Chapter 2

Ella

Slowly, I turned around, but was welcomed by just pitch darkness... No, it wasn't just darkness... Something even darker than the darkness caught my attention.

It stood there in a human-like structure, like it was watching me.

My breath caught in my throat.

I opened my mouth to talk, but no words came out.

What the fuck was I even thinking coming into this alley? I will never forgive Jasper if anything happens to me here.

Then the next second, the dark figure started moving... towards me.

I scrambled back, my heart pounding loudly in my chest, cold sweat forming on my forehead.

I paused as the figure finally stepped out of the darkness. A man.

I paused, my breath steadying. At least it was a human.

I stared at his black leather boot. They shone even in the dark. Then to his black trousers, and to his black shirt... I couldn't see his face clearly, but he was tall. Definitely over six feet.

I swallowed hard.

"Who are..." my voice faded into a soft fearful gasp as the growl came again. This time, louder and scarier.

I wasn't sure anymore if it was a wild animal, or if it was from something else.

I almost peed my panties.

The man seemed to be standing between me and whatever the growling animal was. He didn't flinch.

I was grateful for a second, but couldn't shake off the fact that he looked even scarier with the way he looked down at me.

"Who... are you?" My voice cracked shakily.

He stared silently without a word, as if he didn't hear me.

Then the indistinct chatter and footsteps behind me drew my attention.

I looked back. Three tattered looking men stood across the alley. They reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.

Their eyes swept over me, a creepy smile spreading across their faces. It felt as though they didn't notice the strange man.

"Hey, beautiful..." one of them said as they stepped forward.

"What are you doing here all alone, huh?" Another one said.

"Do you need a place to sleep tonight, hmm? We can celebrate Christmas together," The third one said as they approached me.

I instinctively pulled up to my feet, rushing to hide beside this strange man. I wasn't thinking straight. Though this man looked scary, he looked like he would protect me from them.

"Please save me," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He didn't say anything, just a glance back at me over his shoulder. His silence was already driving me nuts.

"Hey... who are you?" one of those three men asked, and their eyes shifted to the man.

The strange man still didn't speak.

"You look rich. You should go to the club and find another woman. This one is ours tonight," the first man said, reaching to grab me, but before his hand could meet me, the strange man grabbed and twisted it, and with just one push, the man was sent flying across the alley.

I stiffened. My jaw dropped.

"Who the fuck are you?" The second one asked, his voice almost shaky as they drew back.

But Mr stranger remained silent yet again. He quietly and gently shoved me behind him, and as my hand brushed his skin, his muscles pulsed under my touch, and I could swear I heard him grow.

Then his body went completely still as he faced the two men, and before I could blink, he moved.

Fast and almost unnoticeable.

The only thing I saw was him being back beside me in the next five seconds, and the two men lying on the floor, groaning in pain.

My breath hitched. Who is he? What the fuck did I run into? He couldn't be a human.

I stepped back, my back pressing into the wall, unable to process what just happened.

He suddenly turned to face me, his eyes flashing gold as they caught the street light for a split second.

My breath caught. What the fuck did I just see? That can't be a human's eye, right?

He closed the distance between us, and leaned in, his eyes piercing at me intensely, my skin prickled.

I pressed harder into the wall, swallowing the lump that formed in my throat.

He moved his hand to my face, but didn't touch me, and with a shaky and rough breath, he said only one word, his voice icy, "Mine,"

I stiffened, cold shivers ran down my spine.

Then he stepped back and walked away, fading into the pitch darkness... Not even a glance back at me.

'Mine?'

I crashed to the floor, heart pounding nervously as his voice echoed in my head...

Chapter 3

Ella Whitmore

My hands trembled as I locked every lock in my apartment, the image of the strange man and memories of everything that happened back there still clung to my head.

Cold goosebumps washed over me as I sat before my laptop at 3AM, the image of those golden eyes, and his impossible speed flooded my mind.

My fingers clicked over the keyboard as I made research, typing everything crazy that I could think of.

