All Chapters of The Fireworks He Missed: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

“Luna, I’m sorry. You miscarried during the attack. The examination confirms the miscarriage is complete. ”The healer laid the report beside my bed. “Would you like us to contact the Alpha? He can sign the acknowledgment with you, if you want him here.”“No. I'll sign for myself.”I picked up the pen and wrote my name on the patient's signature line.Nora Bennett.Luna of the Blackpine Pack. The woman Adrian Blackwood had sworn before the Moon Goddess to protect.The healer left me under observation overnight. A heavy ache dragged at my lower abdomen. The healer changed the herbal dressings on my other injuries, and the bitter scent of cleansing fern covered the lingering smell of blood. My wolf was too weak to answer when I reached for her.By morning, the bleeding had eased enough for the healer to discharge me. A clinic driver took me home. The house was empty.I crawled into bed and slept.I had no idea how much time had passed when the bedroom door opened.“Nora, why haven't you

Chapter 2

The next morning, Adrian’s driver was waiting outside. Selene stood in the hall in a cream cashmere dress, turning her phone over in her hands.“Adrian has a council meeting,” she said. “He’ll meet us there.”I took my bag from the stairs. Inside were the records from the clinic and the healer’s discharge instructions.“We’d better go, then.”On the drive to the healing center, Selene sat beside me in the back seat, fiddling with her wallet. A black credit card slipped out onto the floor mat.“Oh!”She bent to retrieve it, then held it between two fingers instead of putting it away.“Honestly, Adrian. He insisted on adding me to his account. Apparently there's no spending limit. He says I should buy whatever I want, but what would I ever need that much money for?”She sounded exasperated. The satisfaction in her eyes gave her away.I watched the streets through the window.“You're very lucky.”At the center, we went to separate reception desks. My healer checked my injuries and recover

Chapter 3

The following evening, Blackpine was hosting its annual pack banquet. Until I left, I was still their Luna. I was expected to attend.I chose a loose gown that wouldn’t press against my aching abdomen. My phone rang as I fastened my earrings.“Nora, I need to pick up Selene first. She’s nervous on her own. I’ve sent the driver for you. We’ll meet at the pack hall.”I looked at my reflection. Even dressed for the evening, I couldn't hide how exhausted I was.“All right.”The ballroom glittered with crystal and jewelry. Perfume hung in the air, and glasses clinked over the hum of conversation.I sat alone at one of the family tables. The seat reserved for the Luna at the head table remained empty until Selene arrived.She came down the red carpet on Adrian's arm, radiant in a strapless white gown. They looked as though they belonged together.He seated her beside him.One of the elders approached with a glass in his hand and glanced at her curiously.“Alpha, aren't you going to introduc

Chapter 4

The next morning, Adrian finally noticed something was wrong.“Where's our picture?”I met his eyes in the mirror as I brushed my hair.“Moisture got into the frame. I've sent it out to be restored. It should be back in a few days.”He studied me, then let it go.Perhaps he was pleased with how quiet I had become, how little trouble I gave him. For once, he offered something without being asked.“Tomorrow’s our third anniversary. I booked a table at Le Jardin. Just the two of us. I’ll make up for last year.”I had mentioned that restaurant so often he should have been able to recite the menu.My grip tightened on the hairbrush, then eased.“You’ve said that before.” He took my quiet voice for acceptance and reached for his keys.The following evening, a courier delivered an express envelope.My travel documents. The research visa. Permission to reside on Silver Bay territory. A one-way ticket to Oslo on a flight leaving early the next morning.Everything was ready.I put the papers awa

Chapter 5

Before boarding, I scheduled an email to reach Adrian in a week.Then I called my phone provider.“I'd like to cancel my number.”I followed the instructions, closed the account, and snapped the SIM card in two. The pieces went into a trash can in the departure lounge.When the plane climbed above the city, the lights fell away beneath us. I leaned against the window.For the first time in longer than I could remember, I could breathe.That night, Adrian remained frozen at the desk.He read the report again. And again.Then he turned it facedown, as if that could undo what it said.He had known I was pregnant. He had never imagined I wasn't pregnant anymore.“Nora?”No answer.He went back to the neatly made bed and laid a hand on my pillow. It was cold.He had brought me chicken soup. He had told himself the baby was safe inside me.All that time, I had been recovering from losing it.He opened the closet and reached for the coat I wore most often. His hand stopped.Empty hangers. Bar

