BEYOND THE LUNAR VEIL

The moon shone silvery over the trees, illuminating the winding path as Mia walked along it. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the scent of blooming flowers and fresh earth. In the distance, a wolf's sound could be heard in the clear night air. Mia's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't slow down. She was accustomed to the sounds of Lunaria at night.

As she turned onto her street, the street lights flickered, casting eerie shadows on the pavement. Mia accelerated as her skin pricked. The bookstore had closed hours earlier, but she had stayed late to finish a project. Now the silence and the darkness felt oppressive.

The trees seemed to enclose her, their branches moaning softly in the wind. With her senses sharpened, Mia's eyes searched the shadows. She had lived in this neighbourhood all her life, but tonight something felt different. The houses seemed to loom over her, their windows gazing back at her like empty eyes.

Up ahead, she heard a rustle in the bushes. Mia prepared to defend herself as her instincts took over. She had taken self-defense classes, and she slowed her pace, her heart pounding in her chest. A shadowy figure emerged as the rustling grew louder.

Mia's breath caught in her throat as the figure grew larger. She raised her hands in preparation for a blow. But when the figure stepped into the moonlight, Mia's eyes widened. His eyes seemed to pierce her very being, and he was a tall, powerful man. His face was sharply angled and chiselled, with a strong jawline. Mia felt a jolt of electricity as their eyes locked for a moment.

The man's eyes darted and he took a step closer. Mia raised her hands, ready to defend herself, her heart racing. But before she could answer, the man stumbled forward, and his eyes rolled back. Mia put her arms around his waist, grabbed him, and held him up.

She looked up and saw the wounds on his neck, the torn flesh, and the red blood. A growl rumbled in her throat, blurring her vision. The world swirled around Mia as if she were being pulled into a black whirlpool. Her body seemed to be responding to the man's presence in a way that she couldn't explain.

When her vision returned, she was kneeling beside the man, her hands covered in his blood. She couldn't remember how she got there. The man's eyes opened for a moment and he looked up at her. For a moment, their eyes locked, and Mia felt a deep connection.

The man's lips moved and whispered something inaudible. Mia leaned closer, her ear inches from his mouth. The barely audible words, "Run, they're coming run..." made her shudder.

The man's eyes closed, and Mia's intuition took over. She swept him up and rushed him to her home, where the moonlight cast eerie shadows on the ground. She had no idea who this man was or what threat he posed, but she knew she had to protect him.

As she hurried through the front door, her father, Kael, squinted and looked up from the couch. "Mia, what's going on?" he said in a low, even voice.

Mia hesitated, unsure of what to say about the stranger in her arms. But before Kael could respond, the man's eyes snapped open and he glanced up at her. A low growl rumbled in his throat, and Mia felt a wave of unease.

"Who is this?" Mia's query could barely be heard above a murmur.

Kael rose from the couch with a defensive expression. "Take him to the guest room, Mia. We have to talk."

As she carried the stranger upstairs, Mia couldn't shake the feeling that her life was about to change forever. As she laid him on the bed, she searched his face for any distinguishable features. There was, however, only a faint scar above his left eyebrow and a strong jawline that seemed to beg her not to look away.

With her heart still racing, Mia turned to leave, but her father's voice interrupted her. "Hold on, Mia."

Kael was standing in the doorway, staring at the stranger when she turned around once more. She whispered, "What is it, Dad?"

Kael's gaze did not waver. "Before I tell you everything, let's make sure he's stable."

As he approached, Mia noticed the strain in Kael's shoulders and the way his eyes appeared to be concealing something. Wondering what her father knew that she didn't, she felt a little uneasy.

They worked together to treat the stranger's wounds in a quiet and efficient manner. While they were working, Mia couldn't help but glance at the stranger. His face was pale and his breathing was shallow. She was concerned, wondering who he was and what had happened to him.

When they had finished cleaning his wounds, Kael nodded and stepped back. "Let's get him cleaned up and comfortable," he said in a low voice.

Mia nodded, and after carefully cleaning the stranger's wounds, they put him in one of Kael's old shirts. As they worked, the stranger's eyes appeared to occasionally flicker open, and he would gaze up at her so intently that Mia's heart would skip a beat.

When they were finished, Kael stepped back and nodded. "I'll go get some food and water," he said. "You stay with him."

Mia felt a rush of responsibility and nodded. She sat down beside the stranger and stared into his face. As she waited for her father to return, she couldn't stop thinking about the stranger. Who was he? Where was he now? And why did she feel this strange connection to him?

As the stranger sat there, Mia noticed that his eyes seemed to be watching her, staring at her so intently that it made her skin prickle. She felt a chill run down her spine, but she didn't turn away. Instead, she leaned forward, her face just inches from his.

"Who are you?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The stranger's eyes seemed to bore into Mia's, and for a moment she felt as if she were drowning in their depths. His eyes suddenly flashed closed, and he relapsed into unconsciousness.

Mia leaned back with a mix of relief and disappointment. For what seemed like an eternity, she gazed at the stranger's face. At last, she heard her father's footsteps outside the room.

Glancing around the room, Kael entered with a tray of food and water. "How is he?" he asked in a low voice.

Mia shook her head. "He has woken up a couple times, but he has been unconscious for most of it."

Kael nodded and set the tray on the nightstand. "Let's get him some food and water," he said. "He'll need his strength."

As they fed the stranger, Mia was overcome with wonder. Who was this man, and what had brought him to her door? What did she not know her father knew?

As the night wore on, Mia became more and more restless. She kept thinking that this stranger was more complex than she initially believed, that something wasn't quite right.

As the first rays of dawn slowly made their way into the room, the stranger's eyes briefly opened once more. This time, they locked onto Mia's, sending a shock of electricity through her body.

"Who..." the stranger whispered, barely audible. "Who are you?"

Mia smiled as she made a connection with this mysterious stranger. "I'm Mia," she said quietly. "And you are...?"

His eyes seemed to pierce Mia's, and for a moment she believed she was seeing into the stranger's soul. Abruptly, he whispered the single word, "Jade."

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Mia felt a surge of wonder. She had a feeling that her life was about to undergo unthinkable changes. And at the centre of it all was this mysterious stranger named Jade.