'Can humans have glowy golden eyes?'

'Can a human move like a flash?'

The results didn't make sense. They were pointing at supernatural beings... Something that doesn't exist.

It's not possible. They only exist in fiction and myths. It's not real. I told myself, trying to brush it off, but I was sure of what I saw. I couldn't deny it... not even to myself.

'Always trust your instinct, Ella'

My finger froze across the keyboard as my mom's last words echoed in my head, as if she was here with me.

She died fifteen years ago when I was just eight, and I've held on to that all these years, and right now, my instinct is screaming that the stranger was dangerous, and I should run from him, but a part of me wanted to see him again.

I wanted to satisfy this curiosity brewing inside me. I needed to confirm who he really was.

Time slipped by fast, and soon, it was morning.

I rolled out of the bed and into the bathroom the moment my alarm rang.

As I got ready for my part-time job, my phone chimed with a text.

Jasper;

'I'm sorry about last night. Let's meet. I'll explain everything that happened. Merry Christmas, baby'

I scoffed at the end of the text, my grip tightening on the phone.

Explain everything? He must be insane to think that I'll listen to his lies.

With a loud hiss and a deep sigh, I tossed my phone on the bed.

I was supposed to stay back home today being Christmas... I had taken days off from work to spend Christmas with Jasper, and since he decided to betray me, there was no point staying back home.

My hand stilled over my hair as I brushed it, a strange cold washing over me as memories of last night replayed in my head again.

Sighs. Don't think about it, Ella. You need to stay focused.

I told myself, sliding into my boot, wore my hand gloves, and grabbed my car keys from the nightstand.

Cold bit into my skin, the moment I stepped out of my apartment. My car was almost covered with snow, but thankfully, it wasn't much.

Just as I approached my car, a loud sound of car engine revving pulled my attention, and as I lifted my gaze, a familiar car pulled over in front of my gate.

Jasper stepped out of the car, cladded in gray pants and a white sweatshirt. A gray neck warmer tied round his neck.

My gaze dropped to his hand as he approached me. His fingers were clutching tightly around a bouquet of my favourite flowers... red roses.

My chest burned, fingers tightened at my sides. He dares show his face to me after what he did?

"Ella..." he said with a shaky voice as he stood before me, "I'm sorry about everything. Yeah, I messed up... I shouldn't have done that. I didn't know what came over me... I was just..."

His voice faded into a soft sigh.

Did he run out of lies?

I stared silently. Back then, I would be all excited having him around... my heart would pound hard, but looking at him now, I felt nothing... just emptiness and a numb heart.

"I won't ever hurt you..." The rest of his words faded as my eyes flicked past him to the person standing across the street, eyes on us... no, on me.

Something snapped inside me. A familiar cold washed over me. The same one I felt last night.

I didn't see his face... but I recognised him right away. His height and body sold him out.

The stranger from last night.

My heart stilled, fingers slowly curling into fists beside me as I took a step back. How did he know here? Did he stalk me?

Just the thought gave me chills... but strangely, I wasn't so scared like I was supposed to.

Then he started crossing the road.

My breath hitched.

Before I could react, Jasper's voice snapped me back as he grabbed my hand roughly, "are you even listening to me, Ella?"

His voice was full of rage.

"Yeah, I cheated... But at least I'm sorry about it. How could you ignore me like that?" His voice was full of rage.

"Let me go!" I cried out, but my voice stilled when I lifted my gaze and was welcomed by those pairs of golden eyes.

They were unmistakably the same eyes from last night.

The stranger was standing right behind Jasper now.

My breath caught in my throat, knees buckled beneath me.

My lips parted, but no words came out. My heart was pounding in my throat.

Before I could react, he grabbed Jasper's hand and pulled him back roughly, twisting his wrist.

I heard the cracking of Jasper's bone as he yelped in pain...

Chapter 4

Ella

My eyes locked with the stranger's. I finally saw his face.

