Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 319

Chapter 319

XENOIS

From the back seat, I heard Riley’s voice cut through Ollie’s explanation. “That’s not how it’s supposed to happen. This is double

cringe.”

“It has to happen this way!” Ollie defended, his voice taking on that stubborn quality that reminded me forcefully of myself at that

age. “Otherwise the next plot point doesn’t make sense.”

“The next plot point is also cringe,” Lake observed. “This whole show is cringe. Why are we watching it?”

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“Because it’s good!” Ollie insisted. “Just because something has cringe moments doesn’t mean it’s bad overall. You have to look at the

bigger picture.”

“The bigger picture is still cringe,” Riley said, but I caught the hint of a smile in his voice. Actual amusement, breaking through the medication’s emotional dampening. “But I guess we can keep watching.”

“Thank you,” Ollie said with exaggerated dignity. “Your sacrifice is noted.”

They dissolved into quiet laughter-all three of them-and I felt something in my chest unclench. This was what I’d been hoping for. Not Riley miraculously being fixed, not Lake suddenly becoming someone different, but the three of them finding a way to exist together. To build something that resembled friendship, or at least mutual tolerance.

Thorne was in the passenger seat beside me, unusually quiet. When I glanced over, I saw him staring out the window with an

expression I couldn’t quite read.

“You okay?” I asked quietly, pitched low enough that the kids wouldn’t overhear.

“I’m leaving him,” Thorne said simply. “I finally found someone who makes me feel alive, and I’m driving away from him.”

“You’ll see him again,” I reminded him. “You promised to visit.”

“I know. But it doesn’t make leaving any easier.” He was quiet for a moment, then added, “I spent six years alone, Xenois. Six years convinced I was broken, that I’d never feel anything real for anyone. And then Rivers just… happened. And now I understand what everyone was talking about when they described being in love. It’s terrifying and exhilarating and I don’t want it to end.”

The raw honesty in his voice made me uncomfortable in the way deep emotional revelations always did. But this was Thorne-my friend, my pack member, someone who’d stood by me through everything-so I pushed through the discomfort.

“Then don’t let it end,” I said. “Figure out the logistics, make it work. Rivers isn’t going anywhere, and neither are you. Long distance is hard, but it’s not impossible.”

“Says the man who’s mated, Thorne pointed out dryly.

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Chapter 319

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“Says the man who almost lost his mate because he was too stubborn to fight for her, I corrected. “Don’t make my mistakes, Thorne. If Rivers makes you happy, don’t let distance or logistics or pack politics get in the way of that.”

He was quiet, processing this advice. Then he nodded once, decision made. “You’re right. I’ll make it work. Somehow.”

“Good,” I said, feeling satisfied that I’d managed to give decent relationship advice for once in my life.

Through the window, I could see the three boys in the back, settled into their seats with Ollie’s tablet propped on Lake’s lap. They’d queued up another movie, and Ollie was already launching into what sounded like a detailed explanation of the plot.

“-and this part is super important because later the main character realizes that the whole first act was actually foreshadowing-

“That’s such a spoiler,” Riley interrupted, but there was no heat in it. If anything, he sounded almost amused.

“It’s not a spoiler if I’m explaining the narrative structure,” Ollie defended.

“It’s definitely a spoiler,” Lake said, his voice carrying that dry humor I’d heard glimpses of. “You just told us what happens in the

third act.”

“The third act isn’t about what happens, it’s about how it happens,” Ollie insisted. “There’s a difference.”

I pulled out of the driveway, watching Zade’s mansion recede in the rearview mirror. Two months. Two months that had felt like both an eternity and no time at all. We were leaving with more questions than answers, with two traumatized teenagers who needed more help than we knew how to give, with a pack back home that was probably on the verge of revolt after their alpha and luna’s extended absence.

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12:55 Thu, Jan 29 M…

Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart