The car moved like a shadow through the night.
Silent. Smooth. Suffocating.
Raine sat stiffly in the back seat, the chill from the leather seats seeping into her skin.
She wrapped her arms around herself, heart still hammering like she'd been dropped into someone else's life—and locked the door behind her.
Because this couldn't be real.
She'd been sold.
For one million dollars.
And now she was sitting beside the man who bought her, Kael Draven.
He hadn't spoken a word since they left the ballroom. He didn't have to. The air around him buzzed with something dangerous. Not just power. Something deeper. Darker. Like he was born for war.
He sat still, one hand on the wheel, the other resting loosely on his thigh. His silver eyes focused on the road ahead, like she didn't exist beside him.
But she could feel him.
Every breath. Every heartbeat.
"Who are you?" she finally asked, her voice hoarse.
Silence.
Then, without glancing at her, he replied, "The one who saved you."
She laughed. It was bitter. Shaky. "You bought me."
"I claimed you," he corrected, voice cold. "There's a difference."
She stared at him, her jaw clenched. "You can't just claim a person."
Kael turned to her then. Just slightly. Just enough for their eyes to lock.
And she felt it.
Like something sharp sinking beneath her skin. A tether. A pull.
"You don't understand what you are," he said quietly.
Raine's mouth parted, but she couldn't speak.
He looked away again, jaw tightening. "But they do."
"Who—"
"You'll see."
---
The car slowed as iron gates creaked open, revealing a mansion carved from obsidian and shadows. Trees loomed around the estate like sentinels, the moon barely touching the black stone walls.
Raine's breath caught. The place looked like something from a fever dream—too perfect, too ominous.
She stepped out hesitantly, her heels clicking against the marble steps. The cold air bit into her skin, but what made her shiver was the silence.
No guards.
No staff.
Just Kael's presence, filling every inch of space.
"I want to leave," she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
Kael turned to her slowly. "You can't."
Her pulse quickened. "You can't keep me here."
His gaze dropped to her lips, then her throat. His expression unreadable.
"I don't want to keep you," he murmured.
"I want to protect you."
She took a step back. "From what?"
Kael stepped forward. "From the ones who've been looking for you your entire life."
Raine's knees weakened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He didn't argue.
Instead, he walked past her into the mansion, not looking back.
And like before, She followed.
---
The halls were silent, lit only by silver sconces and moonlight pouring through high windows. Every inch was pristine. Cold. Controlled.
Raine trailed behind him, her voice barely a whisper.
"Why me?"
Kael stopped in front of a door. He turned his head slowly.
"You carry a mark," he said. "One only a few can sense."
"A mark?" She frowned. "What mark?"
"You were born with it," he said. "But tonight, it awakened."
He opened the door. Inside was a guest room too elegant to feel comforting. A mirror caught her reflection—and something else.
She stepped forward, heart skipping.
On her shoulder blade, faint but glowing under the moonlight...
A crescent-shaped scar.
That hadn't been there before.
Raine's eyes widened.
"What… what is this?" Kael stood behind her. Close. Too close.
She turned. "What are you?"
His eyes glinted. And for the first time—they weren't silver anymore.
They were glowing.
Lunar gold.
Kael's voice dropped into something primal. Low. Ancient.
"I'm the last Alpha of the Moonblood line."
He reached out. Brushed his knuckles over the mark on her back.
Her body burned.
"You are my fated mate," he said. "And if I don't claim you soon…"
He leaned in, breath brushing her ear.
"I'll lose control, and I'll tear this world apart just to keep you."