Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 256: Strange New World

Chapter 256: Strange New World

Eldur’s POV

I swear to every ancient power, if one more human squints at me like I’m some kind of intergalactic glitter alien, I’m setting the fire alarm off with my mind.

Okay, not really.

Not because I don’t want to—but because apparently using magic in human school is not normal.

Stupid right?

I never realized how much I relied on magic until I couldn’t use it. Need to get somewhere? Portal. Need to clean your coat? Snap and done. Need to skip class? Teleport to Iceland and pretend you’re a glacier. Easy. But now?

Now, I’m stuck pretending to be normal.

And trust me, I do not blend in.

Nova and Lara flanked me as we walked down the hallway toward our first class of the semester. The humans were already staring. I could feel their gazes sliding over me like I was a rare beast in a circus cage. White hair? Check. Silver eyes? Check. Aura of barely restrained ancient power? Also check. And yet here I was, pretending to be just another college freshman.

Nova glanced up at me, her expression half amused, half concerned. "You’re doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"That thing where you look like you’re imagining setting people on fire."

I blinked. "That’s oddly specific."

She smirked. "Because you are."

Lara snorted beside her. "He does have that ’burn-it-all-down’ vibe. Like a hot anime villain."

I gave her a side glance. "Thank you, I think."

"You’re welcome."

We stepped into the classroom and were immediately blasted with air conditioning and the scent of twenty different perfumes battling for dominance. The room was packed. Rows of plastic chairs with narrow desks attached. Some kid at the back was already asleep. Another was eating Cheetos with such intensity I could feel the crunch vibrations in my soul.

Nova led us to a middle row. I followed silently, aware of every whisper that followed my steps.

"Who is that guy?"

"Is he an exchange student? From where? Narnia?"

"Those eyes can’t be real."

"He looks like he bites."

"I’d let him."

Charming.

As I settled into the plastic chair—which, by the way, was clearly made by someone who hated comfort—I caught the voice of the lecturer booming through the classroom.

He looked like he’d been lecturing since the invention of chalk. Balding. Glasses sliding down his nose. Tweed jacket with elbow patches that screamed "I correct people on Reddit."

He cleared his throat dramatically. "Before we begin, I’d like to make a quick note."

The class quieted.

His eyes zeroed in on me. "You. The young man with the striking... costume."

I blinked. "I’m wearing a t-shirt and jeans."

"The hair. The eyes." He made a vague flapping gesture. "Very theatrical. I’m sure it’s a wonderful form of self-expression. However, some of the students have found it—distracting."

"Distracting," I repeated, deadpan.

"Yes, yes." He adjusted his glasses and squinted. "I’m going to need you to tone it down a bit."

Nova froze beside me. Lara’s mouth dropped open.

I tilted my head slowly, letting the silence stretch just enough to make him sweat.

"This," I said, pointing to my hair, "is natural. Genetically blessed, if you will."

He blinked. "And the eyes?"

"Also natural." I leaned back in my chair. "I was born this fabulous."

A snort erupted behind us.

I continued, "If my existence is so overwhelmingly dazzling that your students cannot focus, perhaps the problem is with your lesson plan."

Lara burst out laughing. Nova covered her face with her notebook.

The lecturer sputtered. "I—I—well—"

"Shall we proceed?" I asked smoothly.

He turned beet red and shuffled his notes like they personally offended him. "Very well. But do try to be... less."

"No promises."

Class continued, with occasional sideways glances in my direction. Lara kept nudging me and grinning like I’d just gifted her front-row seats to a comedy show.

"You’re brutal," she whispered.

"I’m honest," I whispered back.

"I’m living for this energy."

Nova was smiling, trying not to laugh as she scribbled in her notebook. I glanced at her, my heart doing that weird stutter-jump thing it did only around her.

After class, it got worse.

A lot worse.

As soon as we stepped out into the hallway, I was mobbed.

"Hey man, love the look—what salon do you go to?"

"Are you a model? You have to be a model."

"Dude, are those real contacts? Please say yes."

"You coming to the freshman bash at Ember & Ash tonight? You have to come."

I blinked at them, bewildered. Ember & Ash? What kind of name was that? Sounded like a fire hazard and a bad breakup all in one.

