Ex-Mate Wants Me Back (Seraphina and Mortimer) novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32-

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Chapter 32

Seraphina’s POV

We locked eyes for what felt like an eternity, but he was the first to break.

He pulled his hands back and straightened up, looming over me in the chair. His deep brown eyes bled into a predatory, glowing wolf-gold-the Alpha’s “lie detector” gaze.

I felt the weight of it slamming against my mind-link, trying to tear through my shields.

‘Lily, stay cool,’ I hissed internally. ‘Don’t let him feel how much you want to bite him.’ 1

Lily let out a wounded whimper but retreated into the shadows of my consciousness.

I kept my face like stone.

“Just a rough couple of nights?” Mortimer asked, his voice rasping.

I went stiff for a second, then gave him a sharp nod. “What else would it be?”

He didn’t say a word. He just stared, his heavy gaze making the air in the room feel like lead.

Finally, he looked away. “Fine. Get some rest. I’m out.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, watching his back as he headed for the door.

Just as he reached for the handle, I saw his eyes flick back toward the pill bottles on my desk.

My heart skipped. I moved fast, pretending to tidy up while sweeping every single box into the drawer.

“Safe travels,” I said, my voice flat.

Mortimer looked at me one last time, his brow knotting in that familiar look of irritation.

I could feel his ego bruising-he didn’t like the cold shoulder.

He stared for another beat, then pushed the door open and vanished.

The second the door clicked shut, I let out a breath I’d been holding since Alaska. 1

I slumped into the chair and closed my eyes. Luckily, no more emergencies tolled in after Rolf’s surgery.

Maybe it was Tabitha’s meds, or maybe six hours in the OR had just bled me dry, but I crashed into a deep heavy sleep. No nightmares.

Since I’d pulled the night shift, I had the next day off.

I handed over my charts and cleared out of the center.

I was still technically mated with Mortimer, which meant I still had to head back to the Blade territory.

I hopped off the bus and started the walk toward the compound. 1

I was almost at the boundary line when the metallic tang of blood hit my nose.

The perimeter is supposed to be patrolled, but rogues are like rats–they find the cracks. I followed the scent into a pile of dead leaves.

There, I found a tiny, pale gold fluff-ball. A puppy.

One of its back legs was shredded, oozing blood.

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Chapter 2

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The second it saw me, it caught a whiff of my Alpha-mate aura and started shaking like a leaf, its eyes wide with pure terror.

Seeing that tiny thing, so desperate to live but so utterly alone, hit me like a physical punch. It was me under the snow all over again. No one coming to help.

My heart softened. I shoved my cold, jagged aura as deep as it would go, making myself as small as possible.

Once the pup stopped vibrating, I unwrapped my scarf and gently scooped it up.

It huddled into my warmth, its tiny whines fading into soft huffs.

I picked up the pace, carrying it back toward the city to a 24-hour vet.

While I waited for the doctor, watching the pup shiver in my scarf made me feel a protective ache I hadn’t felt in years.

I checked the cameras-blind spot. I slipped my fingers over the wound and let a trickle of healing energy flow.

A soft glow pulsed under my skin, and the gash sealed up, leaving nothing but a fresh scab.

The vet checked him over, adjusting his glasses. “Golden Retriever mix. Maybe two weeks old. The leg looks like it had a nasty cut, but it’s already healing. He’s lucky. But he’s got a fever. We need blood work.”

Thirty minutes later. “Distemper positive. He needs to be admitted for treatment.”

I didn’t blink. I swiped my card and signed the papers.

Walking out of the clinic, I couldn’t stop thinking about that tiny life.

My mind drifted back to the early days of my mating with Mortimer.

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