The Library Doors
\- Lyra's POV -
The first page showed a painting.
A woman stood under the moonlight, her whole body was glowing like silver fire. Her hair flowed like water, her eyes were shining bright like the moon itself. Beside her was a man… no, a wolf. Enormous and powerful. His fur was dark as the deepest night, his eyes gold like fire.
My breath caught in my throat.
Gold.
Like his.
Oh damn. The thought slammed into me before I could stop it.
I shook my head hard, trying to push it away, and began to read instead.
The story told of a goddess who ruled the night skies. She watched over the world below in silence, her light was touching everything and the wolves were her children, tied to the moon by blood and magic.
The Moon Goddess.
But one wolf… one unlike the others… caught her heart.
She loved him.
A love forbidden by the gods. A love forbidden by the laws of the world itself.
My fingers tightened on the page as I read faster, my chest aching with a feeling I didn’t understand.
The goddess gave him her blessing. Her power. She even tied his life to the moon itself. But love came with a price. He was cursed... and his heart would never rest. He would live as a beast of war and longing, waiting forever for the goddess to return to him... in another life.
My heart ached as I turned the last page with trembling fingers.
The painting showed the goddess fading into light, leaving the wolf... she loved with all her heart, behind.
His eyes burned gold as he howled at the moon, waiting for her return... but she never did.
I didn’t know why, but the story left a heavy weight in my chest. Like it wasn’t just words on paper. Like it was trying to tell me something... something important. But what is it?
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear the footsteps.
Not until the air changed.
Heavy and... cold.
My head snapped up, causing my heart to almost jump out of my ribcage.
Maximus Gray.
He stood in the doorway, his black coat falling around him like shadows that had learned to walk. His golden eyes locked on me, sharp and unreadable, holding me frozen in place.
Damn heart, it keeps lurching so hard that it makes me hard to breathe.
I clutched the book to my chest like it could protect me from him.
“Prince Maximus, I... I-I’m sorry,” I stammered. My voice cracked, small and shaky. “I was just cleaning, and... and - I didn’t mean to—”
“What did you call me?”
I froze, his voice... deep and cold but instead of fear... As if there was something inside me building like fire... it was... handsome.
Handsome!? Oh no- wait, did I call him wrong?
"Prince Maximus..." I answered lowly, softly in fear.
I saw him gritting his teeth, he looked straight at me as he stepped inside slowly. His boots made no sound on the floor, like even the ground didn’t dare get in his way. His eyes moved to the book in my hands. Then back to my face... I couldn't decipher what he's thinking... And I don't even understand what I am feeling right now.
Fear? Nervous? And... something I didn't understand. There's a feeling inside me I couldn't recognize...
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he walked closer.
I stepped back until my back hit the shelves. My fingers trembled on the book. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it almost hurt.
He stopped in front of me, close enough to block the sunlight from the tall windows. His presence filled the space around me, cold and heavy.
I felt small. Too small.
He reached out... his gloved hand brushed against mine as he took the book. It was barely a touch... but it sent a strange spark through me... sharp and hot that I flinched, my breath catching for no reason I could name.
His eyes stayed on mine for one heartbeat. Those golden eyes... just like in the book. Shining like gold, but I don't understand why those golden eyes affect me so much.
Will he kill me? Will he punish me for getting inside the library without permission? For even touching his book?
Then his eyes looked at the page I had been reading.
His jaw tightened. My heart pounded even harder, he will kill me.
“This story,” he said, his voice low and cold, “is not for children.”
My throat felt tight. “I'm sorry... I... I didn’t mean to—”
“Did someone tell you to come here?” His golden eyes cut into me like knives.
I shook my head quickly. “No. The door was open. I was just cleaning and… I saw the books and—”
I stopped, his eyes... it never moved as if he was studying every part of me... As if he was reading my soul.
However, his face gave nothing away.
Then, without warning, he snapped the book shut.
The sharp sound made me flinch like it was a strike.
“Some stories,” he said, his voice harder now, “are written in blood. Remember that, little rogue.”
Little rogue.
The words felt cold and sharp, like they were meant to wound.
But there was something else in the way he said them… something I couldn’t name that made my chest feel tight in a different way. Why do I find his voice so damn... Attractive?
I didn’t understand it.
He set the book back on the shelf slowly, each movement controlled. Then he turned back to me.
He didn’t leave.
Instead, he leaned closer.
Too close.
I couldn’t move... couldn’t breathe right.
His face was already inches from mine. My pulse raced so hard it felt like it was shaking my whole body.
“Do you always walk into rooms that don’t belong to you?” His voice was a low whisper, cold enough to freeze me where I stood.
I could even feel his breath fanning on my face, making fireworks explode all over my body... as if an invisible electricity was crawling inside of me.
“I… I didn’t mean to,” I said lowly, my voice almost gave away. “I... was curious.”
“Curious,” he repeated slowly, like he was tasting the word on his tongue... why does it look so... sexy?
Sexy!? Oh Lyra. What are you thinking!?
I nodded quickly, twisting my hands together. “I’ll stay out. I promise.”
But he didn’t move back.
And suddenly, the thought of him leaving made heat crawl across my skin, strange and wild. My chest rose and fell too fast. My whole body felt awake in a way I didn’t understand.
Then I smelled it.
A faint scent in the air.
Lilies. And rain.
Soft... clean... And calm.
It wrapped around me like a memory I couldn’t reach.
My chest squeezed as I breathed it in, my heart pounding harder.
It was familiar.
But I didn’t know why.
I didn’t remember anything before waking in that dark forest weeks ago. My past was gone, stolen by shadows I couldn’t touch.
And yet this scent…
It felt like home.
Was it coming from him?
Maximus Gray?
I didn’t dare ask.
But deep inside me, something whispered the answer.
Yes.
It was him.
The scent grew stronger, and my skin burned like fire under it.
I stepped back quickly, needing air, needing space... But no where to go.
His eyes followed me... I knew he noticed it.
Because his stares seemed like he could see through me, even the parts I didn’t understand myself.
Finally, he straightened, making me take a breath I didn't know I had been holding.
“Stay out of here,” he said softly. “Before you find things you’re not ready to know.”
His words were calm.
But there was something under them.
Something dark.
I nodded quickly. “I-I will, Prince Maximus."
His eyes stayed on me one last moment. Then he turned and walked toward the door, his coat trailing behind him.
I sighed a relief...
But my heart didn’t slow down, and it just... suddenly felt cold when he left.
Then… I looked around slowly. what is this feeling?
It seemed like somewhere beyond the library doors...
Someone was watching.