LUNA, LIES AND AWKWARD HOWLS

Chapter 2: An Unforgettable Scent

Liam Cross was running like his life depended on it.

This wasn't some casual morning jog. No, this was the kind of desperate sprint that only someone like him would understand. Branches cracked under his feet, leaves exploded in every direction, and every small animal in his path scrambled away like the forest was on fire.

No way. This can't be happening. Not now. Please, not now—

His thoughts were a complete mess, just like his body crashing through the thick Oakwood forest. He was breathing hard, but not because he was tired. It was because that scent was still there, still driving him absolutely insane, making his heart beat so fast he thought it might explode.

Vanilla and peach. A hint of cinnamon. And something else... something that was completely, utterly *hers*.

"DAMN IT!" Liam roared, yanking his shirt off and throwing it somewhere behind him. His boots came next, then his jeans, until he was standing naked in the middle of nowhere.

A few seconds later, where the man had been standing, there was now a massive black wolf with the same golden eyes. The wolf—Liam—threw his head back and let out the longest, most heartbroken howl anyone had ever heard.

It had finally happened. After waiting for almost forty years, he'd found her.

His Luna.

---

"You've got to be kidding me." The voice on the phone sounded like someone had just told the world's worst joke. "After thirty-eight years? Just like that?"

Liam let out a low growl that would have sent normal people running for their lives. But the guy on the other end just laughed. Noah West, his Beta and the closest thing he had to a brother, was clearly enjoying this way too much.

"I don't joke about this stuff, Noah," Liam said, his voice rough. He'd just spent three hours running through the forest like a madman, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. "I know what I smelled. I know what I felt."

"So let me get this straight," Noah said, still sounding like he couldn't believe it. "Your new neighbor, who literally just moved in today, who you've never even talked to before, is your Luna? The woman the Moon Goddess supposedly picked out just for you?" He paused. "Our big, tough, logical Alpha suddenly believes in fairy tales because he caught a whiff of some girl?"

Liam's hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles went white. "You don't get it, Noah. This isn't just some nice smell. It's like... like the whole world suddenly made sense. Like I've been walking around blind my entire life and someone just turned on the lights. Like—"

"Like you got hit by a truck full of romance novels and your brain fell out?" Noah finished, clearly having way too much fun with this. "Jesus, you're actually serious about this."

"Noah." Liam's voice dropped into that Alpha tone he rarely used with his pack. "Please."

The line went quiet for a long moment. Then Noah sighed, long and dramatic.

"Fine. I'll drive up tomorrow morning. It's about six hours from here. But Liam," his voice got more serious, "don't get your hopes up too high, okay? Even if—and that's still a huge 'if'—this woman really is your Luna, you know that's just the beginning, right?"

Liam nodded even though Noah couldn't see him. Of course he knew that. Finding his Luna was the easy part. After that, he'd have to actually make her fall in love with him, the normal way, without any supernatural cheating. And considering how their first meeting went, well... things weren't looking great.

"I know," Liam said finally. "But I have to try, Noah. After everything that happened... this feels like my last shot."

"Don't be so dramatic. You've got like two hundred years left to figure this out."

Liam snorted. "Unless the River Mountains pack decides they want revenge."

"That was fifteen years ago, Liam. And you did what you had to do. They were the ones who broke pack law."

Liam didn't answer that. Night was starting to fall, and from his bedroom window, he could see lights still on in Ava's house. She was probably still unpacking. Without thinking, he took a deep breath, hoping to catch her scent again.

"I can literally hear you sniffing through the phone," Noah said dryly. "Did you turn into a lovesick puppy in the span of one day?"

"Shut up," Liam growled. "Just get here tomorrow. I need someone to tell me I'm not going crazy."

"Yes, Alpha," Noah said with fake seriousness before hanging up.

Liam tossed his phone on the bed and went back to staring out the window. Ava's house looked quiet now. The living room light was still on, but he couldn't see any movement. Maybe she'd fallen asleep on the couch?

The thought made something twist painfully in his chest. What if she was cold? What if the couch was uncomfortable? Did that old rental house even have decent heating? What if—

"Stop it, you i***t," Liam muttered to himself. "She's not a kid. She's a grown woman who can take care of herself."

But every instinct he had as an Alpha—and as a werewolf who'd just found his Luna—was screaming at him to protect her, take care of her, make sure she was safe and comfortable.

Mate? She doesn't even know your name properly.

Liam forced himself to step away from the window and headed for the bathroom. Maybe a cold shower would help clear his head. Or at least distract him from that incredible scent that was still messing with his brain.

After his shower, Liam tried to sleep. But after two hours of tossing and turning, he gave up. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Ava's face—those amazing hazel eyes that sparkled even when she was tired, her golden-brown hair all messy from moving, and that genuine smile when she thanked him for helping.

