THE HUNTER AND THE BEAST

The night in Manhattan was brutally cold. Black clouds had swallowed half the moon. A thin, icy rain was falling on the rooftops of New York, and the wind howling between the skyscrapers sounded like a warning. Down below, the city was alive — lights, cars, people laughing in bars. But up here, on the 120th floor rooftop, there was only deathly silence. And in that silence, a shadow was moving. Zoya Khan. Her black leather tactical jacket was soaked from the rain, clinging to her body. Her hair was wet and wild, flying in the wind. But it was her eyes that would stop anyone in their tracks — eyes full of fire, full of pain, full of revenge. The kind of fire you only see in someone who has lost everything. She wasn't a normal girl. The world thought she was just a vet student from Columbia University. Innocent. Sweet. In reality? She was a hunter. In her hand was not a normal gun. It was a custom-made tactical pistol. Silver-infused tracker bullets. These bullets were not made to kill. They were made to enter the body, dissolve in the blood, and send all the data — location, network, master, secrets — directly to the small screen strapped to her wrist. Her target was downstairs. Two men standing outside the penthouse security. The same faces. The faces she saw in her nightmares for the last eight years. The faces of the men who burned her family alive. Zoya gritted her teeth, her finger tightening on the trigger. "You took everything from me, didn't you? My mother, my father... my little brother. Now it's my turn." _Pfft._ A soft, silenced shot. The first man collapsed, clutching his arm, screaming in pain. He wasn't dead. He was not supposed to die. On Zoya's wrist, the screen started blinking. *[TRACKER ACTIVATED - SYNCING DATA... 22%... 67%... 94%]* "Come on, come on," she whispered. She needed to hit the second one too. But before she could fire again, she felt it. A hot breath on the back of her neck. Grrrr... A growl. So deep, so animalistic, so terrifying that Zoya's blood froze. It wasn't a dog. It wasn't a wolf. It was something much bigger. Much older. Something that should not exist. The air suddenly became heavy. The rain felt like blood. The wind stopped. Zoya spun around, her gun raised. And her heart stopped. Sikandar Malik was emerging from the darkness. The world knew him as New York's most handsome, richest, and most ruthless billionaire. The man whose one signature could buy or sell the entire city. 6'3", broad shoulders, sharp jawline, eyes like black ice. But this was not the Sikandar from the magazines. His expensive Armani suit was torn. His white shirt was soaked in blood — his own blood. There were deep, black claw marks all over his chest and arms, as if some wild beast had tried to tear him apart. And his eyes... Oh God, his eyes. They were completely red. Blood red. No white, no black pupil. Just red. His canines had grown out, sharp like fangs. He was breathing heavily, smoke coming out of his mouth in the cold air. He was not in his human senses. Just an hour ago, the cult had sent seven assassins to kill him. He had killed them all, ripped them apart with his bare hands. But their poisoned claws had awakened the beast inside him. The Lycan. The King. And now, the King was out of control. He didn't recognize Zoya. For him, she was just prey. Meat. Zoya pulled the trigger, but Sikandar was faster than wind. Faster than a bullet. In one blink, he was in front of her. He hit her hand and the gun flew twenty feet away, disappearing into the darkness. The next second, Zoya's back hit the cold wall and Sikandar's huge, stone-like hand was around her delicate throat. He started squeezing. Zoya struggled, gasping for air. "Le... leave..." Her vision started to go black. In a desperate attempt to save her life, she scratched his arm with her sharp nails with all her strength. And in that struggle, her own finger got cut. A deep, small cut. A single drop of bright red blood oozed out. And that drop... accidentally fell... right onto the white bandage wrapped around Sikandar's wrist, covering his deepest wound. And then... Everything stopped. Absolute silence. The rain, the wind, the city noise — everything vanished. A powerful jolt ran through Sikandar's body, as if he had been electrocuted with a thousand volts. His fast-beating heart suddenly became normal. The red in his eyes started to fade... slowly... slowly... turning back to deep, human black. His heavy breathing became calm. And the biggest miracle — the wounds on his body that hadn't healed for two weeks, that even the most expensive medicines couldn't heal... the moment they touched Zoya's blood, they started healing on their own. The skin was stitching itself back together. Like magic. Biological healing. Sikandar instantly let go of her throat, stepping back as if burned. Zoya fell to the ground, coughing, gasping for air, holding her throat. Sikandar was staring at his hand where her blood was, then at her. His chest was still rising and falling fast. Shock, confusion, and something else... something ancient... in his eyes. "How... how is this possible?" His deep, masculine voice echoed on the rooftop. He understood. He had read it in the ancient books of his pack. Blood Bond. Once in a thousand years, a Lycan King finds his Fated Mate. One girl in the entire world whose blood is both his poison and his cure. The only girl who can calm the monster inside him, and the only girl who can destroy him completely if she wants. And this girl... this angry, beautiful, hunter girl... was her. *SIX HOURS EARLIER - COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY* 10 AM. The Vet Lab was bathed in warm sunlight. Zoya, in a white coat, glasses on her nose, was gently bandaging a wounded little rabbit. She looked so innocent, so kind, that no one could ever imagine what was inside her. "Zoya, you are truly an angel. You have healing in your hands," her professor said with a smile. Zoya gave a sweet smile, "Thank you, Professor. Animals are innocent. I can't see them in pain." The moment the professor left, her smile disappeared. Her face turned cold. Her eyes filled with old hatred. She took out an old, rusted locket from her pocket and opened it. Inside was a picture — her mother, her father, and her 6-year-old little brother, Hassan, all smiling. They were all killed on one night. By those monsters with red eyes and fangs. Zoya was 16 then, hiding inside a cupboard, watching her family die. Hearing her mother's screams. Since that night, she had sworn — I will not be a doctor. I will be a hunter of hunters. She opened her secret laptop. On the screen was Sikandar Malik's photo. "For the world, you are a billionaire, huh? But I know what you are. You are their boss. Through you, I will reach them all." Her plan was simple. At night, break into Sikandar's penthouse, steal his secret files which have the cult's data, and then hunt them one by one. She had no idea that the man whose house she was breaking into was not their boss... he was their King. The Lycan King. *12:05 AM - SIKANDAR'S PENTHOUSE* The most expensive penthouse in Manhattan. 