Aria's life was ordinary. Alarm buzzed at 6:30 a.m., coffee brewed in a slow, familiar rhythm, and the streets of the city welcomed her with their usual chaos: honking cars, impatient commuters, and the distant hum of construction. She liked the routine; it made her feel in control. Until today.
She had barely stepped out of her apartment building when the city air felt charged, thick with an almost electric energy that prickled her skin. Aria frowned, tugging the strap of her leather bag tighter. "Get a grip, Aria," she muttered under her breath. "It's just the wind."
It wasn't the wind.
The moment she turned the corner, he appeared.
He wasn't walking. He didn't move like anyone she had ever seen. He emerged, dark and imposing, from the shadows of the streetlights, and the world around him seemed to slow. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a black suit that could have cost more than her apartment, he radiated a power that made her stomach twist. His hair was slicked back, perfect, and his eyes silver, cold, commanding, locked on hers.
A jolt ran through her chest, sharp and undeniable, as if some unseen force had struck a chord deep inside her. She stumbled back, heart hammering.
"Are you okay?" His voice was deep, commanding, smooth, and yet… there was something else, a vibration that resonated in her bones.
"I-I'm fine," she stammered, though her legs threatened to give way.
He studied her, tilting his head slightly. "Do I know you?"
She shook her head, yet the strangest sensation gripped her a deep, ancient familiarity, like remembering a song she'd never learned or a dream she'd forgotten. Somewhere, in some other life, she had known him.
"You're… different," he said finally, a small, almost imperceptible smirk tugging at his lips. "Not like anyone I've ever met."
Her pulse raced. "Excuse me?"
"I've never met anyone who makes me feel… this," he whispered, stepping closer. Every step made her heart skip, every inch closer a pull she couldn't resist. "You're mine. And I'm not letting go."
The words should have terrified her. They did. But strangely… they didn't. Instead, a heat bloomed in her chest, wild and intoxicating, like fire and wind tangled together. Her knees threatened to buckle, and she grabbed her bag for support.
A sudden screech of tires on asphalt shattered the moment. A black SUV skidded to a stop across the street, its headlights cutting through the shadows like knives. Masked men poured out, moving with calculated precision. Chaos erupted. People screamed and scattered, the air thick with fear and tension.
"Run!" the man. Luca, she realized shouted, grabbing her wrist. His touch was electric, sending shivers down her spine. She wanted to pull away, but some invisible tether held her to him. Every instinct screamed for her to flee but it was impossible to move without him.
They ran, weaving through narrow alleyways, her lungs burning with each step. Cars honked in the distance, street vendors shouted, but the city's usual noise faded behind them, leaving only the pounding of her heart and the metallic scent of adrenaline.
"Who… who are you?" she gasped, struggling to keep pace.
"I'm the one who's supposed to protect you," he said simply, eyes scanning the shadows. "You're my soulmate. That's why they're here."
Soulmate. The word hung in the air, rolling over her tongue like fire. Her mind screamed that it was impossible, yet a part of her knew it was true. Something deep inside her, buried beneath years of skepticism and routine, resonated with it. She didn't understand it, couldn't explain it, but she felt it strong and undeniable.
Before she could respond, one of the masked men rounded the corner, a blade gleaming in his hand. Luca moved with a predator's grace, his movements fluid, precise, almost inhuman. He intercepted the man, twisting his wrist with shocking strength and sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Stay behind me," Luca commanded, and she obeyed instinctively. Her body moved in sync with him, as though guided by some unseen force.
They ducked behind a dumpster as more men appeared. Her chest heaved, and her hands trembled. "Why… why me?" she asked.
"Because you're mine," he said simply, voice low, but there was an intensity in his gaze that made her shiver. "And because no one else can touch you without my permission. No one."
She wanted to argue, wanted to run, wanted to scream that this was insane. But the look in his eyes, the pull she felt, silenced every protest. It wasn't fear it was inevitability. Something in her recognized him, some ancient tether, some bond that transcended logic or reason.
The men regrouped, moving toward them with lethal intent. Luca's hand found hers again, and his grip was firm, commanding, protective. "Hold on," he said, and then everything moved in a blur.
He fought with precision and brutality, disarming men with fluid, terrifying skill. Aria ducked instinctively, but her heart wasn't focused on the fight it was focused on him. Every glance, every motion, every word drew her closer, as if the universe had conspired to bind them together.
When the last of the masked men fled or lay unconscious, the silence that followed was almost sacred. She leaned against the cold brick wall, gasping for breath. Luca stood in front of her, chest heaving slightly, hair mussed, but eyes still silver, still piercing, still all-consuming.
"You're alive," he said, and his voice softened ever so slightly.
"I… I think so," she replied shakily, finally noticing the tremor in her own hands.
He crouched slightly to meet her eyes. "Do you feel it?" he asked. "The bond?"
She swallowed, confused, frightened, and strangely exhilarated. "I… I don't know. Maybe. I feel… something. Something I can't explain."
A faint smile curved his lips. "Good. That's all you need to know for now. You'll understand in time."
Her mind raced. Soulmate? Mafia? Billionaire? Protection? Danger? Every word made no sense, yet somehow, they all fit together perfectly. Her ordinary life, her safe little routines they were gone.
And in their place was him. Luca Moretti. The man who should have terrified her, who should have been a stranger. But he wasn't. He was her tether, her danger, her desire, and her fate.
The city around them resumed its usual noise, indifferent to the storm that had just passed in a dark alley. Aria finally dared to breathe, though her chest still burned with adrenaline and something else something she couldn't name.
"Where are we going?" she asked cautiously, needing to move, needing to understand, needing… him.
"Somewhere safe… for now," he said, finally releasing her hand, though only slightly. "You need to rest. Tomorrow, everything changes."
She didn't ask what that meant. Somehow, she already knew.
Her ordinary life was over.
And Luca Moretti the man of wealth, power, danger, and secrets had claimed her.