Lunar Claimed

The second my boots touched the asphalt of Blackridge High’s parking lot, the entire world went quiet. Hundreds of eyes turned in my direction at once. Conversations died mid-sentence. Laughter cut off. Even the wind seemed to pause, as if the mountain itself was holding its breath. I tightened my grip on the strap of my duffel bag until my knuckles turned white. Don’t look at them. Don’t react. Just walk. But my heart was already hammering like a trapped animal. This wasn’t normal. I’d been the new girl before — multiple times — but never like this. Never with this kind of heavy, suffocating attention. The cold mountain air bit through my thin black jacket, carrying the sharp scent of pine and frost. I forced my legs to move, taking one step, then another, toward the old red-brick building that loomed ahead like a fortress. I didn’t make it far. Two massive figures stepped directly into my path, blocking the weak sunlight like twin walls of muscle and menace. My breath caught sharply in my throat. They were breathtaking in the most terrifying way possible. Both well over six-foot-four, with broad shoulders and powerful builds that made them look more like men than boys. Jet-black hair, sharp jawlines that could cut glass, and identical devastating faces. But they weren’t the same. The one on the left had slightly longer, messy hair that fell into striking silver eyes. A wicked, playful smirk already curled his full lips, like he was enjoying a private joke at my expense. The one on the right stood completely motionless, stormy gray eyes locked onto me with such intensity that I felt stripped bare. My stomach flipped violently. “Well, well,” the smirking one drawled, his voice low and smooth like velvet dragged over gravel. “Look what the mountain finally dragged in.” He took a slow step forward and leaned in, inhaling deeply right at the curve of my neck. His eyes fluttered half-closed in what looked like pure bliss. “f**k, Damien,” he murmured, voice dropping even lower. “You smell that? She smells… mine.” A violent shiver raced down my spine. The colder one — Damien — moved closer until I was trapped between their bodies. His heat radiated against my front while the truck behind me pressed cold metal into my back. He smelled like dark pine, smoke, and something wild I couldn’t name. It wrapped around me, thick and intoxicating. I tried to step sideways. The smirking one moved impossibly fast, cutting me off and pressing me harder against the truck. His hand landed on the metal beside my head with a soft thud, caging me in. “Name,” he demanded, still wearing that dangerous smirk. I lifted my chin, refusing to cower even though my knees felt weak. “Nova. Nova Kane. And I have class.” “Nova,” he repeated slowly, tasting every syllable. His silver eyes sparkled with dark hunger. “I’m Darius. This is my brother Damien. And you, little moon… really, really shouldn’t be here.” Damien still hadn’t spoken. He simply stared, his gaze dragging slowly down my body — from my messy dark hair to my scuffed boots — before rising again. When his stormy eyes met mine, something feral flashed across his face. Something that made my breath hitch. I felt completely exposed. Like they could see every fear, every secret, every lonely night I’d spent running with my mother. Why is my body reacting like this? Their scents were making my head spin. My skin felt too hot. My pulse was erratic. I was angry at myself for even noticing how devastatingly attractive they were. “Move,” I said, forcing steel into my voice. “I’m not interested in whatever game this is.” Darius chuckled, the sound low and rich. It sent unwanted warmth curling through my stomach. “Feisty. I like that. Don’t you, Damien?” Damien’s jaw tightened. His voice finally came — deep, rough, commanding. “She smells like trouble. And like she already belongs to us.” Darius leaned in until his nose brushed just beneath my ear. His warm breath ghosted across my skin, making me shiver again. “You feel it too, don’t you? This pull. This need.” I pressed my hands against his chest to push him back, but the moment my palms touched the hard muscle beneath his shirt, heat exploded between us. My fingers tingled. My breath stuttered. “Get away from me,” I hissed. Darius didn’t move. If anything, he pressed closer, his body now flush against mine. “Make us, little moon.” The school bell rang loudly across the parking lot, sharp and insistent. Students rushed past us, whispering furiously, some even pulling out their phones. But the twins didn’t budge. They kept me pinned against the truck like I was the only thing that mattered in their world. My heart was pounding so hard I felt dizzy. “Let me go,” I said through gritted teeth. “Now.” Darius’s smirk widened. “Or what?” Damien suddenly reached forward. His fingers brushed my wrist as he touched the strap of my duffel bag. The contact was brief, but the effect was devastating. A burning, electric heat shot up my arm and spread through my entire body. It wasn’t pain. It was something far more dangerous — addictive, consuming, terrifying. I yanked my arm away, but the sensation stayed, pulsing under my skin like a second heartbeat. Darius finally stepped back, but not before leaning in one last time. His lips hovered right beside my ear as he whispered, voice dark and full of promise, “See you inside, little moon.” I shoved past them on shaky legs, refusing to look back. My wrist still burned where Damien had touched me. My cheeks were flushed with a confusing mix of fury and something I refused to name. My mind was spinning. What the hell is wrong with me? I should be terrified. I should be running. I was almost at the front doors when I heard it. A low, guttural growl behind me. Deep. Possessive. Animalistic. “She’s the one.” The words slid down my spine like ice and fire at the same time. I didn’t stop walking. I didn’t turn around. But I knew — with every fiber of my being — that something had just begun. And there was no going back.