After Rejection Divorced Luna Becomes A Famous Doctor (Hailey and Dominic) novel Chapter 296

CHAPTER TWOHUNDRED-SIXTEEN-2

“We need to talk,” Dominic said, his voice level. “In the study.”

Liam’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, following us into the room. He sank into one of the leather armchairs, the picture of casual insolence.

“So,” he began, before we could even start. “Her dad is a bit of a traditionalist. But he was… civil. I think he was impressed I could eat garlic bread without bursting into flames. It was a real icebreaker.”

“Liam, this isn’t a joke,” I said, my patience wearing thin. “We know who her father is. We know about the history between our packs.”

“Then you should also know it’s history!” he shot back, leaning forward. “It’s been twelve years, Mom! Twelve years of peace! Are you ever going to let it go? You’re always telling me that I can’t let the past define me, but that’s exactly what you’re doing! You’re letting your war with Tricia define my life!”

The words hit me like a blow. He wasn’t just being a defiant teenager. He was right.

“The past has a way of sticking its claws into the present,” Dominic said, his voice a low rumble. “And don’t ever raise your voice at your mother ever again or you’ll see what a teenage rebellion really looks like. We’re not trying to stop you from seeing this girl, son. We just need to be careful.”

“So careful I have to get an interrogation from my own parents the second I walk in the door?” Liam scoffed. “I told you, I can handle myself. Emily is not her father. She’s not some spy sent to destroy us. She’s just… a girl I like.”

I looked at him, at the fierce conviction in his eyes, and saw the same stubborn fire that had burned in Dominic for years, and that still smoldered in my own soul. He wasn’t a child anymore. He was making his own choices, and I couldn’t shield him from the consequences forever.

“How did you meet this girl?” I finally asked, my tone softer. “You said you have better things to do today, but yet, you were with her. Was it just your sudden urge to go on a date with a vampire? I want to know everything.”

His defensiveness seemed to melt away slightly, replaced by a flicker of something more vulnerable. “She transferred to my school last month. We have a few classes together. She sits behind me in history. We.. we just started talking. About music, about books. She doesn’t care that I’m a werewolf. She says it’s… interesting.”

“She says we’re interesting,” Aria’s voice piped up from the doorway. She was leaning against the frame, having clearly been eavesdropping. “Next she’ll be asking you to shift so she can take notes. It’s a classic vampire research tactic. Lure you in with a pretty face and a sad backstory, then steal all your pack secrets.”

Dominic sighed. “Aria, I thought I told you to go to your room.”

“I was thirsty, dad,” she pouted, making her way towards the kitchen. “But I’m listening.” she called out

< CHAPTER TWOHUNDRED SIXTEEN-2

from the kitchen.

I had to fight the urge to laugh. The situation was tense, but our family, in all its chaotic glory, was still our

family.

“I told her about us,” Liam continued, his gaze fixed on me. “About the pack, about being the future Alpha. She wasn’t scared. She was… fascinated. She said she’d never met a werewolf who was so open about it. That most of them are all brooding and secretive.”

“Probably because they’re afraid of being hunted by vampire purists like her father,” Dominic muttered.

“Maybe,” Liam conceded. “Or maybe they’re just not as brave as I am.” He stood up. “Look, I get it. You’re worried. But you don’t have to be. I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’m just… getting to know someone.” He walked towards the door, then paused, his back to us. “She’s not the enemy, Mom. She’s just a girl.” And with that, he was gone, leaving me and Dominic in the sudden quiet of the study. The silence was heavy, filled with all the words we hadn’t said, all the fears we couldn’t quite voice.

I looked up at my husband, “He’s just like talking to a younger, teenage version of you. But at least, you never went out on a date with a vampire back in the day.” I teased.

A small, sad smile touched Dominic’s lips. “No, I just fell in love with the most stubborn, headstrong, infuriatingly beautiful werewolf I’d ever met. And she almost got herself killed for it. So maybe our son has a point. Maybe we’re letting our past get in the way of his future.” He pulled me into an embrace, his strength a comforting anchor in the sea of my anxiety. “But that doesn’t mean we stop being parents. It just means we have to be smarter. We have to trust him, but we also have to protect him.”

I nodded into his chest, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. He was right. Trusting Liam didn’t mean being naive. It meant being vigilant. It meant being the kind of parents who knew when to step back and when to step in. And right now, it felt like we were standing on a razor’s edge.

“He’s right, you know,” Aria said, her voice quiet as she reappeared in the doorway, holding a glass of water. She wasn’t smirking anymore. “Liam. He’s not stupid. And if this Emily girl was as bad as you think, he would have seen it by now. He’s a good judge of character. Don’t tell him I said that.”

The unexpected vote of confidence from our resident drama queen was enough to make me pause. Maybe we were overreacting. Maybe twelve years of peace had made us soft, paranoid.

“I hope you’re right, sweetie,” I said, offering her a small smile.

She shrugged. “I’m always right.”

And just like that, the moment was over, and she was back to being my sassy twelve year old daughter,

M Mary Swan

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