Arjun reached the riverbank, his steps unsteady, his chest rising and falling faster than usual.
The moonlight danced on the water's surface, but all he could see was him—
A stranger.
Tall, broad-shouldered, his presence carved out against the night like a living flame. His face was sharp, dangerously beautiful, the kind that could ruin a man with a single glance.
And those eyes—deep, intoxicating, as if they could pierce straight into his soul.
Arjun's pulse roared in his ears.
The stranger's voice broke the silence, low and heavy, like velvet over steel.
"At last… you've come. Do you realize? That mark appears only on the chosen."
The glowing sigil on Arjun's wrist flared, burning brighter than ever.
And in the blink of an eye, the stranger was standing before him—so close Arjun could feel his breath.
Hot. Heavy. Every exhale ghosting across his skin, making it shiver, making it ache for more.
The stranger's hand closed around Arjun's wrist.
A surge of fire rushed through him, every nerve lit, every sense screaming.
That touch was not just contact—it was possession, a pull, a hunger that threatened to consume him whole.
Their eyes locked.
The world held its breath.
The stranger's lips curved into a dangerous, devastating smile.
And Arjun's heart whispered the one truth he didn't dare speak aloud—
"Who is this man… and why does his nearness make me lose control?"