I opened my mouth to deliver my usual dose of dry sarcasm, only to realize—

Nova and Lara were gone.

Slipped away like smoke.

The people around me were still talking, but I didn’t hear them. I turned on my heel, scanning the hallway. Their scents lingered—sunshine and ink for Nova, lavender and spiced coffee for Lara. I followed it without a word, pushing past the crowd.

I found them outside, sitting on a weathered bench under the trees.

Lara was scrolling through her phone, sipping bubble tea. Nova sat beside her, arms wrapped around her knees, speaking softly.

"I just... I have to find something soon. A job. Even part-time. I’ve got rent, food, you know? Tuition’s covered, thank the stars, but the rest..."

Lara glanced at her. "You know I can help—"

"No," Nova cut in gently. "You already helped with the deposit. I can’t keep depending on you like that."

"Then let me help you find something. A bookstore, maybe. Or a cafe."

Nova nodded slowly, chewing her lip. "I just don’t want to fall behind. I have to stay in this program. I can’t mess this up."

I stood in the shadows, silent.

Her voice was so soft. So tired.

And suddenly, everything shifted.

All those hours I watched her from rooftops, the nights I followed her walk home to make sure she was safe, the times I listened through windows and thought I knew her...

I didn’t.

She never mentioned family. Not once. Not even in passing. No calls. No visits. Even in high school—always alone.

Why?

What was her home like? Did she have one? Why was she carrying everything alone?

I felt something in my chest tighten. Not anger. Not magic.

Just... hurt.

For her.

I turned around and quietly walked away.

**********

It was a little past 2 p.m., and the sun was still trying its hardest to bake everything that moved. Even the sidewalk shimmered with that strange heatwave thing that made the world look like it was underwater. I leaned casually against a lamppost—an old rusted one that creaked every time the wind sighed—and waited.

Okay, fine. Maybe I had been waiting for twenty-three minutes and some seconds. And maybe, just maybe, I had been tracking Nova’s scent from the moment she left campus. Not in a creepy way. In a concerned, casually-interested, totally-normal-werewolf-wizard-who-is-pretending-to-be-human kind of way.

There she was now, walking with that determined frown on her face and a leather folder clutched like it contained the secrets to the universe. Probably résumés. Or maybe the written proof that she didn’t sleep at all last night again. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail that bounced with each step, and her sneakers looked like they were begging for mercy.

I gave it another three steps before I "accidentally" bumped into her.

"Oh—! Eldur?" she blinked, nearly dropping the folder. "What are you doing here?"

I widened my eyes, as if surprised. Very convincing. "Nova? Fancy meeting you here. I was just, you know..." I paused dramatically. "...job hunting."

She stared. "You’re... what?"

"Job hunting," I repeated, lifting my chin as if it were the most noble quest one could embark on. "Turns out, silver eyes and magical bone structure don’t pay the rent."

She gaped at me like I’d sprouted a second head. "Wait—you need a job?"

I leaned against the pole again, folding my arms. "Unfortunately, yes. Apparently, landlords frown on being paid in riddles and raw intimidation. Something about ’actual currency’ being preferable."

Nova laughed. She laughed, that soft, surprised sound that made my chest feel uncomfortably tight. "No way. I thought you lived in, like... a castle or something."

"I do. Or did. Technically." I waved a vague hand. "It’s complicated. There was a thing. A minor family disagreement. A disgruntled talking portrait. One thing led to another, and now here I am. Homeless, broke, and about to sell my soul to the coffee shop down the street."

She snorted. "Stop. You’re joking."

I raised a solemn hand. "I swear on my last pair of clean socks."

Nova grinned, eyes lighting up. "That’s crazy. I’m doing the same thing!"

My heart did a very stupid thing in response to her excitement. "You’re also selling your soul to caffeine and corporate overlords?"

"Well, maybe not my soul, but yeah—I’m job hunting today too. Trying to find something part-time."

"Then," I said, straightening and clasping my hands behind my back, "may I tag along?"

She blinked, surprised again. "You... want to come with me?"

