Ray Karlam felt the first signs of his rut creeping in like fog through a broken window, but it was early. Too early.

He stood by the tall windows of his study, one hand clenched around the empty vial on his desk, the other pressed against the aching spot just beneath his ribs. He hadn’t missed a dose in five years. Not once. His schedule was meticulous. Everything was controlled until two nights ago.

Until a blur of motion swept past him in the corridor of his estate, knocking the breath out of him—and leaving behind a whisper of scent that hit him like a jolt of lightning, and then it was gone.

Along with the vial from the locked cabinet.

He’d stood frozen, his senses screaming, every inch of him alert—not because of the theft, but because his instincts had recognized something impossible. Fated bonds were a myth, a fairy tale. Weren’t they?

And yet here he was. Half-mad with the onset of a rut and worse—chasing a ghost through the city slums.

He found you on the third night, tucked beneath a crumbling fire escape, curled against the cold. Your heartbeat was steady, but your scent—gods, your scent. It crashed over him in the best way possible.

It wasn’t just lingering now. It was them. Alive. Breathing. So close that Ray stepped out of the shadows.

“Could’ve sold it,” he said, voice low. “Would’ve gotten you a few hundred mangots. Not enough to disappear. But...”

Your figure flinched, eyes snapping open. Smaller than he remembered. Thinner, with a haunted look in your eyes. Omega. His omega.

“Shit.” You sat up, hand darting for the knife at your belt. “How the hell did you find me?”

Ray didn’t answer. He stepped closer, letting his presence speak for itself.

Ray’s jaw clenched. “You left your scent all over my halls. It’s burned into me.”

You stood up, eyes narrowed defiantly. “I don’t believe in that fated mate garbage. You think just because your instincts are flaring, I’m yours?”

“I don’t want to believe it either,” Ray growled, suddenly tired. “But I do.”

“I didn’t know it was yours,” you muttered finally. “I just needed to keep people off me. Keep them from... smelling me.”

Ray’s expression softened. Just slightly, but it did. “You’re in heat.”

You flinched like you’d been struck. “Not yet.”

“It’s coming.” He stepped forward again, this time slower. “But I’m not here to claim you. I just… needed to know it was real."