The city was quiet.
The streets of the town were familiar, yet each corner seemed to carry the weight of centuries, silent echoes of a life long forgotten. Selene walked down the cobblestone path, her footsteps soft but deliberate. The evening fog clung to the ground, swirling in the dim light of the lanterns. The scent of the earth, the crisp chill of the night, all of it felt too real. Too mundane.
Selene, however, did not belong in such simplicity. She never had.
Her eyes, a deep shade of gray, seemed to absorb the very shadows around her. Her appearance was striking, almost ethereal, but the distance in her gaze kept anyone from lingering too long. She had learned, over the years, to blend into the background, to make herself invisible. It was better that way.
Her beauty, so often praised by others, was her curse. It drew attention, stirred desires, and pulled people closer when she only wished to be left alone.
She had learned the hard way not to let anyone get too close.
---
Selene stopped at the corner of the street, her gaze falling on the silhouette of a tall figure standing in the distance. He stood just outside the reach of the lamplight, his features indistinct, but his presence undeniable. The air around him felt different—he didn't belong here. And yet, she could sense that he was waiting for something... or someone.
Her chest tightened for a brief moment, but she quickly dismissed the feeling. She wasn't here to play games, especially with people she didn't know.
Yet, as she turned to walk away, her instincts pulled her back toward him, like a magnet. Something about the man unsettled her. She could feel it, even if she couldn't understand why.
---
Elias watched her.
He had seen her before, in passing, in the shadows, but there was something different about her tonight. Her beauty, her coldness—everything about her called to him in ways he couldn't quite explain. His heart, still foreign to the concept of affection, skipped a beat.
He knew she was special. Not just because of her beauty, but because of something more. Something buried deep within her.
He took a step forward.
Selene immediately stiffened. She could sense his approach even before his steps reached her. It was too familiar, too invasive. She turned, her eyes meeting his for the first time. The intensity of his gaze caught her off guard.
His eyes were a dark shade, almost fathomless, as though they carried the weight of a thousand untold stories. His features were handsome, sculpted with the precision of someone who had been designed for a purpose, not born by accident. Yet, despite his striking appearance, it was his presence that drew her in—a quiet power that hung in the air like the calm before a storm.
But Selene didn't want to be drawn in. Not by him. Not by anyone.
---
"Are you lost?" Elias asked, his voice a low, smooth murmur. He didn't move closer, respecting the space between them.
Selene's lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't need help," she said curtly, already starting to turn away.
"Wait."
The command in his tone was gentle but firm. Something about it made Selene hesitate. Against her better judgment, she paused, her back still turned to him, her arms crossed as if shielding herself from whatever it was he might say next.
"I've seen you around," he continued, his voice carrying a strange weight. "I'm Elias."
"Selene," she replied flatly, keeping her distance.
There was a long pause, the silence stretching between them like a fragile thread. Neither moved. Neither spoke.
But in that moment, Selene felt something shift in the air. It was subtle, a quiet stirring in the depths of her soul. A feeling that she had not experienced in ages. One she feared.
Curiosity.
She forced herself to ignore it, stepping away from him. "I'm not interested in conversation," she added, her voice colder than before.
Elias did not press further. He simply watched her walk away, his gaze following her retreating figure, the tug in his chest only growing stronger.
---
As the night deepened, Selene found herself back in the solitude she craved, her steps quick and precise as she entered the small apartment she had come to call home. The door clicked shut behind her with a finality that only she understood.
It was safe here. Safe from the prying eyes of the world, and safe from the unwanted attention of men like Elias.
Or so she thought.