Inhumanly Yours

✧2. Secrets Unveiled✧

Days turned into weeks, and the quiet memory of the moonlit encounter weighed heavily on Leander's mind. He returned to his simple life by the sea, but he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. At night, under the glowing moon, he felt her presence—a faint, comforting shadow that never left him. He would wake to the whispers of the waves, carrying echoes of a voice he could not forget.

One evening, as the moon reached its zenith, Leander wandered to the cliffside that overlooked the ocean. The breeze was gentle and cool, and the water below shone like liquid silver. He sat there for hours, unable to tear his gaze away from the moon’s reflection in the waves, waiting for something he could not name. The night felt alive with anticipation, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

He almost did not see her appear. One moment, he was alone, and the next, she was there—emerging from the shadows as if they were a cloak that had slipped from her shoulders. The goddess, Selene, stood beside him, radiant in her moonlit glow. This time, she did not try to hide. The silver of her robe rippled in the breeze, and her eyes were as deep and unfathomable as the sea below.

“You should not have come back,” she said softly, her voice carrying a trace of sorrow.

Leander’s heart skipped a beat, but he did not look away. “I knew you were watching,” he said. “I felt you.”

Selene’s eyes widened, surprised by his boldness. No mortal had ever sensed her presence so clearly. There was something different about him—something that drew her to him against her better judgment. “You are foolish,” she said, but there was no anger in her voice, only a reluctant admiration. “Do you know what you risk, seeking me out like this?”

He shook his head. “I don’t care. I have to know. Why did you answer my prayer? Why did you reveal yourself to me?”

For a long moment, she was silent, torn between the duty that bound her to the heavens and the strange, impossible connection she felt with him. She had answered his prayer on a whim, touched by his sincerity, but now she saw something else—a spark that should not exist in a mortal’s eyes, a light that mirrored her own.

“Perhaps,” she said slowly, “I was curious. Or perhaps I saw something in you that I have not seen in mortals for a long time—a spirit unbroken, a heart unyielding even in the face of despair.”

Leander took a step closer, unable to resist the pull of her presence. “What are you afraid of?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Why do you hide in the shadows?”

“I am a goddess,” she said, her voice rising, as if reminding herself as much as him. “The affairs of mortals are not mine to meddle in. The gods do not love as you do, and the consequences of such folly are far greater than you can imagine.”

“Then why are you here?” he pressed, his gaze never wavering. “Why do you return to me?”

Selene’s eyes flashed with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. She wanted to deny it, to turn away and never look back, but she couldn’t. Something about him drew her closer—a warmth that cut through the cold eternity of her existence. She had spent centuries as a silent observer, untouched by time, yet in his presence, she felt the weight of her immortality crumble.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, a crack of vulnerability breaking through her regal facade. “I don’t know why I cannot stay away.”

In that moment, the distance between them vanished. Leander’s hand reached out, hesitant, and Selene did not pull back. When his fingers touched hers, a shock of warmth passed between them—mortal and immortal, two worlds colliding. It was a sensation that neither of them had ever known, a connection that defied the boundaries set by fate.

But before either could speak, a shadow moved behind them—a flicker at the edge of the cliffside. Selene’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing. “We are not alone,” she said sharply, stepping back and breaking their fragile contact.

Leander followed her gaze, but saw nothing but the dancing waves below. “What is it?” he asked, his voice tense.

“Another god,” she whispered. “They are watching us. I cannot stay.” Her voice was urgent now, panic flickering behind her calm facade.

“No! Don’t leave,” he pleaded, reaching for her again, but she was already pulling away, retreating into the shadows that cloaked her.

“Meet me tomorrow,” she said hurriedly, her form already beginning to fade. “At the grove by the old temple. There, the eyes of the gods cannot see.”

And then she was gone, dissolving into the moonlight, leaving Leander alone on the cliff’s edge, with only the lingering warmth of her touch and the promise of another meeting. He stared out over the dark waters, feeling the weight of her absence like a physical ache. He knew now that he was caught in something far greater than himself—drawn into a world of gods and shadows, with no way to turn back.

He spent the rest of the night under the moon’s light, wondering if this love, so fleeting and fragile, could ever stand against the will of the divine.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for reading Inhumanly Yours! If you’re enjoying the story, please don’t forget to vote, comment, and share. Your support and feedback mean so much to me and keep me motivated to write more.

With love,
hadria_lucine01