All Chapters of The Ex-Luna's Return: No Longer His Doormat: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

~ 92 ~ ~ Mia ~A collective gasp echoed through the hospital room. Hailey covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with shock, while my father stared at me as if I had lost my mind. My mother's fingers had gone white where they gripped the arm of her chair.Outside the door, Darian went entirely still."I... I can't do that," Darian whispered, horror bleeding into his tone as the weight of my words finally landed. "You're badly injured, Mia. Breaking the mate bond while your body is this weak... it could kill you. It would shatter your nervous system completely.""I don't care," I insisted stubbornly, glaring at the empty doorway. "I would rather die than spend another second tied to a man who abandons me when it counts. Release me, Darian.""Mia, please, you aren't thinking clearly," Hailey urged, crossing the room and sinking onto the edge of my bed. She took my hand in both of hers, and I could feel how badly they were trembling, "He's right about the physical strain, and

~ 94 ~~ Ryker ~The wheels of the transport vehicle hummed against the asphalt as we sped away from the eastern border toward the East Lake pack hospital. In the passenger seat beside me, Lili lay completely still, her breathing shallow and weak.I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned stark white. A heavy wave of self-loathing crashed over me, suffocating and sharp.‘It's my fault,’ I blamed myself silently, the words tearing at my chest. ‘If I had been paying closer attention, if I hadn't buried myself in gym workouts while she walked right into a trap... she never would have been taken.’My mind spun further back, recalling the weeks before. My own weakness had stopped me from pushing harder, from convincing the kind-hearted Lili to pack her bags and leave East Lake with her parents when she still had the chance. I had let her stay. I had let her walk right into the lion's den.Guilt burned deep inside my veins, twisting rapidly into dark, consuming rage.At that e

~ 96 ~~ Mia ~The ceremonial clearing behind the East Lake administrative wing was quiet and cold. A light autumn breeze swept through the tall pine trees, rustling the dry leaves on the ground.Ryker stood close by my side, his hands tucked into his coat pockets, watching the stone altar with sharp, protective eyes. Hailey and Nick stood a few paces behind us. Nick held tightly onto Hailey's hand, his small face serious as he looked at the open space where the rejection ritual was about to take place."Are you sure about this, Lili?" Ryker asked quietly, keeping his gaze forward."I am sure," I replied, my voice steady, though my hands were clenched tightly into fists inside my pockets.A few minutes past the scheduled hour, the sound of footsteps echoed across the stone path.I looked up. Darian walked slowly into the clearing. He had arrived late.The moment I saw him, my breath hitched slightly. He looked exhausted, pale, and almost gaunt, as though he had barely slept or eaten f

~ 98~ Mia ~The rejection ceremony was finally behind me. Standing outside the administrative clearing, I took a deep breath. I felt strangely light, as if the sky itself had brightened and the air ran cleaner. Yet, in every quiet moment, a hollow emptiness opened up in my chest. I told myself it was only the natural aftershock of a severed mate bond, something that would fade with time."Dr. Quinn," a familiar voice called out softly from behind me.I turned around and saw Aron walking toward me with her grandfather leaning gently on her arm. The old man offered me a weak, shaky smile, his eyes dim with fatigue."Aron," I greeted her, stepping forward to help steady the elder. "How are you both holding up?""We are doing alright, Doctor," Aron replied, adjusting her grip on her grandfather's coat. She looked at me with a steady, determined expression. "In fact, grandfather and I have talked about it. We decided we want to follow you back to Red Moon."I blinked in surprise, looking b

~ 100 ~ Darian ~ When the Elders and my mother discovered that Nick meant to leave with Mia and move permanently to Red Moon, they opposed it furiously. They bombarded me with phone calls and messages. "An Alpha's heir cannot be raised in a rival territory!" my mother demanded, "You must stop this immediately, Darian! Issue a pack decree!"For once, I would not be moved."My decision is final," I said, my voice low, flat, and absolute. "Nick goes with his mother."They argued more, shouting about tradition and pack pride, but I refused to listen. The truth was simple: the guilt I carried toward both my son and my mate would not let me inflict the pain of forced separation just to patch over my own past mistakes. I had broken our family; I would not hold our son hostage to heal my own ego.Nick had told me the exact date of their departure. Outwardly, I pretended I was far too buried in work affairs to care, lied I had important meetings all morning.In truth, I returned to East Lak