LUNA, LIES AND AWKWARD HOWLS

Chapter 3: The Strange Neighbor

Ava had never been a fan of surprises.

Ever since she was a kid, she liked things predictable—knowing what was coming, when it was happening, and how it would affect her life. Maybe that's why she loved being an editor so much. Even the craziest plot twists were planned out way ahead of time.

So when she found a bouquet of wildflowers sitting on her doorstep that morning, her first thought wasn't "how sweet"—it was "what the hell?"

"Seriously?" she muttered, crouching down to pick up the flowers tied with a simple blue ribbon. No card. No note. Just a gorgeous bunch of forest flowers, some she didn't even recognize.

She searched through the stems looking for any kind of message, but there was nothing. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"Wrong house, maybe," she whispered to herself, breathing in their scent. They smelled fresh and sweet, like they'd been picked just hours ago.

Her eyes automatically drifted to Liam's house across the street. The upstairs window where she'd seen him this morning was now completely covered by thick, dark curtains.

"No way he would..." Ava shook her head, dismissing the crazy idea that her mysterious neighbor had left her flowers. They'd met exactly once, and that conversation was about as normal as a three-legged cat.

With a shrug, Ava carried the flowers inside and started hunting for something to put them in. After digging through kitchen boxes for five minutes, she gave up and used a glass teapot instead.

"At least they make the place look better," she told herself, setting the makeshift vase on her empty dining table. The flowers really were beautiful—a mix of purple, white, and pale blue with some green fern mixed in. Whoever picked them definitely knew what they were doing.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. When she opened it, Maya Rodriguez's bright smile greeted her.

"Good morning, newest Oakwood resident!" Maya chirped, carrying a huge canvas bag. "I brought breakfast and free labor for Operation Make This Place Actually Livable."

Ava grinned—she was genuinely happy to see her friend. Maya was the main reason she'd picked Oakwood for her fresh start. They'd been friends since college, but Ava always felt like Maya had this special energy about her, like she always knew way more than she was saying.

"You're literally saving my life," Ava said, opening the door wider. "I was about to have my third cup of coffee for breakfast."

"Of course you were." Maya rolled her eyes dramatically and set a paper bag on the kitchen counter. "Almond croissants from Oakwood Bakery. Trust me, these will change your entire existence."

While eating the amazing pastry—Maya wasn't kidding about it being life-changing—Ava told her about her first day in Oakwood, including her weird encounter with Liam Cross.

"Wait," Maya put down her half-eaten croissant, eyes going wide. "You actually met Liam Cross? And he talked to you?"

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Well, 'talked' might be stretching it. He mumbled a few words, picked up my couch like it weighed nothing, then ran away like I had the plague."

Maya laughed, but there was something weird about it. Like she was in on some joke Ava didn't know about.

"What?" Ava asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, nothing," Maya shook her head, still grinning. "It's just that Liam Cross is kind of a... local legend. He moved here about five years ago, bought that house with cash, and basically nobody ever sees him in town. I heard he writes thriller novels or something."

"Thriller novels?" Ava frowned. "I work in publishing and I've never heard of any Liam Cross."

"Maybe he uses a fake name? Or maybe 'writer' is just his cover story and he's actually a secret agent," Maya wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

Ava snorted. "You watch way too many movies."

"I'm serious, Ava! People literally think he might be in the mob or something. He only shows up at the grocery store like once a month, never comes to any town events, and there are these weird sounds coming from his house during full moons."

"What kind of weird sounds?"

Maya made a vague gesture with her hands. "I don't know, like... howling? Mr. Wilson—your other neighbor, the old guy with the binoculars—swears he saw a huge wolf go into Liam's backyard one night."

Ava stared at her friend. "Now you're just trying to freak me out about my new neighbor."

"I'm not!" Maya put her hand over her heart. "Just sharing the local gossip. But hey, he helped you with your couch, right? That's actually huge! Usually he won't even look at people."

Ava remembered those intense golden eyes staring at her. Was that really unusual? Did it mean something?

"Oh! And these flowers?" Maya pointed to the wildflower arrangement on the dining table. "Where'd you get these so fast?"

"Someone left them on my doorstep this morning. No note or anything." Ava tried to sound casual, even though she was dying to know who they were from.

Maya walked over to the flowers, studying them carefully before getting this knowing smile on her face. "Hmm, very interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"These are all woodland flowers from around Oakwood. The purple ones are monkshood. The white ones are bloodroot. And the blue are forget-me-nots." Maya looked at Ava with that amused expression again. "Someone who knows these forests really well picked these for you."

Ava felt her cheeks get warm. "That's... quite a coincidence."

"Definitely," Maya said with a mysterious smile. "Very coincidental."

They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon getting Ava's house organized. Turns out Maya wasn't just an expert in town gossip—she was also amazing at interior design. Within a few hours, Ava's rental went from looking like a bomb had gone off to actually feeling like a home.

"Seriously, Maya," Ava said, looking around the now-organized living room. "You should quit the bookstore and become an interior designer."

"And give up being surrounded by books all day? No way." Maya grinned. "Speaking of the bookstore, you have to come check it out soon. Grand opening is the day after tomorrow, but you can come anytime starting tomorrow for a sneak peek."

"Of course I'll be there! That's half the reason I moved here, remember? Book editor living next to her best friend's bookstore. Totally cliché but I love it."

Maya clapped her hands together to dust them off. "Speaking of which, I need to go. I've got a huge book shipment coming in."

After Maya left, Ava decided to chill on the front porch with some herbal tea and a mystery novel she was editing. But she'd barely been sitting there five minutes when her eyes wandered over to Liam's house across the street.

