Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 132: Chapter 132

Lena’s POV

“You decide.”

Dominic had zero interest in whatever little game was going on between she-wolves. If Lena wanted to have lunch with Eliza, he obviously wouldn’t care.

Lena turned and glanced at Eliza, then smiled. “He doesn’t mind.”

Silence filled the car.

She flipped down the vanity mirror, twisted open her lip gloss, and carefully brushed it over her lower lip. The ring on her right hand caught the light when she moved, flashing in a way that was impossible to miss.

“What do you think of this shade?” She pressed her lips together, then turned to Dominic.

He gave her a quick look. “It suits you.”

She smiled wider. “Kind of sweet too.”

“Yeah?”

The light ahead turned red, and the car rolled to a stop.

Lena tilted her head. “Want to taste it?”

Dominic shot her a look and instantly got what she meant from her eyes. She wasn’t even trying to hide it.

She puckered her lips a little. “Dominic...”

He let out a quiet breath through his nose, then leaned over and kissed her. Soft. Brief.

When he pulled away, Lena grinned. “Well? Sweet?”

“Sweet.”

She sucked in a breath and slapped a hand over her mouth, looking shocked and embarrassed. “Oh my God, I totally forgot Eliza was in the car. I’m so sorry. Don’t take it to heart.”

Eliza’s face had already gone ghost-pale, and her nails dug hard into her palm. She pressed her lips together, trying to hold herself together. “You two really are cute together.”

“Right?” Lena said with a smile. “Dominic told me he’ll only ever love me. Pretty sweet, huh?”

"That’s good. I’m happy for you." Her eyes stayed glued to the back of Dominic’s head, while beneath that calm surface, a full-on war was clearly raging.

Lena knew exactly what she was doing. For months, Eliza had been quietly circling her, dropping hints, crossing lines, touching what was hers. Now it was Lena’s turn to give it right back.

Still, Eliza held up better than expected. Lena had to give her that. Most women would’ve bailed before the main course even showed up. But Eliza stayed and finished the whole meal.

Lena used the restroom as an excuse to leave the table, and Eliza didn’t follow.

Eliza’s POV

The second Lena disappeared around the corner, Eliza turned to Dominic. "Have you really fallen for her?"

Dominic leaned back in his chair and lifted his eyes to her, saying nothing.

A bitter little smile pulled at Eliza’s lips. "I get it now. You never loved me. Not once."

He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and ignored her.

"If you never loved me, then why did you let the whole pack believe I was your mate? Every time I told people we were together, you never denied it. Not even once." Her voice caught hard in her throat. "Why?"

He set the cup down, and something in his eyes dimmed.

Eliza sucked in a shaky breath. "So when I left after the curse was confirmed, I wasn’t wrong. I was never yours to begin with. But I’m the one who had to carry all the shame. I’m the woman who abandoned the alpha heir when he needed her most." Tears blurred her sight. "Dominic, why would you do this to me?"

He looked at her like he was staring at a door that had already been shut. "Does it even matter now? I gave you everything you asked for."

"You know that’s not what I really wanted."

He frowned, his gaze turning sharp and cold. "If you keep this up, I’ll stop protecting you altogether."

Eliza bit her lip until she tasted the split from last night all over again. She stared at him, trying to find something, anything, some crack in that expression, but there was nothing.

Then she laughed. Tears rolled down her cheeks one after another, and her shoulders shook.

"Now I understand." Her voice was barely there, thin as air. "You love her. Only her."

His whole body went rigid. The air around them seemed to shift too, suddenly heavy and cold.

Lena’s POV

When Lena came back from the restroom, she saw Eliza’s makeup was a total mess. Mascara had bled down her cheeks, and her foundation had cracked along the tracks of her tears.

She had no idea what Dominic had said to her, but Eliza looked at her with a cold, mocking smile. The jealousy was gone. What was left behind was pity. Sympathy, even.

Then Eliza left first.

"What did you say to her? She looked completely wrecked."

"I told her to know her place." Dominic didn’t look too great either.

Lena guessed Eliza must’ve said something he really didn’t want to hear. She had zero interest in digging into whatever ex-lovers said to each other behind closed doors.

