Chapter 1: The Wrong Place

The rain was pouring down hard. I pulled my coat tighter around me, shivering. It was late. Too late.

"I need to get home," I whispered to myself. "Just a few more blocks."

I took a shortcut through the alley behind the club. I knew I shouldn't. My mother always told me to stay on the main road. But I was so tired from my part-time job, and my feet hurt.

Bang.

I froze.

That wasn't thunder. That was a gunshot.

I stopped breathing. My heart started beating fast against my ribs. Thump. Thump. Thump.

I peeked around the corner of a dumpster. I saw two men on the ground. And one man standing over them.

He was tall. He wore a black suit that looked expensive. Even in the darkness, he looked terrifying. He wiped a gloved hand on a handkerchief and dropped it on the wet ground.

Then, he turned his head.

He looked straight at me.

His eyes were dark, like the midnight sky. Cold. Empty.

"I found a little mouse," he said. His voice was deep and smooth, like velvet wrapped around a knife.

I gasped and stepped back. My shoe splashed in a puddle. Splash.

"N-No..." I stammered.

I turned to run. I ran as fast as I could towards the street. But I wasn't fast enough.

Strong fingers grabbed my wrist. They were like iron.

"Ah! Let me go!" I screamed.

He pulled me back hard. My back hit his chest. He smelled like rain, expensive cologne, and something metallic—blood.

"Let you go?" He chuckled darkly near my ear. The sound sent shivers down my spine. "You saw my face, little mouse. You don't get to leave."

He spun me around and pinned me against the brick wall. His hand slammed next to my head, trapping me. This is what they call a Kabedon in dramas, but this wasn't romantic. This was deadly.

I looked up at him, trembling. "Please... I won't tell anyone. I promise. I didn't see anything!"

He leaned closer. His face was inches from mine. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. He was incredibly handsome, which made him even scarier.

"Your eyes are lying," Ryker said softly. He reached out and touched a lock of my wet hair. "You are shaking."

"Because you are scaring me!" I yelled, trying to sound brave.

He smirked. It was a cruel smile. "Good. You should be scared."

He leaned in closer, his nose brushing against mine. My breath hitched.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"I... I won't tell you," I said.

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. His grip was tight, possessive.

"It doesn't matter," he whispered. "I will find out. You walked into my world tonight. And in my world, once I catch something... I never let it go."

"You have to let me go," I cried, tears mixing with the rain on my face. "I have a life! I have college!"

"Not anymore," Ryker said. His eyes dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes. The look was intense. It was hungry. "From tonight, you belong to me."

"You're crazy!" I shouted.

"Maybe," he said.

Suddenly, a black car pulled up to the alley entrance. Two large men in suits got out.

"Boss," one of them said. "We need to move. The police are coming."

Ryker didn't look away from me. "Take her."

"What? No!" I screamed as the other men grabbed my arms.

Ryker straightened his jacket, looking calm and cold again.

"Welcome to your new life, little mouse," he said.

They shoved me into the backseat of the car. Ryker got in next to me. As the car sped away into the dark, rainy night, I knew one thing for sure.

My normal life was over.

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