All Chapters of The Ex-Luna's Return: No Longer His Doormat: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

~ 71 ~~ Mia ~I walked up the stone steps of the manor, my mind replaying the way Nick had flinched when I snapped at him.The heavy front door swung open, and the cold guilt weighing on my chest vanished instantly, replaced by surprise.Hailey was curled up in the large cushioned window seat of the front sitting room. Her legs were tucked under an oversized blanket, and a glowing phone was pressed tightly to her ear."No, absolutely not," Hailey was saying, her voice bubbling over with bright, uninhibited laughter. "That is not what a beta protocol means and you know it. You just made that up on the spot to win the argument."I stopped dead in my tracks in the doorway.I had known Hailey for a while now, but I had never heard her use that tone with any man alive — soft, teasing, completely unguarded, and humming with unmistakable warmth.The person on the other end murmured something low in response.Hailey let out another bright, genuine laugh, shaking her head. "You are incorrigib

~ 73 ~~ Mia ~The morning of the pack academy's Family Day arrived with clear autumn skies and crisp, cool air. I stood in front of the mirror in my quarters, smoothing down a sharp, professional navy blazer over a simple white blouse. I wore no jewelry, no dramatic silks — just my visiting scholar pin and sensible flats. I was Dr. Liliana Quinn, attending a school function solely in a professional and maternal capacity.When I stepped outside the delegation annex, Darian was already leaning against his black SUV parked by the drive. He wore a dark casual jacket and fitted jeans, looking less like a ruling Alpha and more like an ordinary father.Nick stood right between us, bouncing on his heels with an energy that could power a city block."You both look ready," Nick announced, beaming up at us as he clutched a blue team armband in his small hand. "Come on, we're going to be late for the opening ceremony!"We drove to the academy grounds together, the car ride filled with Nick's end

~ 75 ~~ Mia ~The hospital corridor was quiet when we arrived on Tuesday afternoon. I carried Nick's updated chart under my arm while he walked beside me, swinging his small backpack back and forth."Do we have to do the blood draw today, Dr. Quinn?" Nick asked, groaning softly as we stopped outside Examination Room 3."Just a routine check on your iron levels, Nicholas," I replied, opening the door for him. "If the numbers look good, you won't need another draw for a month.""Fine," Nick sighed, hopping up onto the exam table. "But only if we stop by the bakery afterward.""Negotiable," I said with a faint smile, pulling out my stethoscope.The consultation took less than twenty minutes. The attending nurse confirmed that Nick’s neural scans were completely stable, his pulse was steady, and the stress-induced migraine triggers had vanished entirely.Just as I was signing off on the final digital discharge form, the door of the examination room swung open.I looked up, expecting the

~ 77 ~~ Darian ~The morning sun filtered through the high stained-glass windows of the East Lake administrative wing. I walked down the grand corridor with a lightness in my step that I hadn't felt in five years.Every muscle in my body still hummed with the memory of yesterday afternoon — the heavy darkness of the stuck elevator, the way Mia had literally collapsed against my chest, and the tight, desperate grip of her fists clutching the front of my shirt. She had let me hold her. She had let the armor slip, even if only for a few impossible seconds before panic and pride forced her back behind her walls.She's coming back, I told myself, a confident smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. The reconciliation is finally happening.I carried that fierce, intoxicating hope straight through the heavy double doors of the Council chamber, expecting the usual barrage of stubborn complaints from the Elders. For weeks, they had grumbled about my public outings with the Red Moon specialis

~ 79 ~~ Darian ~The study was dark. I sat behind my desk, staring out into the empty room, my mind entirely consumed by the memory of Mia.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face in the elevator. I remembered the way she had clutched my shirt, the desperate heat of her breath against my neck, and the fierce, trembling walls she had thrown back up the second the doors chimed open.She's fighting it, I reminded myself, tracing my fingers absently across the edge of the polished wood. She's fighting the bond because she's terrified.I needed something to anchor me, something physical to hold onto while I figured out how to break through her defenses. My hand reached automatically toward the top-right drawer of my desk — the secure compartment where I kept the small, silver fountain pen. The exact pen Mia had left behind at Prandi restaurant for Nick’s birthday, the one she had given to the waiter to pass to the birthday boy before she disappeared into the night.I had been carryin