Forbidden Human Mate

The truck's engine hummed, a monotonous lullaby that had slowly pulled me from a restless sleep. My eyes fluttered open, just in time to catch the sign: "Welcome to Crescent." The name struck me as odd, yet strangely cool. I shuffled in my seat, peering out the window, watching the blur of endless, ancient trees give way to a small town.

Everything here, from the drugstore to the doctor's office, proudly bore the name 'Crescent'. It was weird, I whispered to myself, a thought that made my dad chuckle from the driver's seat. "Oh good, you're up," he said, as I yawned, stretching out the kinks from hours of travel. "These people sure like their town name."

He pulled the car to a stop in front of a white, two-story house with a long driveway. Beautiful, but not overly grand. Mom was already on the porch, animatedly talking to a shirtless mover, pointing at boxes. As Dad hopped out to join her, I unbuckled, grabbing the old, worn box that read 'Gracie + Charlie friendship box' from the floor. When I looked up again, there were more of them – more shirtless, unusually fit men, all gathered around my parents.

I ducked. No way was I dealing with shirtless strangers right now. But as I tried to sneak out, the car door was yanked open, and I landed unceremoniously on my ass. A deep chuckle echoed above me. "Oh shit, sorry." Before I could process it, strong hands were lifting me, setting me back on my feet.