The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Ella & Alexander

Ella

I sulked alone beneath the cherry tree, watching the pink petals turn brown on the gravel pathway. The slow death of my favorite season, spring seemed awfully fitting for the way I felt inside after that mortifying interaction.

“There you are!”

I looked up to find Liam walking toward me with his hands tucked into his pockets. When he reached me, his smile faltered.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting beside me. “You look like someone just told you the Tooth Fairy isn’t real.”

“It’s nothing.”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “I’ve known you since you were five years old, Ella. I can tell when something’s bothering you, even if we spent a decade apart.

“It’s just…” I sighed, picking at a loose thread on my sleeve. “Something embarrassing happened earlier. I’d rather not talk about it.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Worse.”

Liam tilted his head. “So are you planning on sitting here sulking all day because of it?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. Feels cathartic.”

“Come on.” He stood up suddenly and held out his hand. “Let’s go out. Dinner. My treat.”

The question made me smile despite myself. After spending the last few hours hiding in the garden, too mortified to face either Alexander or Gabriel, the thought of escaping the mansion sounded heavenly.

An hour later, Liam pulled his car up to a small restaurant I’d never seen before. It was tucked away on a side street in town, with a glowing neon sign in the window that simply read “24Hrs Diner” in bright blue and red.

Inside, the smell of french fries and milkshakes made my mouth water. The hostess led us to a small booth near the back where the bright red leather was faintly cracked and the enamel tabletop was slightly sticky.

“How did you find this place?” I asked, looking around at the other patrons–mainly manual laborers and truck drivers, from the looks of it, and none of them spared us so much as a glance. “I didn’t even know it existed.”

Liam shrugged. “I like exploring. Finding hidden gems.”

I bit my lip, thinking about how I’d spent so many years/eating by myself in that big, lonely mansion that I hadn’t done much exploring myself in the very *pack I was supposed to be running with my husband. This diner seemed like a staple amongst the pack members, and I had never patronized it.

dress with a crisp

and before I could get the words out, my mouth dropped

“Molly?”

let out a squeal, causing some nearby patrons to look up.

Liam did, leaving without so much as a goodbye. Her blonde hair was now dyed blue and cropped close to her head, and her once–round face had matured

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08:39 Tue, 19 Aug

Chapter 43

eyes were

you doing here?” I gasped, standing to

coffee and diner food. “I work here, obviously. The real question is what are you two

Liam said

back from the hug, “you two don’t seem terribly surprised to see each other.” My heart ached faintly as frecalled days

did.

and Liam exchanged

went to the same one for a few years. So

murmured. “You disappeared when

guttered. “Yeah, my parents shipped me off to that… place. But enough about that. Let me

my

early. We have so

on!”

our drinks, I turned to Liam with narrowed eyes. “You saw her at camp and

his lap, the tips of his ears reddening faintly. “Ella, that place… Time passes differently there. It feels like I was

across the table and squeezed his hand. He still hadn’t told me exactly what happened at that camp, but I was beginning to piece it together. “I’m sure it

nodded, his hand tightening around mine for

“I’m officially on break now,” she announced, sliding into the chair next to mine. “So, Luna Ella, huh? Married to the Alpha of Ashclaw. That’s quite the step up from the shy

felt my cheeks heat. “It’s not as glamorous as

in that way she always did/when we were kids. “Guess not. You don’t look as happy as I’d expect a newly

married for five

up. “Five years? Damn, I really have been out of the loop. Did you get married as soon as

change the subject. “What have you been doing all this

summer camp, she’d traveled across the country, working odd jobs and living in different packs. She’d been a bartender, a tour guide,

should have seen the Northern Lights from up there,” she said, sipping her strawberry milkshake. “Like magic

living. Experiencing the world, following her des herself. She seemed so free,

ing true to

all the things you’ve done,” I admitted.

mouth fell open. “Never? Not