And there he was—standing behind his upstairs window curtains, obviously watching her.

Their eyes met for a second before Liam quickly yanked the curtains shut and disappeared.

"Okay, this is getting seriously weird," Ava muttered, feeling somewhere between amused and slightly freaked out. Was her neighbor really spying on her? What was he looking for?

All afternoon, Ava couldn't stop thinking about Liam's strange behavior and those mysterious flowers. Could they be connected? Or was she being way too presumptuous, thinking her mysterious neighbor was interested in her?

"Only one way to find out," Ava finally decided, pulling out a pan of brownies she'd just finished baking—her mom's foolproof recipe that never failed as a thank-you gift.

With determination she'd probably regret later, Ava cut the still-warm brownies, put them on a plate, and marched across the street to Liam Cross's house.

Up close, the house looked way better than she'd first thought. The yard was neat and simple, the paint job was fresh, and the potted plants along the walkway looked healthy and well-cared-for. Not what she'd expected from some mysterious guy who never left his house.

Taking a deep breath, Ava rang the doorbell.

One minute passed. Two minutes. Ava was about to give up and leave when the door finally opened.

And there was Liam Cross, looking like he'd either just woken up or finished running a marathon. His hair was all messy, he was breathing kind of hard, and... were those leaves stuck to his shirt?

"Hi," Ava said, breaking the awkward silence and holding up the plate of brownies like a peace offering. "I just wanted to thank you again for helping with my couch yesterday. I made these brownies."

Liam stared at her with this expression she couldn't read—like he was surprised, amazed, and maybe panicking all at the same time. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Um," Ava continued, starting to feel really uncomfortable, "I also wanted to introduce myself properly. I'm Ava Winters, I'm a book editor and—"

"I know," Liam finally managed to say, his voice rough like he hadn't talked in days. Then, realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, "I mean, I saw your name on the mailbox. Yesterday. When I was... helping with the couch."

"Oh," Ava nodded slowly. "Right. Well, nice to officially meet you, neighbor."

Liam swallowed hard, his chest rising and falling like he was fighting to control something. "Nice... to meet you too."

The awkward silence came back. Ava was still holding the plate of brownies that was getting heavier by the second.

"Well, these are for you," Ava finally held out the plate. "I hope you like chocolate."

Liam took the plate with careful fingers, making sure not to touch her—like contact with her might cause an explosion.

"Thank you," he said quietly, those golden eyes never leaving her face. "I love chocolate."

"Great! That's... great."

Liam nodded stiffly.

Ava bit her lip. "So, um, I heard you're a writer?"

Liam's eyes went wide, like he was shocked. "Yes. Thriller... novels."

"Oh, cool! I'm a book editor, so maybe I've worked on one of your books?" Ava tried to joke, even though she knew it was impossible.

"I... use a pen name."

"Ah, gotcha. Well, your secret's safe with me," Ava tried to smile.

Something flashed in Liam's eyes at the word 'secret,' but he just nodded again.

"Well, I should probably head back," Ava finally said, taking a step backward. "Nice meeting you, Liam. And thanks again for yesterday."

"You're welcome." Liam's voice was softer this time. "And thank you for... this." He lifted the plate of brownies slightly.

Ava smiled and turned to leave, but Liam's voice stopped her.

"Ava?"

She turned around, surprised to hear him actually say her name. "Yeah?"

"Welcome to Oakwood." This time, a small smile appeared on Liam's face—and wow, that smile completely transformed him from just handsome to absolutely gorgeous.

"Thank you," Ava replied, suddenly realizing her heart was beating way too fast.

She quickly turned and walked back to her house, totally aware that Liam was still standing in his doorway, watching her with those intense eyes she'd never be able to figure out.

Once inside, Ava collapsed on her couch and groaned.

"What the hell just happened?" she whispered to herself. "Did I just have the most awkward conversation in the history of the world?"

But weirdly, she couldn't stop the smile that slowly spread across her face. There was something about Liam Cross—his awkwardness, that intense stare, the way he seemed to struggle with every word—that was somehow... attractive?

"Weird antisocial writer," Ava murmured, remembering the leaves on Liam's shirt and his messy hair. "But strangely hot."

Without thinking, her eyes went to the wildflower bouquet on the dining table. Now that she thought about it again, those flowers definitely looked like the kind that grew wild in the forests around Oakwood—places someone might go to find peace and quiet for writing.

Someone like her strange new neighbor.

------

Meanwhile, across the street, Liam Cross stood frozen in his hallway, still holding Ava's plate of brownies like it was made of gold.

"She knows my name," he whispered to the empty room. "And she made me brownies."

Her scent—God, her scent was even more incredible up close. That vanilla and peach with cinnamon had made his head spin and his wolf instincts go completely crazy. He'd almost shifted right there when Ava said his name in that sweet voice.

Liam finally moved to the kitchen, setting the plate carefully on the table. He picked up one brownie, sniffing it first—old habits die hard—before taking a bite.

The rich chocolate flavor hit his mouth immediately, making him close his eyes in pure bliss. The brownies were soft and rich, with just enough bitter dark chocolate to balance the sweetness.

Liam was about to grab a second brownie when his phone buzzed. A text from Noah.

Getting there in 10 minutes. Get ready, bro. Time for Luna inspection!

Liam groaned. He'd completely forgotten his brother was coming today. And sure enough, he heard a car pull into his driveway, followed by a car door slamming and footsteps that didn't even try to be quiet.

"Where is she? Where's the woman who managed to turn our cold, logical Alpha into a lovesick mess in one day?" Noah called out cheerfully as he walked through the front door without bothering to knock.

Liam closed his eyes and counted to ten. This was going to be a really, really long weekend.