And that scent. God, that scent just wouldn't go away. It was like the night breeze was deliberately carrying it to his house, teasing him with something he might never actually have.

Liam got up and went back to the window. Ava's house was completely dark now. But somehow, just knowing his Luna was only a few dozen yards away made him feel a little better.

Luna. His Luna. For years, Liam had thought the whole Luna thing was just a story they told werewolf kids—some romantic fairy tale about how every Alpha had one perfect soulmate picked out by the Moon Goddess herself. One woman—werewolf or human—whose scent would drive an Alpha completely wild.

His dad had found his Luna at twenty-five—Liam's mom. His grandfather found his even earlier, at barely twenty. His great-grandfather at twenty-three.

Liam? At thirty-eight, he'd pretty much given up hope. Especially after what happened fifteen years ago with the River Mountains pack, which made him wonder if he even deserved that kind of happiness.

And now, right when he'd accepted that he'd probably spend his life alone, his Luna just showed up out of nowhere—smiling, shaking his hand, turning his entire world upside down in about five seconds.

"Welcome to Oakwood."

Liam smiled remembering the awkward words he'd managed to get out before running away like a complete coward. What a fantastic first impression. If Noah knew about that part, he'd laugh until he passed out.

Noah. Liam frowned. His brother had a sense of humor that sometimes went way too far. If Noah started making jokes in front of Ava tomorrow...

"Crap," Liam muttered, realizing he hadn't thought this through at all. How was he supposed to introduce Noah to Ava without looking like some creepy stalker? Should he pretend to run into her when she left the house? Or knock on her door asking to borrow sugar like some sitcom character?

He hadn't even tried to date anyone in years. The last time he'd gone out with a woman was... five years ago? And that was just some formal dinner with another Alpha's daughter to talk about pack business—not exactly what anyone would call a real date.

"Why does this have to be so complicated?" Liam gently knocked his head against the window, feeling more like a teenager than a thirty-eight-year-old werewolf Alpha who'd led his pack through all kinds of disasters.

Without realizing it, he made a soft whimpering sound—the kind of noise you'd expect from a lost puppy, not from one of the most feared predators on the planet.

Liam froze when he heard what had just come out of his mouth. "God, I really have lost it," he whispered, though he couldn't help smiling a little.

He decided to just give in and spend the night watching Ava's house from his window, making sure his Luna was safe, while occasionally—okay, frequently—making those pathetic whimpering sounds that would probably give his entire pack heart attacks if they heard them.

Because at the end of the day, no matter how tough Liam Cross was as an Alpha, no matter how scary his reputation was in the werewolf world, tonight he was just a guy who'd fallen in love at first sight—or more accurately, at first smell.

---

Ava woke up with a crick in her neck and her back screaming at her. It took a few seconds to remember where she was—the Oakwood rental, sleeping on a couch that looked way more comfortable than it actually was, surrounded by boxes she still needed to unpack.

"Good morning, new life," she mumbled, stretching until something popped. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, reminding her that she needed to make a shopping list for curtains and about a million other things.

Ava shuffled to the tiny kitchen to make coffee. While the water was heating up, her eyes drifted to the window that looked out toward Liam's house across the street.

She found herself hoping she might see the mysterious guy doing something normal, like gardening or going for a run. But his house looked just as quiet as it had yesterday.

"Stop spying on the neighbors, Ava," she told herself firmly. "The last time you got interested in some mysterious guy, you ended up heartbroken and moving across the country."

She made her coffee and opened the back door to enjoy the fresh morning air. But when she came back to the front room with her mug, her eyes automatically went to the window facing Liam's house again.

This time, she saw something—or someone. Liam was standing at his upstairs window, staring directly at her house with an intensity that almost made her choke on her coffee.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. Liam seemed shocked, like he hadn't expected to get caught watching. Without thinking, Ava raised her coffee mug in a little wave.

Liam froze for a second, then—very awkwardly and formally—raised his hand to wave back before quickly disappearing from the window.

Ava blinked in confusion. "Definitely weird," she said, repeating yesterday's assessment. But this time, she was smiling a little despite herself.

There was something about Liam Cross that she couldn't shake. Maybe it was because he was so different from the guys she usually dated—who always ended up disappointing her. Or maybe it was those golden eyes that seemed to hold a thousand secrets.

Whatever it was, for the first time in months, Ava felt like her life in this little town might actually be more interesting than she'd expected.

"But remember, Ava Winters," she whispered to herself, taking another sip of coffee, "you came here to forget about men. Even mysterious men with golden eyes who look at you like you're some kind of miracle."

Too bad her heart didn't seem to be listening.