The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Ellie POV

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Lucas is sitting in the far corner of the lunch spot like he belongs there, tucked between two tall plants that have no business being alive in a place that smells like grease and melted cheese.

He has a laptop open infront front of him, screen glowing faintly, one hand resting near the keyboard while the other holds a slice of pizza he hasn’t finished eating. The afternoon light pours through the window behind him, catching in his hair and turning it almost gold, like he stopped out of some annoyingly poetic coming-of-age film instead of my actual, very inconvenient life.

He looks up.

Our eyes meet.

I stop walking.

He smiles first.

Slowly. Like he’s been handed a gift he didn’t expect but is very pleased to receive.*

“Well,” he says, setting the pizza down and leaning back in his chair, his voice warm with amusement. “If it isn’t the most popular woman in the pack.”

I narrow my eyes immediately. “Don’t.”

He raises his hands slightly in surrender, grin widening. “Don’t what? Congratulate you? I heard wedding bells are in season.”

“I mean it, Lucas.”

I turn away from him and keep walking, aiming for a table on the opposite side of the room, one with my back to him and a clear line of sight to the counter.

I make it three steps.

“Ellie.”

I ignore him.

“Ellie.”

r

I sit down at a small table near the wall, pulling the menu toward me even though I already know what I want. Pizza. Cheese. Emotional stability. In that order.

I do not look up.

There’s the faint sound of movement behind me. A chair scraping softly against tile. The quiet snap of a laptop closing.

I know exactly what he’s doing before he does it.

A second later, he drops into the seat across from me like it was always his.

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Jstare at him.

He smiles, unbothered. “Hi

“I need you to leave.”

“You walked into my territory.”

“It’s a public restaurant.”

“Still counts.”

I look pointedly toward the counter, willing a waiter to appear out of thin air and save me from this

conversation.

Lucas watches me for a moment, his expression shifting from teasing to something quieter, more

observant.

“You look terrible,” he says finally.

I glare at him. “Thank you.”

He shrugs lightly. “Not ugly terrible. Just… emotionally catastrophic terrible. Sure you almost died a bit ago, but more like you either just punched someone or wanted to.”

“Both,” I say flatly.

His mouth twitches.

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