120th floor. The entire city was visible. Zoya took out a small laser cutter hidden in her boots and cut the high-security lock in 30 seconds. She slipped inside. Silence. Expensive furniture. Priceless paintings. She went straight to his private study. She started checking files. Then her hand touched a black file. Written on it in what looked like blood: *BLOOD MOON TRIBUNAL - 30 DAYS LEFT* She opened it quickly. Inside were old photos, ancient maps, and a letter. The letter said: "Sikandar, if you fail to prove your full Lycan power in 30 days in the Tribunal, we will take everything from you — your throne, your company, your city. We will kill you and make a new King. - The Elders" "30 days..." Zoya muttered, "So his countdown has also started?" Just then... Footsteps in the corridor. _Thud... Thud... Thud..._ Heavy boots. Sikandar was back! And he wasn't alone. His guards were with him, covered in blood — just returned after fighting the cult. Zoya quickly hid the file in her jacket and ran towards the window. But it was too late. The lights turned on. Sikandar was standing at the door. Shirtless, wearing only trousers, his body covered in fresh wounds, blood dripping, but his aura... his dominance... was still there. He saw her. A girl. Wet jacket. File in her hand. "Who are you?" His voice was colder than ice. Zoya's heart beat wildly. She quickly started acting, bringing tears to her eyes, "I... I'm Zoya... a student from Columbia... I... I lost my way... please..." Sikandar slowly walked towards her. He held her chin and lifted it up. "Lost your way? Doll, my house is not on the ground, it's in the sky. Even birds need permission to come here. How did you come?" His grip was strong. His eyes were looking into hers. "You are lying. There is no fear in your eyes, there is anger." He signaled his guards, "Lock her in the guest room. Find out everything about her. She doesn't go out until I say so." And just like that, Zoya became his prisoner. A luxurious room with everything — but with a steel door. Sikandar thought he had caught a small thief. He had no idea that this thief would cut the lock of that same room at 2 AM with another gadget hidden in her shoes, and go to his own rooftop to hunt his enemies. *NOW - BACK ON THE ROOFTOP* The wind started again. The rain became heavier. Both were drenched. Standing face to face. Sikandar was fully in his senses now. His wounds were healed. Only faint scars remained. "What are you, Zoya?" He said her name for the first time. How did he know her name? Maybe his guards had told him. Zoya was still on the ground. She quickly tried to find her gun. Sikandar caught her hand. His hand was still hot, but it wasn't burning her now. The moment their skin touched, a strange current ran through both their bodies. Zoya's heart skipped a beat. "Leave me! I'm not scared of a monster like you!" Zoya shouted. Sikandar pulled her closer, so close that there was only a breath's distance between them. The rain was falling on both of them. "Monster? You haven't even seen a monster yet, little hunter." He looked deeply into her face. Wet eyelashes, trembling lips. "Are you the same innocent vet student I locked in my room? Then what are you doing at this moment in this leather jacket, with a silver gun, on my rooftop? Why were you extracting my enemies' data?" Zoya's secret was out. No point in acting now. She looked straight into his eyes and said, "Yes! I am the same! And I didn't come here for you! I came to take revenge on those dogs of yours who killed my family! And if you are their boss, then from you too!" Sikandar was silent for a moment. Then he gave a faint, painful laugh. "You think I'm their boss? Zoya, you have no idea what game you have entered." He let go of her hand. "Only 30 days are left for the Blood Moon Tribunal. The world that lives beneath New York, that you have never seen, is about to come out. If they find out what you are... what you are to me... they will not leave you alive. They will use every single drop of your blood to kill me." "So listen to me. From today, you are not just my prisoner. You are under my protection. For the next 30 days, you will not go out of this penthouse. Understood?" "Is that your order or your begging?" Zoya said angrily. "That is a question of your life, Zoya Khan," Sikandar said, looking into her eyes. His tone was not like an order now, it was like concern. Zoya said nothing. She turned angrily and went back to her room through the window. *THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS* Back in the room, Zoya fell on the bed. Her heart was still beating at 200 beats per minute. She looked at her finger. The cut was still there. A little blood. "What is happening to me? This man is not human. And my blood... how did my blood heal him?" On the other side, Sikandar was standing in his study. A glass of whiskey in his hand, looking at New York drowned in rain. He looked at his wrist where Zoya's blood had been. The skin there was now glowing faintly. He said softly, "30 days, Sikandar. In 30 days you have to prove your power or you lose the throne. And now... now there is one more responsibility." "Zoya... are you my strength or my destruction, only time will tell." Zoya looked at the moon from the window and swore, "Whoever you are, Sikandar Malik... I will be free from this penthouse, from this trap of yours. Even if I have to kill you for it." And down on the street, in a black car, a man was watching them both on the rooftop of the penthouse. He took out his phone. "Boss... we found her. The Blood Bond girl.ye ...she is with Sikandar". ---