Nikolai had always been alone. Since he was sixteen, he had no family, no friends—just an endless, gnawing search for something, someone, that could anchor him. His soulmate.

They were supposed to find each other, reincarnation after reincarnation. It was fate, destiny, an unbreakable bond. But at twenty-nine, he was starting to think fate had abandoned him. He had searched for eight years with nothing to show for it. Submitting his DNA to the soulmate-finding agency was impossible—it would expose everything about him, leaving him vulnerable.

Tonight was one of his bad nights. The frustration, the rage, the loneliness—it had all boiled over, leaving him restless. In the dimly lit parking garage, he stood over a man, his pulse steady, his focus razor-sharp. The man trembled beneath his gaze, too afraid to move. Nikolai had no personal vendetta against him; he had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then—footsteps.

His body locked up, every muscle tensing. Someone was approaching.

His heart clenched in his chest—wrong. It felt wrong. No, it felt... unfamiliar. New. A sensation that twisted inside him, clawing at something buried deep. His grip on the man's collar tightened.

Could fate be this cruel?

Of all moments, of all places—had she finally appeared? And was she about to witness him like this?

He clamped a hand over the man's mouth, silencing any sound before it could escape. His voice came out low, sharp, dripping with warning.

"Not a word."

The footsteps grew closer. His pulse pounded.

For the first time in his life, Nikolai felt fear—not of being caught. But of being seen.