Fated By The Moon

First Impressions

The car rolled up the driveway. Luna pressed her forehead against the glass. The house was bigger than she expected. Too big. Windows glinting, shadows inside. Perfect for ghosts or stepbrothers who hated new people.

Her mom jumped out first, buzzing with excitement. “Come on! Your room is ready!”

Luna followed reluctantly, dragging her bag. The front door was heavy. It groaned like it resented opening.

“Be careful,” her mom called again.

“Yeah, sure,” Luna muttered.

Inside, the hallway smelled faintly of polish and old wood. Too clean. Too perfect. Too… deliberate. She paused, hands in pockets, scanning. And then she saw him.

Kael.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Lean, but like he could crush her without trying. Standing in the middle of the living room, arms crossed, eyes dark. He didn’t say a word. Just looked at her, and it felt like he was measuring her soul.

Luna froze. Didn’t move. Didn’t breathe too loud.

“Kael,” her mom said, cheerfully oblivious to the tension. “This is Luna. Luna, Kael.”

Kael nodded once. Nothing else. His eyes flicked back to the stairs, then to the floor, then finally just for a second to her. A glance that burned.

Luna swallowed. Her throat was dry. Her heart too loud.

“Your room’s down the hall,” Kael said finally, voice low, almost a growl. Not rude exactly just… precise. Like every word cost him.

“Uh… okay,” Luna whispered. She tried to follow him, but she wasn’t sure how far. Too close, he might notice her hesitation. Too far, he might think she didn’t care.

Kael didn’t wait for her. He turned, long strides eating the hardwood floor. She had to speed up, nearly tripping over her bag.

The hallway was quiet, only the faint hum of the heater and their footsteps. Too quiet.

Finally, he stopped outside a door. Hand hovering over the knob. He didn’t look at her. Not yet.

“This is your room,” he said. Flat. Controlled.

Luna’s hand itched to push the door open, but she froze. Something about the way he said it made her pulse spike.

“Thanks,” she said. Her voice barely more than a breath.

He nodded once and stepped aside, still not looking at her.

She stepped in. The room smelled faintly of lemon polish, neat and untouched. Boxes lined the corner, but it felt… hers. Not fully hers. Not yet.

Kael didn’t move. Just waited.

“Do you… do you always stand there when someone enters?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

He blinked. “Only the interesting ones.”

Her stomach did a weird flip. She glared. “Interesting?”

He didn’t answer. Just let the words hang.

Luna set her bag down and finally let herself look at him fully. Eyes dark, hair falling slightly over one eyebrow, and something..something dangerous lurking beneath.

Her pulse raced, and she realized: this was going to be a long six months.

And then… she heard it. A soft chuckle. Not his. Behind them, in the hallway. A shadow moved. Something or someone was watching.

Her heart jumped.

Kael’s head snapped toward the noise, eyes narrowing.

“Who’s there?” he asked, low and sharp.

Luna’s stomach sank. She didn’t know. But she knew one thing for sure: nothing about this house or him was going to be easy.