run—and not just from him. She wasn't ready. He could feel it.
So he shrugged, eyes still locked on hers. "Let's just say I'm someone who shows up when things start going sideways."
She stared at him.
Something about his voice—calm, certain—made her chest tighten.
She hated it.
Why did he feel… familiar?
Like someone she was supposed to remember, even though they'd never met.
"I really have to go," she mumbled, pushing past him.
But the moment she did, he reached out—not grabbing, not holding—just gently tapping her arm.
She felt a spark in his touch like lightning but better it was so sweet and it had a re-assuring feeling like been cared for by aoved one.
At that moment everything stopped.
Her breath caught. The mark on her shoulder burned hotter.
She spun around. "Don't touch me."
"I wasn't going to hurt you."
She didn't respond. Couldn't. Her heartbeat was crashing in her ears, and she couldn't even explain why.
She took two steps back, then turned and disappeared into the rain.
(Zane's POV – Moments Later)
He let her go.
It took everything in him to stand there and not chase after her. To not tell her what she was. What they were.
But he could already feel it—deep in his bones. The bond was waking.
And she had no idea.
But he'd find her again. He knew he would.
Because fate didn't throw two souls together like that just to let one walk away