Lahat ng Kabanata ng Between Two Moons: The Scent of a Stranger: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 59

Alex POVIt was fast becoming routine, ending up at The Rusty Nail after a game. My teammates had already claimed our usual table by the time Milo, Ivy, and I walked in, waving us over like we were strangers who needed convincing to join.The air inside was thick with sweat and cheap cologne, the music already pounding hard enough to rattle the windows. It smelled like spilled beer and celebration, a comforting, chaotic constant in a season that felt anything but steady.For a moment, the noise and the lights and the crowd almost washed away the pressure of the rink and the echo of the coach’s warnings.“This one’s especially for you,” Jasper said, sliding a glass across the table toward me. “For all those failed shots you took tonight.”“And for the winning one,” Derick added, grinning wide enough to show off the chip in his front tooth.“Fine,” Jasper admitted. “That too.”Ivy watched me like I’d lost my mind as I lifted the glass to my lips, the rest of the guys already chanting an

Ivy POVI didn’t wait for Alex’s response. I turned and walked out, leaving everyone behind, Milo, the team, Brian, all of it. The bar’s warmth and noise faded behind me as the door slammed shut, the cold night swallowing me whole.I barely noticed.My lungs burned with every breath, but I kept moving, head down, refusing to let the sting of tears even threaten.Alex didn’t call after me. If he did, I didn’t give him the chance to try. I put as much distance between us as I could, my boots hitting the sidewalk hard, each step a little defiance, a little escape. I could feel all that heat from inside the bar evaporate off my skin, leaving only the chilled sting of night and the bitter taste of disappointment in my mouth.“This is too much,” I murmured, walking home through the cold night air. The chill cut through my jacket, but I welcomed it. I needed the clarity, the bite, to remind myself I was real and present and not just some ghost chained to the past. Every step scraped somethin

   Ivy POV Breakfast didn’t drag, not with two people who genuinely loved conversation. The room had that rare, golden-morning energy where every exchange felt easy, unforced. Cassius and Magnus were the kind of hosts who made you forget you were ever a guest. They asked about my life where I grew up, eyebrows lifting slightly when I told them about my past yet the warmth between us never once turned cold. Instead of pity, I found understanding, a thread of shared experience woven quietly through the conversation. I asked my own questions too, mentioning, without really thinking it through, that I now had a voice stuck permanently in my head. Lux huffed, clearly annoyed at being discussed so casually, but Magnus stepped in smoothly to explain. “Certain bloodlines of werewolves receive their companion later than most,” he

 Ivy POVI didn’t wait for Magnus or Cassius to argue with me. I turned on my heel and walked straight out of the room, leaving them both stunned behind me.What did they expect? That I’d fall into their arms, praising them for finally finding me? That would be the day. I pressed my lips together, swallowing the urge to shout all the things I still wanted to say.“Don’t be too hard on them,” Lux said gently. “Losing a mate is horrible enough. Hearing your child is gone taken is another blow entirely. Try seeing it from Cassius’s side, just for a moment.” Her tone was different now, less sharp, more understanding.I rounded the corner and stopped, pressing my back flat against the wall, only then noticing I was panting. My hands shook, and I pressed them to my ribs, trying to make everything small, manageable.“I understand that, Lux,” I said. “But—”The front door opened before I coul

 Alex POVMy father was waiting for us in his office. My mother stood just outside it, arms already thrown wide open like she hadn’t seen me in years. Her smile was warm, the kind that made me feel eight years old again, safe from anything the world could throw at me.“Welcome back, son,” she said, pulling me into a hug. Her perfume, jasmine and something softer, wrapped around me, easing most of the tension still coiled in my shoulders.“Hi, Mom,” I said, holding her tight against my chest, letting myself sink into the comfort for just a second longer than usual.“Son,” my father said, his stern expression softening slightly around the eyes. Even in his most formal moments, he couldn’t hide the pride that always flickered when he looked at me.“Dad,” I said, letting go of my mother. “Good to see you.”He nodded and gestured for me to sit. My mother lingered near the door a moment lon