Chapter 6

At the Silver Bay research center in Oslo, Norway, a colleague handed me a folder as I fastened my lab coat.“Nora, the latest wolf-spirit restoration results. Could you take a look?”A month into the project, I had found my footing. Years of research experience hadn't disappeared because my mate had stopped noticing I had a life of my own.I went through the figures and pointed to the third section.“The records are thorough, but these risk estimates are too conservative. Let's check them again.”That evening, the center hosted a reception for its international collaborators.I moved easily among the guests with a glass of champagne in my hand.“Nora Bennett? I've heard a great deal about your work.”The man approaching me raised his glass.“Julian Mercer. I'm Silver Bay's Beta, and I represent the project's funding partners. I'll be coordinating the next round of support.”He was handsome, quick-witted, and entirely at ease. His interest felt flattering without becoming intrusive.“I

Chapter 7

He found my apartment next.In Oslo, a downpour could arrive without warning. He stood outside my building and let the rain soak through his expensive suit.When I came downstairs for a run the next morning, he was still there, white-faced, his lips tinged blue.“Nora.”At the sight of me, something desperate lit in his eyes. He reached for my hand.“Come home. Please. I was wrong. I know I was wrong.”I pulled away.“My representative is handling the dissolution petition. You'll be receiving a hearing notice from the Pack Affairs Office soon.”“No. I won't agree to it.”His voice cracked into a shout. Then he dropped to his knees.“The baby. Our baby. God, Nora, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Hit me. Scream at me. Whatever you need. Just please forgive me.”He struck himself across the face.Once. Then again.The sound carried beneath the entrance canopy. I watched until he finally stopped.“You don't need to apologize.”He looked up. Hope flickered across his swollen face.“I’m not coming

Chapter 8

Adrian spent his days drinking in a luxury hotel suite in Oslo.Selene still hadn't given up. She slipped into his room and tried to get him drunk enough to take her to bed, as if that would force a future into existence.This time, even through the alcohol, he understood what she was doing.He kicked her out, sending her stumbling into the hallway in nothing but her underwear.“Get out. I never want to see you again.”Not long afterward, the hearing notice arrived.My petition cited his prolonged neglect and his refusal to help when I called during the rogue attack. It included the patrol report, the clinic’s findings, and the message that had lured me beyond the building’s guarded entrance. I was requesting that the elders authorize the severing of our bond.We sat across a long table in a mediation room at the Pack Affairs Office.He had lost so much weight that he looked ten years older. His lips parted, but I spoke before he could.“Adrian, there is nothing left to save.”I held h

Chapter 9

“Alpha, your wolf is still weakening. The insomnia and loss of control aren't improving. You need treatment for the damage caused by the severance.”The healer's voice came through his Beta's phone.“You must take the calming herbs I've prescribed.”The Beta studied him cautiously.“Alpha, you heard what she—”“I heard.”Adrian waved him off.He was gaunt now, his eyes sunken. The sharp, assessing gaze that had once made people nervous had dulled to something flat and lifeless.He picked up a file and held it out.“Sell the properties on the east side.”His Beta stared at him.“Alpha, those are major company assets. You can't just—”“Do it.”There was no room for argument in his voice.“Use the proceeds to buy Moonstar Island. In the Maldives.”An island.Years before, I had seen it in a travel magazine and said, almost in passing, “Imagine watching the sun rise there. And staying until it sets.”Of all the things I had told him, he had somehow remembered that.A few days later, an int

Chapter 10

Adrian returned home alone.He left Blackpine's daily affairs to his Beta and the elders, and put a professional management team in charge of Blackwood Holdings.He dismissed the household staff and withdrew from everyone. Most days, he never left his study.On his computer, he found the original files from our bonding ceremony. He sent one of the photographs away to be made into a custom jigsaw puzzle, nearly ten feet tall.Ten thousand pieces.Day after day, he sat on the floor, searching for the next fragment. Trying to put back together the home he had broken.Two years later, in the penthouse in the heart of the Silver Bay clan in Oslo, Julian knelt before me.We weren't fated mates. There had been no divine pull telling us that we belonged to each other.We had chosen this. Chosen each other.“Nora Bennett, will you be my mate?”His eyes never left mine.“Before the Moon Goddess, I promise to love you, care for you, and honor you. In good times and bad, in sickness and in health.

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