Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 320

Chapter 320

But at least we were leaving together.

“This scene is so cringe,” Riley said from the back seat, and I glanced in the mirror to see him shaking his head at whatever was

happening on screen.

“It’s supposed to be cringe,” Ollie explained with exaggerated patience. “That’s the point. The character is socially awkward, so of

course his attempts at romance are going to be uncomfortable to watch.”

“It’s double cringe,” Riley insisted. “Like, cringe squared. The writers didn’t need to make it this bad.”

“They absolutely did,” Ollie argued. “Because later when he-stop, don’t cover your ears, this is important context!”

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Lake was smiling, actually smiling, as he watched the two of them bicker. It was a small thing, barely noticeable, but it felt significant. This was the first time I’d seen him look genuinely relaxed, like he wasn’t constantly calculating threats and escape routes.

“What do you think?” Ollie asked, turning to Lake. “Is it double cringe or is Riley just being oversensitive?”

Lake considered this with the kind of serious attention most people reserved for life-or-death decisions. “I think it’s contextually appropriate cringe,” he said finally. “Which makes it effective storytelling even if it’s uncomfortable to watch.”

“Thank you!” Ollie crowed triumphantly. “See, Lake gets it. You’re just being a baby about secondhand embarrassment.”

“I’m not being a baby,” Riley protested. “I just have standards for my entertainment.”

“Your standards are too high. That’s why you never like anything.”

“I like plenty of things.”

“Name three movies you’ve actually enjoyed in the last year,”

Riley opened his mouth, then closed it, clearly struggling to come up with examples. Lake started laughing, and after a moment, even Riley’s lips twitched in what might have been the beginning of a smile.

Lumina reached over and squeezed my hand where it rested on the gear shift. When I glanced at her, she was watching the boys in the rearview mirror with an expression of cautious hope.

“Ollie’s not being sidelined anymore,” she said quietly, pitched low enough that the boys wouldn’t hear over their movie and debate.

She was right. For the first time since Riley had come into our lives, Ollie wasn’t being treated like an afterthought or an obligation. Lake seemed genuinely interested in being his friend, asking questions and engaging with Ollie’s enthusiastic explanations. And Riley, while still clearly closest to Lake, wasn’t actively excluding his twin. He was participating in the conversation, teasing Ollie with what

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Chapter 320

sounded like actual affection rather than irritation.

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It wasn’t perfect. Nothing about this situation was perfect. But it was better than it had been, and right now, better felt like a miracle.

The road stretched out ahead of us, familiar landmarks starting to appear as we crossed from Zade’s territory into neutral ground.

We’d hit Silver Creek’s borders in another hour or so, and then we’d have to face the pack. Have to explain where we’d been, why we’d

been gone so long, what had happened to Riley and why we now had a strange teenage boy with us.

I had no idea how that conversation would go. The pack elders had been sending increasingly pointed messages, demanding updates

and explanations that I’d been too overwhelmed to provide. Marcus, our gamma, had been holding things together in our absence, but

even his patience had limits. There would be questions, challenges to our authority, demands for accountability.

And underneath all of that, there would be the reality of trying to integrate Riley back into pack life. A Riley who was fundamentally

different from the son who’d been stolen from us, who’d been shaped by trauma and medication into someone we barely recognized.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Lumina said, her thumb tracing patterns on the back of my hand. “I can practically hear the anxiety

spiraling.”

“We have no idea what we’re walking into,” I admitted quietly. “The pack’s going to have questions we can’t answer. They’re going to

look at Riley and see someone they don’t recognize. And Lake-”

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