Beneath the Silver Moon

The wind howled through the skeletal trees, their branches clawing at the bruised sky as if trying to tear it open. Lila pulled her coat tighter around her, the chill seeping into her bones like an unwelcome whisper. The campus was nearly deserted, the few students who dared to brave the storm scurrying past with their heads down, their faces hidden beneath hoods and scarves. No one met her eyes. No one ever did here.

She quickened her pace, her boots splashing through puddles of rainwater that shimmered like liquid silver under the flickering streetlights. The library loomed ahead, its Gothic arches casting long, jagged shadows across the courtyard. It was the only place she could think to go—the only place that felt safe anymore.

The heavy oak door groaned as she pushed it open, the warmth inside wrapping around her like a fragile embrace. The scent of old paper and dust filled her lungs, familiar and comforting. But as she stepped further into the dimly lit space, she realized she wasn't alone.

A figure stood by the far window, silhouetted against the storm. Tall, broad-shouldered, his presence seemed to warp the air around him, as if reality itself bent to accommodate him. Lila's breath caught.

"You shouldn't be out in this," he said, his voice low and smooth, like velvet over steel.

She knew that voice. Knew *him*. Elias Veyne. The name alone sent a shiver down her spine, though she couldn't tell if it was fear or something else entirely.

"I could say the same to you," she shot back, forcing her voice steady.

He turned then, his eyes—those impossible, moonlit eyes—locking onto hers. They glowed faintly in the dim light, silver and endless, like the surface of a mirror reflecting a starless sky.

"I'm not afraid of the storm," he murmured.

Lila swallowed hard. "Maybe you should be."

A slow, knowing smile curved his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You've been dreaming again."

It wasn't a question. Her chest tightened. How could he know that? The dreams had started weeks ago—vivid, haunting visions of a world bathed in silver, of shadows that moved like living things, of *him*, standing at the center of it all, reaching for her.

She crossed her arms, nails digging into her sleeves. "What do you want, Elias?"

He took a step closer, and the air between them crackled with something electric. "You already know."

She did. That was the worst part. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it—the bond, the pull, the way her heart raced when he was near. But she couldn't trust it. Couldn't trust *him*.

"You're not human," she whispered.

His smile faded. "No. But neither are you, Lila. Not entirely."

The words hit her like a physical blow. She stumbled back, her shoulder bumping into a shelf. Books rattled, the sound echoing through the empty space.

"That's not true," she breathed.

Elias closed the distance between them in two strides, his hand catching hers before she could retreat further. His touch was warm, almost feverish, and the moment their skin met, the world around them seemed to dissolve.

Images flooded her mind—a moonlit glade, a silver dagger, a woman with her face, screaming as shadows swallowed her whole. Lila gasped, wrenching her hand free. The vision shattered, leaving her trembling.

"What *are* you?" she demanded, her voice shaking.

Elias's expression darkened. "A guardian. A curse. A man who's waited centuries for you."

Her pulse roared in her ears. None of this made sense, and yet… and yet she *felt* it. The truth of his words resonated in her bones, in the blood that sang when he was near.

Outside, the storm raged harder, lightning splitting the sky in a jagged line of white fire. The lights flickered, plunging them into momentary darkness. When they returned, Elias was closer still, his breath warm against her cheek.

"They're coming for you," he murmured. "The ones who don't want you to remember."

"Remember *what*?"

"Who you were. Who you *are*." His fingers brushed her jaw, feather-light. "The last daughter of the moon."

A crash echoed from the far end of the library, the sound of shattering glass. Lila jerked away, her heart hammering. Shadows pooled in the corners of the room, twisting, writhing—alive.

Elias's grip on her tightened. "Run."

She didn't hesitate.

They burst through the library doors, the storm swallowing them whole. Rain lashed at her skin, the wind screaming in her ears. Elias's hand was firm in hers, pulling her forward, but the shadows followed, slithering across the ground like ink spilled from the sky.

"Where are we going?" she shouted over the chaos.

"Somewhere safe!"

But safe didn't exist anymore. Not when the world itself seemed to be unraveling around her. Not when every step brought her closer to a truth she wasn't sure she wanted to face.

The trees ahead parted, revealing a crumbling stone archway half-buried in ivy. Beyond it, the air shimmered, as if the fabric of reality had been torn and hastily stitched back together.

Elias didn't slow.

Lila dug her heels into the mud. "Wait—!"

He turned, his eyes blazing. "Do you trust me?"

The question hung between them, heavy as the storm.

She didn't know. But when the shadows surged forward, their whispers clawing at the edges of her mind, she realized she didn't have a choice.

"Yes," she breathed.

And then they stepped through the archway—into the unknown.