FIVE BROTHERS MATED TO ONE (The Veil of Stars)

🌸 Chapter One: The Ordinary Girl Elara pov, Elara pressed her palms into the cool earth, dirt clinging to her fingers as she pulled another stubborn weed from the garden. The summer sun was heavy on her shoulders, and the village bell tolled faintly in the distance. Life in Greendale was simple, quiet—predictable. Just the way she thought she wanted it. But sometimes, when the wind carried the scent of the wild forest beyond the hills, her heart ached with a restless longing she couldn’t explain. She had never seen magic, never touched a sword, never traveled beyond the market town two miles away. Yet deep inside, she carried the strange, unshakable feeling that she did not belong here—that her life was meant for something more. “Elara!” Her aunt’s voice snapped her back. “Dreaming again, girl?” Heat flushed her cheeks. She forced a laugh, brushing soil from her skirt. “Just tired.” Her aunt shook her head, muttering about daydreamers and wasted time, but Elara barely heard her. Her gaze had drifted once more toward the horizon—the shadowed line of the forest, dark and inviting. No one from the village dared cross it. They said it was cursed, that creatures from another world roamed there. But when Elara looked at those trees, she didn’t see danger. She saw freedom. And that night, as the moon rose high and silver above the rooftops, Elara felt it again—that pull. A whisper at the edge of her mind, soft but insistent. Come. The sound wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Yet it stirred something deep in her chest. Something that made her heart race. Elara didn’t know it yet, but this would be the last night she ever lived The village lay asleep when Elara slipped from her bed, bare feet silent against the wooden floor. The whisper still echoed in her chest, a tug she could no longer ignore. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and stepped into the night. The air was cool, the silence broken only by the chirp of crickets. Ahead, the forest loomed, its trees black silhouettes against the silver glow of the moon. Her heart pounded. Everyone knew the stories—children swallowed by shadows, travelers vanishing without a trace. But instead of fear, Elara felt a strange certainty: something was waiting for her there. She crossed the meadow, the grass damp with dew, until the trees rose above her like guardians of another world. The moment she stepped past the first trunk, the air changed—charged, alive. Magic hummed faintly in her veins, though she had never felt such a thing before. “Elara…” She froze. The voice was not her aunt’s, not anyone from the village. It was low, deep, and close. Her breath caught as she spun around, eyes straining in the shadows. And then she saw him. A figure stood between the trees, tall and broad-shouldered, his dark cloak stirring with the wind though the forest was still. His eyes burned faintly, like embers beneath the hood. “Who’s there?” Elara whispered, forcing strength into her voice though her knees trembled. He stepped forward, the moonlight revealing sharp features—too perfect to be human, too fierce to be safe. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his tone rough, dangerous. “The forest isn’t kind to mortals.” Elara’s throat tightened. “And you? What are you?” The stranger’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “The first of five who will change your fate.” Before she could speak, a second voice cut through the night—lighter, playful, from behind her. “She wasn’t supposed to see you first, Kael. Now you’ve spoiled the fun.” Elara whirled around. Another man emerged from the shadows, younger, his grin mischievous, golden hair catching the moonlight. His gaze locked on her like she was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. Two strangers. Both impossibly beautiful. Both looking at her like she mattered in a way she didn’t understand. Her heart raced. Something told her this was only the beginning Elara’s pulse thundered in her ears as the two strangers studied her, their gazes so intense she felt pinned to the spot. The first—Kael, the one with ember eyes—moved closer, his cloak brushing the forest floor. “You should return to your village. Forget this place. Forget us.” His command should have frightened her. Yet instead of fear, warmth bloomed in her chest, like his voice carried a fire she longed to touch. But before she could respond, the golden-haired one chuckled. “Oh, come now, brother. Look at her. Do you really think she’ll just walk away?” He tilted his head, eyes sparkling with mischief. “I can smell it—she’s curious. And curiosity never listens.” Elara’s mouth went dry. Brother? Her voice shook as she forced words past her lips. “Who are you?” The playful one stepped closer, his grin widening. “Riven,” he said, as though the name itself were a dare. “And the grumpy one glaring at me is Kael. Eldest of us all.” Kael shot him a warning glance but said nothing. “Us all?” Elara repeated softly. For a moment, silence stretched between them. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath. Then Kael’s eyes darkened, and in that instant she knew—there was more. More brothers. More danger. More… destiny. Riven broke the silence with a wink. “Five, little star. There are five of us. And you—” His gaze swept over her in a way that sent shivers racing down her spine. “—you’re the one we’ve been waiting for.” Her knees threatened to give way. “I don’t understand…” “You will,” Kael said grimly, turning away, cloak billowing like smoke. “But not tonight.” The shadows swallowed him as he vanished deeper into the forest. Riven lingered, his smile softer now, almost tender. “Don’t be afraid, Elara. Fate has a way of finding you, whether you’re ready or not.” And then he, too, dissolved into the night, leaving her trembling beneath the ancient trees, heart pounding with questions she could not name. When Elara finally stumbled back to her village, she knew one truth with terrifying clarity: her life would never again be ordinary.