Lyka
Parker fell into step beside me as we left the edge of the field. The air had cooled under the shade of the trees, and I realized I was walking closer to him than I usually would with anyone. Not because I was nervous well, maybe a little—but because it felt… effortless.
"You live around here?" he asked casually. I could tell he wasn't just looking at the street. He noticed the small things—how I shifted my bag strap,the brief look I gave him when our eyes met.
"Yeah, just down that way," I said, pointing toward the street lined with small houses and neat gardens. "Home sweet home. You?"
"I don't stay around here much," he said. "My clan… we mostly keep to ourselves. Rules, training, patrols. But I come here when I can." His voice was casual, but there was weight behind it. Even when he tried to sound normal, the strength he carried was clear.
We walked in silence for a few moments, the quiet only broken by the crunch of our shoes on the gravel. There was an ease between us, a rhythm that felt natural, like we had done this a hundred times even though we hadn't.
"So," I said, trying to fill the quiet, "about your clan… people say they're kind of intimidating. Feared across the area, right?"
He chuckled softly, a low sound that felt more like acknowledgment than laughter. "Intimidating? Maybe. We just take protecting our own seriously. People outside exaggerate."
I nodded, fidgeting with a loose thread on my bag. "Makes sense. But… what about fated mates? That's real, right? The… Moon Goddess thing you mentioned?"
His eyes softened slightly, like he'd been waiting for me to ask. "Yeah. It's real. Not everyone finds theirs, and even fewer recognize it when they do. But when it happens… you just know. Everything clicks. There's a pull, a recognition. Like your life has been waiting for someone, and they finally arrive."
I swallowed hard, that same pull from my dream rushing back—the flutter in my chest just like when I first laid eyes on him. It wasn't just wishful thinking. It was real.
"So… you feel it too?" I asked softly, forcing myself to hold his gaze.
His lips tugged upward, almost a smile, though his eyes stayed steady and serious. "Yeah. I feel it."
The words twisted my stomach in a way I couldn't name. My hands itched to reach out, but I kept them to myself, letting the tension sit there between us.
We passed the last corner of the woods, and the houses came closer. The smell of flowers mixed with damp earth, crisp and real. I noticed how Parker walked beside me—alert, controlled, protective without needing to say it.
"You don't have to walk all the way home," I said, though I didn't want him to stop.
He shook his head. "I want to. You're mine. I'll make sure you get home safe."
A shiver ran through me, but it wasn't fear. It was that pull again—the sense that this, whatever it was, was meant to happen. I didn't fully understand it yet, but I trusted it.
"Thanks," I murmured, smiling softly.
We slowed as we reached my gate. The sun was lower now, shadows stretching across the street. I glanced at him, heart still racing. "So… um… see you soon?"
Parker held my gaze. "Soon. And it won't be long."
I nodded, gripping my bag strap, reluctant to let him leave. A strange ache tugged at my chest at the thought of turning away, but it was mixed with warmth—he was real, and he felt it too.
"Bye, Parker," I said, stepping up to my gate.
Bye, Parker," I said softly, trying not to sound as breathless and giddy as I felt.
"Bye, Lyka," he replied, his voice calm and steady, the kind that made my heart skip without him even trying.
As he started walking away, I felt a tug in my chest, a little pull that made me want to call him back—but I didn't. I knew this was probably the first of many small, electric moments between us.
I turned toward my gate, letting my bag slip a little lower on my shoulder, when I noticed her—my sister.
Iza was leaning casually against the gatepost, arms crossed, that familiar smirk on her face. She looked like she'd been there forever, waiting.
"Oh, so this is how it is," she said, tilting her head with a laugh. "Meeting Parker, huh?"
I froze for a moment, caught off guard. "Iza! You've been… watching?"
She shrugged, pretending to be innocent. "Maybe. Maybe not. You'll never know." Then she laughed, that teasing sound that always made me want to shove her—but right now, I couldn't. Not because of the run that had my heart racing, but because I felt… alive.
I rolled my eyes, a small smile tugging at my lips despite myself. "You're unbelievable."
"You've got that look on your face," she said, stepping closer, "that I only see when someone's either excited… or completely smitten."
I huffed, trying to brush her off. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about," she replied, eyes sparkling mischievously. "And don't think I won't tease you about it for the next… forever."
I groaned, tugging at my hair, but I couldn't hide the grin. "You're impossible. Go back inside before someone actually sees you stalking your little sister."
She laughed again, louder this time, but there was something behind it—something I couldn't place. It didn't match her usual playful teasing. Maybe it was a flicker of knowing, like she understood something I didn't yet.
"So, he's…" Iza started, her tone falling slightly but still teasing. "…exactly what you imagined?"
I bit my lip, thinking of the way Parker's eyes had met mine, the quiet intensity that made it impossible to act normal. "More than I imagined," I admitted softly. "And… it's weird. Because it feels like… like we're supposed to know each other, even though we barely do."
Iza's smirk softened slightly, though the glint in her eyes didn't disappear. "Huh. Sounds serious. Don't get yourself hurt, Lyka. You know I'll—"
"Stop," I said quickly, laughing, because I knew exactly what she meant. "I'm fine. Believe me. And besides…" I hesitated, letting the words hang just long enough to make her raise an eyebrow, "…I have a feeling this… this is different."
She tilted her head, silent for a moment, studying me. Then she let out a quiet laugh. "I hope you're right. You've got that look I've only seen once before, and it's… intense."
"Intense?" I asked, half-teasing, half-nervous.
"Yes," she said, her tone light but with something subtle beneath it. "But don't worry. If he ever hurts you…" Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head with a smirk. "…well, you know I'll make him pay. Just like we talked about."
I laughed, shaking my head. "You're ridiculous."
"And you're hopeless," she shot back, laughing again. But as she glanced down the street Parker had disappeared along, there was that flicker in her eyes again—the one I didn't understand. Something secret, almost like she already knew more than she let on.
I rolled my eyes, grabbing my bag strap and stepping toward the door. "Go on, Iza. You've had your fun."
She laughed one last time, still leaning against the gate and watching me go inside. I paused for a moment, glancing back. Her smile was still there, but there was something in her eyes—a hint of knowing—that made me wonder how much she really understood.
I shook my head and stepped inside. Even as I closed the door behind me, I could still feel Parker's presence somewhere deep in my chest, that quiet pull that didn't fade, like a line connecting us even when he was gone.
And I knew, without fully understanding why… this was just the start