Chapter One.

"Ahhh!"

A high-pitched scream tore through the thick, suffocating forest. Taliya’s legs burned as she ran, her breath ragged, her throat raw from crying out. She didn’t dare look back. She didn’t need to—she could hear it.

The ground trembled beneath her frantic steps. Twigs snapped, leaves scattered, and the heavy, predatory thud of something monstrous echoed behind her.

"Please... please, I don’t want to die." she sobbed, the words breaking apart between her shallow breaths.

Tears blurred her vision, but she didn’t dare slow down, pushing through the tangled underbrush. Her bare arms were scratched raw by thorny branches, but the sting was nothing compared to the ice-cold terror crawling up her spine.

The sound of heavy footsteps thundered behind her, each one pounding into the earth like a death knell. It was gaining on her. Fast.

She risked a glance over her shoulder—and regret slammed into her like a punch to the gut.

It was there.

A beast of pure darkness, its form shifting like a living nightmare. Its red eyes glowed like smoldering embers, locked onto her with a sickening hunger.

Shadowy mist coiled around its massive frame, stretching toward her, reaching, as if it could already taste her fear.

No, no, no—

A strangled cry ripped from her throat as she pushed harder, her legs burning with the effort. Her heart pounded so violently against her ribs that she thought it might burst.

The forest was endless, stretching in every direction like a labyrinth, the towering trees casting shadows that only deepened her panic.

She tripped. A sharp twig sliced across her ankle, sending a jolt of pain up her leg, but she barely felt it.

The icy stream she had just waded through had already numbed her skin, leaving her cold, trembling, and desperate.

"I don’t want to die.." she whispered again, voice hoarse, the words barely more than a breath.

But the footsteps were getting closer.

And she wasn’t sure if she had anywhere left to run.

"Run, Taliya. Just run!" She thought to herself

She stumbled, her foot catching on an exposed root. Pain shot up her ankle, but she didn’t have time to cry out.

The Shadow Stalker lunged.

A scream ripped from her throat as she threw herself forward, tumbling into the cold stream below.

Water splashed up her arms and legs, soaking her already shivering body. She gasped, scrambling to her feet, her breath coming in short, desperate pants.

"I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die…" she kept whispering, her voice breaking between sobs.

The forest was closing in. The beast was too fast. She was out of time.

And then—

The earth trembled beneath her feet. A shift in the air, thick, suffocating, undeniable.

The new presence was overwhelming, wrapping around her like invisible chains.

The Shadow Stalker hesitated.

For the first time since the chase began, the monstrous creature stalled, its deep growls tapering into something more cautious. More uncertain.

The temperature plummeted. A slow, measured sound cut through the silence—footsteps.

Taliya’s breath hitched. Chest heaving, she spun around, heart pounding against her ribs.

A figure emerged from the mist. Tall. Cloaked in darkness. Power radiated from him, thick and unrelenting. His face was mostly concealed—except for his eyes.

A molten, burning red.

They sliced through the space like a blade, sharp and inescapable, piercing straight into her soul.

The beast turned, its massive form coiling as it lowered into a defensive stance. Hackles raised. Lips curling. A snarl ripped through the air, jagged and warning.

The man—

Didn’t move. Didn’t flinch.

He simply tilted his head. Unimpressed. Almost... bored.

Then, he moved.

Faster than her mind could register, faster than anything she had ever seen—

A blur of black. A sharp, wet sound.

Taliya barely had time to gasp before the creature’s agonized howl tore through the forest, raw and choked. It barely lasted a second.

Then, silence.

The beast was gone. Torn apart. Its massive form crumpled at the stranger’s feet, darkness dripping from his gloved fingers.

Taliya's breath came in sharp, ragged bursts. Her entire body shook, her mind struggling to process what had just happened.

He had killed it. Effortlessly. Like it was nothing.

Her gaze snapped up to him—this terrifying, ruthless man who now stood before her.

He was worse than the creature.

More dangerous. More... terrifying.

Her instincts screamed at her, louder than ever.

Run.

Without thinking, she turned on her heel and bolted, fear clawing at her throat.

She didn’t look back.

But he did.

Kaidon watched her flee, his expression unreadable beneath the dark scarf covering his face.

His crimson gaze followed her every movement. Deep.

Then—he stilled.

The air around him shifted, thickening with something unseen, something primal.

Slowly, he inhaled.

A scent drifted toward him, weaving through the cold night air like a whisper. Sweet. Addictive. Unlike anything he had ever encountered before.

His body went rigid.

His fingers twitched at his sides as his chest expanded with a deeper breath, pulling more of it in, letting it settle inside him like a drug. A slow exhale escaped him, his head tilting back slightly, eyes fluttering shut as he let the sensation take hold.

Then—his eyes snapped open.

A violent glow erupted within them, deep crimson burning like embers set ablaze. His pupils dilated, sharp and hungry, an intensity unfurling within him like a beast awakening from its slumber.

The scent belonged to her.

The girl.

His fingers curled, jaw tightening as something inside him shifted. A realization sank into him, dark and unrelenting.

She wasn’t just anyone.

She was his.