Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 118: Chapter 118

Lena’s POV

She hadn’t slept well.

Every time she closed her eyes, the sounds from the tent next door came back, along with the memory of Dominic’s hand resting on her waist and that restless heat she’d had nowhere to put. It all replayed in her head on a loop, like her brain was out to get her.

When she woke up, sunlight was already filtering through the canvas. Dominic was up, fully dressed, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened.

“Morning,” she said, her voice rough and a little dry.

He glanced over at her. “Sleep okay?”

Seriously? This jerk looked fresh and energized, like last night hadn’t touched him at all.

“Yeah. Fine,” she lied.

They packed up the tent and walked back to the hotel under the pale morning sun. The beach was still messy with leftovers from the bonfire—charred wood, empty bottles, and a few couples still curled up together under blankets, dead to the world.

Lena took a shower, changed clothes, then dropped onto the hotel bed like her body had officially given up.

“Hungry?” Dominic set a cup of coffee beside her.

She took it and had a sip. “Dominic.”

“Yeah.”

“About last night. In the tent.” Her eyes stayed on the coffee. “Did you... feel anything?”

He flicked his thumb across his phone screen. “Feel what?”

God, she really wanted to throw the coffee straight in his face.

“Forget it.” She drained the rest in one go, pushed herself up, and said, “Let’s just go out.”

That morning, they explored the other side of the island. It was a fishing village, way quieter than the main strip. Painted boats rocked by the shore, and fishing nets hung in the sun, swaying gently in the breeze.

At a roadside stall, Lena bought a straw hat from an elderly woman. Before she could even reach into her pocket, Dominic had already paid. At that point, she couldn’t be bothered to argue.

They sat on a stone wall overlooking the harbor, their legs dangling, the sea wind tugging lightly at the brim of her hat.

"Dominic."

"You say my name a lot."

"Because if I don’t, you act like you can’t even hear me." Lena turned to face him fully. "I want to ask you something, and I need a real answer."

He said nothing, just waited.

"You and Eliza." She saw his jaw tighten right away. "You loved her. I know that. Everybody knew. Before me, she was the only woman you ever openly claimed."

He didn’t deny it.

"So what happened after that? You two were in love. She stayed by your side before the curse got bad. So what went wrong?"

He looked toward the harbor. A fishing boat was coming in slow, its engine coughing and rumbling in uneven bursts.

"When the curse started getting worse, she couldn’t handle it." His voice was flat, almost too flat. "She didn’t want a partner who was turning into a monster. She looked at me and said I was a monster. Said she wasn’t going to waste her life on something broken."

"She actually said that to your face?"

"Yeah. And worse." He paused, like the memory tasted bitter. "Then she left. Bonded with someone else."

That woman who cried at the drop of a hat, who always played soft and loyal, who made it seem like she’d given up everything for him—when he was at the lowest point of his life, she looked straight at him and called him defective.

Lena stared at him. "You were still fighting the curse then. Still trying to survive."

"Yeah."

"And then when things fell apart with her new mate, and your curse was cured, she came running back?"

"Yeah."

A humorless laugh slipped out of her. "So she left when you were at your weakest, then came back once you were healed. That’s not love, Dominic."

He didn’t argue.

"Do you still love her?"

He turned to look at her. "No."

"When did it stop?"

"The night she finally told me what she really thought of me." His jaw went tight, the muscle there hard as stone. "Whatever I felt for her died in that conversation."

"Then why did you let her come back? The calls, the hospital visits, the flower shop—why?"

He stayed quiet for a long while. "Maybe it was old habit. I don’t know."

"That’s not an answer."

"Maybe I thought I owed her something, from back before the curse, when everything still felt good." He looked out at the sea again. "But you’re right. It isn’t love. It hasn’t been for a long time."

She stared at the ocean, at that unreal stretch of blue that looked almost too bright to be real.

"She shouldn’t be carrying your guilt, Dominic. When you needed her most, she left. She said the cruelest things possible to someone she claimed to love." Lena held his gaze and didn’t back down. "And now she’s back because you’re healthy, strong, and she finally gets what she lost. Every day you let her stay close, she thinks she still has a shot. You’re not protecting her. You’re letting her get away with the worst thing she’s ever done."

His hand curled into a fist. She didn’t push any further. She’d said what needed to be said.

The breeze picked up, sharper now, and her hat almost flew right off. She grabbed it fast and held it against her chest.

"There’s something else I need to tell you," he said.

She looked at him.

"Luke."

The name hit her like a bucket of ice water dumped straight over her head. She hadn’t heard it in months.

"What about him?" Her voice turned flat and cold.

"He’s been trying to reach you. Daniel intercepted several attempts." Dominic’s eyes went glacial. "He got released. His family pulled strings."

"Released?" The word made her stomach twist. "What do you mean?"

"His family has ties to several members of the Pack Council." Dominic sounded calm, but the anger under it rolled like thunder. "He was warned to stay away from Bloodmoon territory, but he’s back now. I need you to know that."

Her hands started shaking, and she clutched the hat even harder.

"He won’t touch you." Dominic reached over and wrapped his hand around her clenched fist. "I made sure of that. If he comes within a hundred miles of you, I’ll know."

She believed him. Whatever Dominic Voss’s flaws were, failing to protect the people in his life was definitely not one of them.

"Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

"Because you were mad at me." His eyes locked onto hers, steady and direct. "And I didn’t want this to become one more reason for you to stay. I wanted you to stay because you wanted to, not because you were scared."

The wind swept through her hair, brushing loose strands across her cheek. He reached over and gently tucked them behind her ear.

They sat on the stone wall, looking out over the harbor without saying a word. Two people carrying different fears, sinking into the same silence.

The honesty he’d shown today felt strange to her. She wasn’t used to it. Not from him.

Dominic held her hand tightly. "Tomorrow, we go back."

"Okay."

The second the plane landed, Daniel was already waiting for her in the arrivals hall.

They walked out one after the other. Daniel took the suitcase from her and loaded it into the trunk.

But Lena didn’t get in. She pulled her hand free from Dominic’s grip. "I’m taking a cab home."

Dominic didn’t force her into the car. "I’ll take you there."

"No. I’ll get a cab myself." This time her tone was firmer, no room for debate.

Dominic reached out, caught her hand again, and held on tight like he had zero intention of letting go.

She frowned. "We already said we’d deal with ending the bond after we got back."

"Who agreed to that?" he asked, looking straight at her.

She stared at him. "You’re going back on your word?"

"I never promised you anything nice. Not once." His voice stayed calm, but there was iron underneath it. "This isn’t up for discussion."

"You—" She had honestly thought this part would be clean and simple. She hadn’t expected him to be this shameless.

Daniel stood a short distance away, listening to the exchange, clearly trying to figure out whether this trip had changed something between them.

Dominic really had changed. Just... not in the way Lena had ever wanted.

"Get in," Dominic said. "Or call a cab. Your choice."

"I’m not going with you."

"Then I’m going with you."

Lena parted her lips, ready to argue, but nothing came out.

In the end, she got into his car.

The only ground he gave was this: he drove her to her apartment, not his. And honestly, she didn’t want him taking her anywhere else.

Inside the car, neither of them said a word. His hand held hers so tightly, like he was scared that if he let go for even a second, she’d vanish.

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