Three

ISOLDE POV

“Strangers aren’t welcome around here once it’s past nine,” he said, voice cold and measured, like ice sliding over steel.

“Excuse me?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended, my fists still clenched at my sides.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “Strangers aren’t welcomed here once it’s past nine, Miss. I’d have to ask you to leave.”

My blood boiled instantly.

Here he was… the same man who had hurt Alara, the same man who had put my sister in the hospital. I could feel it in my gut that he was the one. And yet, my silly self couldn’t ignore the way he looked.

He was… perfect.

A dangerous kind of perfection.

Like someone had taken marble and carved him with deliberate care…. high cheekbones, strong jaw, and eyes that could pierce through steel. His hair was dark, meticulously kept, and his presence alone made the night feel smaller, like the air around him bent to his will.

But that perfection wasn’t comforting.

It was a warning.

Every line of him screamed danger, the kind you couldn’t talk your way out of. Every subtle movement carried an arrogance that was infuriating, magnetic, and terrifying all at once.

My anger surged, cutting through the dizzying awareness of how impossibly… handsome he was. I took a step closer, forcing my voice steady despite the roar in my chest.

“I… I’m new here,” I said, voice steadier than I felt. “I didn’t know there was a rule.”

He didn’t flinch. “Next time, do your research. Move your car and come back in the morning.”

I blinked.

He had to be joking.

“I… I can’t just leave. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“Not my problem,” he said, his tone clipped, final. “Take that car out of here and return when it’s light.”

My heart hammered. “You can’t be serious! It’s late, it’s dark, and there’s no hotel nearby. Just… please, let me in.”

He stepped closer, every inch of him radiating authority and danger. “Out.”

No room for discussion. No hesitation. Just one word.

I clenched my jaw, feeling the fire in me flare.

“What an ass,” I muttered under my breath.

He arched an eyebrow. “I heard that.”

“Well,” I shot back, crossing my arms, “I said it so you could hear me. Who in their right mind asks a helpless lady like me to walk out of a town like he owns it… if not a madman?”

“My town. My rules. Get out. Be back by morning,” he said, voice flat, as if that settled everything.

“I’m helpless, please” I argued, stepping closer, heat rising in my chest. “I have nowhere to go!”

“You could drive back to the sign at the edge of town,” he said calmly, like it was the simplest thing in the world. “Sleep in your car until morning.”

I froze, staring at him. “You can’t be serious. You’re really telling me to sleep… in my car… in the middle of the night… in this… town?”

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink. “Yes.”

I let out a frustrated growl, my fists tightening. “You’re insane. And rude. And…

“And you need to follow the rules,” he finished for me, his voice low, deliberate. “We can do this nicely… or the hard way.”

I stared at him for a long moment, weighing my options, knowing full well there was no reasoning with him. His calm, cold confidence left no room for argument.

Fine. I wasn’t about to get myself hurt… or worse…missing in a town that clearly wasn’t welcoming me.. not when my reason for coming here hadn’t been achieved.

I turned sharply and stomped back to my car, slamming the door behind me. The engine roared to life as I backed out of the narrow street, my hands tight on the wheel.

As the truck rolled back toward the edge of town, I gritted my teeth, muttering under my breath.

What an ass… and I swear, I’ll be back. And when I do, he’s going to regret ever crossing paths with me.

The road stretched ahead, dark and quiet. The town of Ravenmoor had already made its rules clear, but that didn’t mean I was done. Not by a long shot.

I parked near the sign at the edge of town, the shadows swallowing the truck, and sank back into the seat.

I slumped back into the seat, trying to calm my racing heart. The truck felt smaller than usual, the night air pressing against the windows like it was in on the game he was playing. I dug through my bag, pulling out my phone, trying to convince myself that at least I had a little control here.

Then….a knock.

Sharp. Hard. On the driver’s side window.

I froze, my hand halfway to the door handle. My stomach dropped straight into my boots.

The night was quiet. Too quiet.

I wonder who it was.

I sat up, eyes wide, heart hammering in my chest, and that’s when I heard it…his voice, low and deep, carrying over the metal and glass like it had been etched into the shadows themselves.

“Just a little advice… or a warning,” he said.

I jumped back in my seat, fumbling for the lock. “W-what?!”

“Keep your doors and windows locked,” he added, almost casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

I swallowed hard, gripping the wheel so tight my knuckles turned white. My entire body screamed at me to get out of the truck, drive away, do anything… but part of me couldn’t move.

Not while Alara lies on the hospital bed..unconscious.