His Sacred Mate

​​Heavy rain poured relentlessly over the night sky of Argapura, blurring the streetlights into smudged streaks of yellow across the windows of the black sedan driven by Ethan. The steady, rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers clearing the water was the only noise breaking the quiet stillness inside the cabin. In the back seat, Aluna Sarasvati rested her head against the window, utterly exhausted. She closed her eyes, listening to the heavy patter of raindrops hitting the roof of the vehicle. ​For Aluna, today had been no different from any other normal day. She was just an ordinary young woman who had barely survived another endless mountain of office work. Ethan was her quiet, ever-faithful private driver, a stern-faced man with a sharp, chiseled jawline and a broad, muscular frame. He was always ready to drive her anywhere without saying a single unnecessary word. Aluna had known Ethan for the past few years, and to her, he was simply a deeply reliable protector whose quiet presence always brought a sense of peace. ​However, the peaceful calm of the night shattered the moment their black sedan turned down a deserted shortcut flanked by mist-shrouded, ancient trees. This road was indeed a familiar route toward Aluna's house, but tonight the atmosphere felt far more suffocating than usual. The temperature inside the car suddenly plummeted, causing Aluna's breathing to form a thin coat of frost in the air. ​The front headlights suddenly caught a dark silhouette standing motionless in the middle of the wet asphalt. Ethan slammed his foot onto the brake pedal without warning. The tires shrieked against the slick pavement, bringing the heavy vehicle to a harsh stop just a few meters away from the figure. ​Aluna opened her eyes instantly from the sudden jerk of the brakes. Her eyes widened in utter disbelief as she stared at the figure standing in front of the car. A person dressed completely in black stood motionless under the pouring rain without an umbrella. As the figure slowly raised his head, his eyes glowed a terrifying, fiery crimson red through the pitch-black darkness. A sinister smile curled across his lips, revealing a pair of sharp, elongated fangs glistening under the bright beams of the headlights. ​"Ethan, what is that?" Aluna whispered, her voice trembling violently as a freezing wave of terror crept from her feet up along her spine. ​Ethan did not answer her question directly. His expression hardened instantly, his back muscles tensed, and his large hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned completely white. ​"Stay inside the car, Miss Aluna. Lock the doors and do not come out no matter what happens," Ethan said in a deep, heavy voice that sounded wildly different from his usual tone. His voice was far deeper, carrying a low, dangerous growl that made the hair on the back of Aluna's neck stand on end. ​Before Aluna could even process the surreal situation unfolding before her, the fanged figure moved with a speed that defied all human logic. In a split second, he had vanished from the front of the car and was already standing directly beside the driver's side door. Without a moment of hesitation, the stranger yanked the car door open, tearing metal from its hinges with a deafening screech that cut sharply through the storm. ​"Hand over the girl, Werewolf," a cold, mocking laugh echoed from the creature's lips, accompanied by a sickening, metallic stench of decay. "Her blood is far too precious to be served to mere mortals. Tonight, her destiny ends in my hands." ​Aluna screamed in absolute terror, pressing herself tightly into the corner of the back seat. But what transpired next caused her breath to catch entirely in her throat. ​Ethan lunged out of the vehicle. A horrifying sound of snapping bones reverberated through the roaring rain and thunder. The tall man's body expanded drastically, his uniform tearing apart as his muscles swelled beyond human limits. Thick, dark grey fur erupted rapidly across his skin. His handsome facial features transformed violently, his jaw extending forward into the terrifying snout of a colossal wolf. His massive mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp canine teeth, while his eyes shifted into a glowing, magical gold that cut through the darkness of the night. ​The gentle man who had driven her to work every morning, greeted her politely, and opened the car door with a warm smile was now fully transformed into a massive, terrifyingly majestic werewolf. ​A fierce, brutal battle erupted beneath the heavy downpour. Ethan, now in his full wolf form, let out a deafening roar that shattered the quiet night air, vibrating through the cold ground beneath them. He charged the vampire with unbelievable speed and raw power. Ethan's sharp claws slashed through the rain, throwing small shockwaves of air, while the vampire moved with unnatural agility, dodging left and right. The vampire countered with swift, deadly strikes using finger claws as sharp as steel blades, leaving several bleeding gashes across Ethan's massive torso. ​Aluna watched the brutal spectacle from behind the car window, her heart hammering wildly inside her chest as tears began to stream down her face. She covered her mouth with both trembling hands to keep herself from screaming aloud. The normal, quiet world she had known her entire life was crumbling apart within minutes. Vampires and werewolves, creatures she had always believed to be nothing more than bedtime stories or fictional myths, were now fighting to the death right in front of her. And most terrifying of all, they were fighting over her. ​Ethan seized an opening as the vampire leaped low toward him. With a powerful sweep of his massive arm, Ethan caught the vampire by the throat in midair and slammed him with immense force against a thick, ancient tree trunk lining the road. The sound of snapping wood echoed sharply as the massive tree collapsed to the ground. The vampire crashed onto the muddy earth, coughing up thick, black blood, yet a cruel, twisted smile remained painted across his pale face. ​Using his remaining strength, the vampire crawled slightly and stared directly through the glass window of the car, locking his glowing red eyes onto Aluna's trembling form. ​"You cannot hide her forever, Ethan," the vampire rasped out, his harsh voice echoing above the storm. "The sweet fragrance of her body, the purity of her soul... Destiny cannot be denied. The great war is bound to begin, for the ancient bloodline has awakened within her!" ​The vampire raised a pale, limp finger, pointing directly toward Aluna, and uttered a single name that caused the blood in her veins to freeze solid. ​"Sarasvati... The Avatar has returned to this world!"