Page 29 of Hex and Scales

“Leave it. Adds character.” Harry’s eyes twinkled as he polished a glass with unnecessary vigor. “Though I’d suggest taking that temper to the corner booth. Your friends look equally murderous.”

Rook and Lux occupied the pub’s most private alcove, shadows gathering thick around them despite the lanterns’ glow. Both alphas radiated the contained violence of predators ready to strike. Rook’s fingers tapped an agitated rhythm against hisuntouched whiskey glass, the sound sharp enough to make other patrons edge away.

As Ren approached, the tiger shifter’s head snapped up. “Tell me why I shouldn’t hunt down this stalker myself.”

“Because I get first crack at him,” Ren growled, sliding into the booth. Magic rippled off his shoulders, making the nearest lantern flicker. “He was waiting at her house, Rook. Standing there like he had every right—” His fist clenched, power crackling between his fingers.

“Details,” Lux interrupted smoothly, signaling Harry for another round. “Start from the beginning.”

Ren forced himself to breathe, to push back the protective rage that made him want to burn the whole town searching for Linus. “Daily visits to the shop. Always when she’s alone. Elaborate gifts with notes that grow more... possessive.”

“Examples?” Rook’s voice could have frozen hell.

“‘Your beauty outshines the sun,’“ Ren quoted, bile rising in his throat. “‘We share a special connection.’ ‘You’ll understand we’re destined to be together.’“ The glass cracked beneath his grip. “But it’s more than the words. It’s the way he watches her. Like he’s waiting for something specific. And his magic...”

“What about it?” Lux leaned forward, animal-sharp eyes narrowing.

“It feels wrong. Ancient. Like something that should have died out centuries ago.” The air shimmered with Ren’s agitation. “There’s a signature to it that?—”

The door chimed. Kaito and Eiji slipped inside, moving with the practiced stealth of predators. Harry immediately activated privacy wards around their booth, geometric patterns of blue light racing across invisible barriers.

“Speaking of signatures,” Kaito said, claiming a chair. “I’ve been tracking him. He vanishes—literally vanishes—at randomintervals. No trace, no trail. It’s not any teleportation magic I’ve seen in nine centuries.”

“And our dear cousin would know,” Eiji added, sprawling into the remaining seat. “He’s only spent, oh, three hundred years studying magical patterns.” He waggled his eyebrows at Ren. “Almost as long as you’ve spent brooding on that mountain. Until recently, that is. Something about a certain tigress changing your hermit ways?”

Magic sparked beneath Ren’s warning growl. “Eiji?—”

“What? I’m just saying, eight centuries of solitude and suddenly you’re texting until dawn, actually smiling occasionally?—”

“Speaking of my sister,” Rook’s quiet voice cut through their banter like a blade, “I need to know your intentions, Ren.”

The question hung in the air, heavy as storm clouds. Ren stared into his whiskey, seeing Sabine’s smile reflected in the amber liquid. The way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she laughed. How she’d felt in his arms that morning, trembling but trying so hard to be brave...

“She deserves better than being someone’s replacement mate.” Rook’s words struck like physical blows. “If you’re looking for a stand-in for what you lost, go back to your mountain. Sabine has too much heart to be second choice.”

Ancient power stirred beneath Ren’s skin, his very being rebelling against the thought of leaving. Never seeing her bright smile again. Never hearing her laugh, or feeling their magic dance together, or watching her face light up when she eats a bite of his apple pie...

“She could never be anyone’s replacement.” The words scraped his throat raw.

“You sure about that?” Lux’s voice held careful neutrality. “We’ve all heard about Shiara. About the vow you made.And Sabine, she’s... special. Pure-hearted. The last person who deserves a broken heart.”

“Sabine is special precisely because she’s Sabine.” Ren’s voice dropped lower, intensity building with each word. The truth he’d been fighting spilled out like wine from a broken bottle. “She lights up rooms just by entering them. Makes everyone feel seen, valued. Carries so much power within her, yet leads with kindness first. When she laughs...”

He broke off, memories flooding in. Sabine’s delighted giggle when she tried a new toy in her shop. The way she hummed while organizing shelves. Her fierce protectiveness of friends and family. The way she offered second chances as naturally as breathing...

Just like Shiara had.

The realization hit like ice water in his veins. Gods, how had he not seen it before? The same bright spirit. The same infectious joy. The same core of steel beneath soft smiles. Even their magic felt similar, though Shiara had been purely witch while Sabine’s powers flowed from both her witch and shifter heritage.

His dragon stirred uneasily at the comparison, but Ren couldn’t un-see the parallels. Their unconscious gestures of comfort, their instinctive nurturing of both people and plants...

“Ren?” Eiji’s voice had lost its teasing edge. “You went somewhere dark just now.”

“Their similarities don’t matter.” The words emerged with quiet certainty. “What I felt for Shiara was real. Deep. True. But Sabine...” He struggled to explain the contradiction in his heart. “She’s her own kind of magic. Her own kind of wonderful. And sometimes I question my own emotions, but?—”

“But?” Rook prompted quietly.

“But I’m not looking for echoes of the past. I’m taken by her stubbornness when she thinks she’s right. Her terriblepuns that somehow make everyone laugh. The way she flirts and sends silly texts when she’s had too much wine. How she gives kindness without hesitation or expectation.” His voice roughened. “I’m falling for Sabine. Just Sabine. And I won’t let my memories of another life stop me from cherishing this one.”

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