I nodded, adding just the right amount of theatrical sadness. "I feel like I’d have a better chance surviving the job market with an experienced mortal by my side."

Nova rolled her eyes, but her smile stretched wider. "I’m hardly experienced. But... sure. Yeah. You can come."

I smirked. "Excellent. You won’t regret it."

We began walking side by side, feet crunching on dry leaves as we headed down the street toward a little café Nova had circled on a flyer. It was called "The Brew Garden," and I was trying very hard not to laugh at the name. Mostly because I imagined a garden where lattes grew from the soil and espresso beans sang lullabies.

"You know," Nova said after a moment, glancing at me, "it’s kind of strange, but I think we have a lot in common."

That stopped me cold for half a second. I turned to her slowly, like the earth itself had just tilted on its axis. "We do?"

"Yeah. I mean... we both need jobs. We both go to the same college. We both..." She hesitated, and then gave a sheepish smile. "Well, okay, maybe not a lot, but still. You get what I mean."

I didn’t speak right away. My throat felt weird. Tight.

She thought we had things in common.

She didn’t know I could tear through dimensions and summon lightning with a thought. She didn’t know I once made a building explode because someone insulted Mai. She didn’t know I had fangs that itched when I got too angry.

But she thought we had things in common.

"I do," I said quietly, and this time, I meant it.

We reached the corner just before The Brew Garden when someone stepped out from the opposite direction.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Nice cheekbones. One of those guys with the annoyingly symmetrical faces that made magazine covers possible. His hair was the kind of perfect tousled brown that made him look like he’d just walked off a film set. Black jeans. Fitted olive jacket. Eyes like stormclouds.

And he knew her.

"Nova?" he called, tilting his head.

She froze.

I felt it instantly—her energy shifted like someone had pulled all the heat from the air. Her breath hitched. Her heartbeat sped up. She gripped the folder in her hand like it was the only thing tethering her to the sidewalk.

"Nova," he said again, stepping closer. "It’s really you."

I didn’t know who he was. But she did. And she was scared.

Not nervous. Not awkward.

Scared.

Her shoulders hunched slightly, like she was trying to make herself small. Her lips parted, but no words came. Her eyes locked on him and wouldn’t move.

I stepped forward, casually sliding just enough so that I was between her and him. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t growl or show my teeth or pull a magic blade from thin air.

But I looked at him.

I let him feel me.

His smile faltered for half a second.

He looked at me, then back at Nova. "You okay?"

Nova nodded too quickly. "Y-Yeah. Just... surprised to see you."

I didn’t look away from him. "Who are you?"

He blinked. "Uh, I’m Jeremy. Nova and I—we used to know each other."

"Did you?"

Nova looked like she wanted the sidewalk to open up and swallow her whole.

"Yeah," Jeremy continued. "We went to the same high school. Haven’t seen her since—what was it? Junior year?"

She flinched slightly. Not visibly. Not to someone who didn’t notice these things.

But I noticed.

Everything in me went still. This wasn’t just an ex-boyfriend showing up for awkward banter. This was something else. And if she was afraid of him, then I would find out why.

But for now, I kept my voice calm. Cool. Deadly smooth. "Small world."

He smiled again, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Yeah. So... are you guys together or something?"

Nova opened her mouth, then closed it.

I raised an eyebrow. "Would it matter if we were?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Nah. Just curious. Didn’t expect to see her walking around with a guy who looks like a Final Fantasy character."

I smiled, showing just enough teeth. "It’s my part-time cosplay gig. Pays well."

Nova nudged me sharply with her elbow, and I took the hint.

She turned to Jeremy. "We should go. We’re actually in the middle of something."

He shrugged. "Sure, sure. Just—maybe we’ll catch up sometime?"

She didn’t answer.

I turned us both around and began walking, gently steering her away.

We didn’t speak for the first few steps. I didn’t ask questions.

Not yet.

But I could feel her beside me—rigid, breath hitched, like her whole body was bracing for a storm.

Whoever that guy was...

Whatever he meant to her...

I was going to find out.

And when I did?

He better pray he’s innocent.

Because I don’t play nice when it comes to the people I care about.

Especially her.

Even if she doesn’t know she’s mine yet.