Under the Moonlight
Chapter 1: The Girl Who Shouldn't Be Here
The moon rose like a silent judge in the obsidian sky, casting a cruel silver light over the towering iron gates of Moonshade High. It wasn't a school. Not really. It was a sanctuary for the damned, a playground for monsters wrapped in silk and shadows.
Aria Lune stood before the gates, one hand tightening around the leather strap of her worn-out bag. Her breath fogged in the cold night air, but sweat clung to her spine. She knew what this place was. Every step she took would be deeper into a den of predators.
Yet, she walked.
---
A week ago, she'd still believed in logic. Believed vampires were just stories. Until her aunt shoved a black envelope into her hand and said, coldly:
"You're going. Moonshade has offered you a full scholarship. We can't afford anything else. If you don't like it, you can figure life out on the street."
Aria had tried to protest.
"They drink blood. They kill people. I can't go there!"
"Then die here, or die there. Your choice."
---
Now, as she walked past the iron threshold, a biting chill wrapped around her like a curse.
Inside, Moonshade was eerily silent. Black spires scraped the night sky. The gothic architecture looked like it had grown from the shadows themselves. Lanterns floated in the air, glowing with cold blue fire. Every breath felt like it echoed.
She passed groups of students in crisp black uniforms. Pale skin. Sharp gazes. Faces too perfect, too still. Their eyes followed her.
*"A human...?"
"They let one in again? What for?"
"She's shaking. Cute."
She kept her head down, jaw clenched.
A tall boy with icy blonde hair blocked her path suddenly. His smirk dripped malice.
"Look at that. The little bloodbag walks."
He shoved her shoulder hard. Aria stumbled but didn't fall. She held his gaze.
"Move," she said through gritted teeth.
"Ooooh," he laughed. "Feisty. You won't last a week."
"Then don't waste your breath."
Gasps echoed around them.
The boy's smirk faded. He reached for her hair.
"You're going to learn some manners, hum--"
"Touch her again, and you'll be licking your own blood off the tiles."
Silence.
The voice cut through the hallway like ice.
Every vampire turned. Even the candles seemed to flicker in fear.
He stood at the top of the staircase, one hand in his coat pocket, the other holding a black book. Tall. Lean. Shadows clung to him like they obeyed him.
Lucien Vireal.
The prince of Moonshade.
His eyes were the color of fresh blood under moonlight. His presence drowned the air. Predatory. Calm. Unapologetic.
He walked down the stairs slowly, the sound of his boots echoing like a countdown.
The blonde boy stepped back immediately. Aria stared. He didn't look at her at first, just at the others.
"She's mine," Lucien said. "Mine to break. Mine to feed from. Mine to discard. Do you understand?"
Not a whisper of disagreement.
Then he turned to her.
His eyes met hers.
"And you, little dove... did no one tell you?"
He stepped closer.
"You don't come here unless someone owns you."
Aria swallowed.
"I didn't choose this."
"No one does."
He leaned in, fingers brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"But you're lucky. I like your scent. It's soft. Subtle. Like strawberries and heartbreak."
"Let go of me."
"Hmm," he smirked. "No."
She slapped his hand away.
The entire hallway gasped.
Lucien blinked slowly. And then... he laughed.
"Oh... I'm going to enjoy owning you."
He stepped back and turned away, but his voice floated back to her.
"You start tomorrow. Dorm 3A. Be there. Or I'll come find you."
"What am I supposed to do? Serve you?"
He paused at the top of the staircase.
"No Sweet heart . You're going to bleed for me."
Then he vanished into the dark.
She stood alone in the hallway, the others already scattering like shadows.
Her knees gave out.
And the moon, high above, watched in silence..