He had the kind of face that seemed to be made for only him. The kind of presence that screams dark aura... and the kind of eyes that would make your heart shift... the rarest pair of amber eyes.

He had the kind of handsomeness that could only be likened to inexistent fiction characters. And his body... broad chest, slim waist, and long straight legs.

Something snapped inside me. Fear? Confusion? I couldn't explain.

Wait... Is he even real?

Jasper's cries snapped me out of my trance.

He was holding his wrist tightly. A part of me felt happy that he was being taught a lesson, but the thought of this stranger distracted me as many questions ran through my mind.

He closed the distance between himself and Jasper, leaning in to whisper something into Jasper's ear.

In half a second, Jasper's face drained of colours, then fear crept up his face, his body shaking.

Without another second, Jasper stumbled backwards before running back to his car.

I swallowed hard, taking a step back as the stranger turned to me, our eyes locked.

What did he say to Jasper to make him run off like that?

But that wasn't the main question lingering on my mind. Who the fuck was this man?

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. It suddenly felt like my tongue was tied down to my mouth.

He suddenly closed the distance between us. He didn't speak, but his eyes were all over me... as if checking me out.

I swallowed hard, pushing my fear aside and mustering courage to ask the million dollar question lingering in my mind.

"Who... are... you?" My voice cracked into a whisper, but he heard me.

He moved his hand to my face, but froze mid-air before pulling back... just like last night.

"Why do you keep following me?" I asked again, my voice steady and demanding this time, "last night... and even now... wasn't just a coincidence, right?"

His eyes glued to mine for a moment, as if trying to see through me. I felt chills.

"Mine..." my voice cracked again, my stomach twisting nervously, "what did you mean by that?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes lingered on me... Longer than normal.

And without a word, he pulled a card, his palm hot against mine as he held my hand, thrusting the card into my palm.

I stiffened at the hotness of his hand. It's snowing heavily this period, and everywhere is cold... Isn't his hand supposed to be cold, considering that he wasn't even wearing gloves?

I swallowed the lump in my throat before my gaze dropped to the card.

Kael Ashfang. Shadow Ridge Security.

Nothing else was written in the card.

I blinked, lifting my gaze, but he had already disappeared.

I stiffened, my chest pulsing heavily.

My gaze dropped to the card, fingers tightening on it.

My phone pinged with a text, and I lifted it to my face.

Jasper;

'You're rolling with wild animals now, huh? Look what that bastard did to me'

I was going to ignore the text, but the attached image drew me in.

My thumb hovered over the picture, trembling, before I clicked on it.

And I froze.

Jasper's wrist, where the stranger grabbed earlier, had deep scratch marks. The kind of mark you wouldn't get from just being grabbed by a random person.

I told myself that I was just overthinking it, but I knew what I saw. The mark looked like they were gotten from claws... too deep and precise.

My breath caught.

I swallowed hard, my grip tightening on the phone as I lifted my gaze. I was the only one standing here under the snow, cold biting into my skin, but not enough to dismiss the chills I still felt from earlier.

I couldn't go to work anymore, so I turned and headed back to my apartment.

*****

By night, my eyes suddenly snapped open, cold air gracing my face as I sat up on my bed.

I was sleeping, but even in my deep sleep, it felt like someone was watching me. Not just anyone... the stranger from earlier.

I stilled on the bed as my gaze drifted to my window. They were opened, fresh snow covering the windowsill.

My fingers slowly curled on the bedsheet, breath hitching.

I was sure I locked them before I slept off. I couldn't have forgotten to, knowing that it's snowing outside and I would freeze to death if I left them open.

Did a thief break in?

But I brushed it off immediately. The neighborhood and even this apartment was heavily guarded, and I also live on the sixth floor. There's no way a thief could've made it through up to here.

I swallowed hard, scrambling on the bed, cold sweat forming on my forehead as his image flashed through my head.

No... he didn't... He really didn't.

I shook my head in denial, but just then, a dark shadow flashed past my window.

I stiffened...