She just felt like people were right about one thing. The person who could hurt you the most was usually the one you loved the most.

Eliza was her rival, sure, but that didn’t mean Lena couldn’t see how devastated she was. The only reason Eliza had fallen apart like that was because she loved Dominic.

"Do you need anything else? If not, I’ll drive you back." He was already reaching for his keys.

"I want to walk around by myself for a bit. Don’t worry about me."

"Okay."

He drove off. Lena stood on the sidewalk, watching his car disappear from view.

She picked up on the shift in his mood right away. He was down, obviously. She just didn’t know whether it was because of work, or because of Eliza.

Her phone kept buzzing nonstop. Her former coworkers were venting in the group chat, saying they’d all been laid off. It had finally blown up across the board.

Some were furious. Some were crushed. Some were even jealous that Lena had gotten out earlier and walked away with a better severance package. The people who left after her had only gotten half of what she did.

She asked if they wanted her to bring Samuel Clarke in and try to fight for more compensation.

Every single one of them said no. The company was a giant. They were just nobodies. No one wanted trouble.

She got it. Most ordinary people just wanted to leave quietly and move on.

"Morgan Hale got laid off too. I heard she’s planning to start an agency."

"Didn’t she quit modeling because she was sick of all the shady crap in that industry?"

【Starting an agency is different. She’d be the boss. If she’s the one calling the shots, nobody gets to transfer her around whenever they feel like it.】

【That industry is brutal. Good luck to her.】

Lena put her phone away and kept walking.

She hadn’t even gone three blocks before she saw her.

Morgan Hale looked way more polished than she ever had at the office. Sunglasses on, hair loose over her shoulders, heels clicking with that cool, unbothered confidence that made people step aside without thinking.

Lena really did not want to do this again. Every single time they crossed paths at work, Morgan would toss out some snide little comment just to get under her skin. And honestly, even now, Lena still didn’t get why.

“Lena.”

She shut her eyes for a second, took a slow breath, then turned around with the friendliest smile she could manage.

“Small world.” Morgan pushed her sunglasses up a little. The look in her eyes was the same as always—sharp, dismissive, full of contempt.

“Yeah.” They weren’t friends. Not even close. Morgan had said her name, and she answered. That was already all the politeness this relationship required.

“Want to grab a drink?” Morgan asked.

“I just ate. Not really in the mood.”

Morgan let out a soft laugh and gave her a slow once-over. “You’re pretty, and you’ve got a great figure. Ever thought about modeling?”

That caught Lena off guard. Was she seriously offering her a job?

“Not interested,” she replied, keeping her tone polite.

“Of course you’re not.” Morgan smiled, but there was nothing warm in it. “You’ve got a rich alpha taking care of you. Not everyone gets that lucky. Some people have to claw their way up, smile to make money, and play nice with people they’d rather spit on.”

There it was. Same old Morgan. Pushy, cutting, exactly like she had been in the office.

By now, Lena was used to that tone. She tilted her head slightly. “You’re right. I really don’t need to.”

The smile on Morgan’s face started to fade.

She gave a little shrug. “Then you’d better hold on tight to your man. Temptation is everywhere. If you can’t keep him, somebody else will.”

“I’m not worried.”

Whatever game Morgan was trying to play, Lena had no intention of giving her what she wanted. The harder Morgan pushed, the calmer Lena became.

That was the whole point, wasn’t it?

Morgan wanted to rattle her.

Morgan stared at Lena for a moment, then gave a small smile and slipped on her sunglasses. "Good for you. Seriously."

Lena smiled back, but didn’t say a word.

"I should get going." Morgan turned and took a couple of steps, then paused and looked back over her shoulder. "Woman to woman, let me just say this—don’t build your whole life around a man. Especially a man who was never yours to begin with."

She caught the confusion in Lena’s eyes, then just walked off.

Lena stayed on the sidewalk, rooted in place, turning those words over in her head.

Everyone she’d run into today seemed desperate to say something to her. Luke. Eliza. And now Morgan. Three people, all in one day, showing up out of nowhere and dropping words that stuck in her chest like brands.

Morgan’s words hit the hardest, and honestly, Lena had zero clue what any of it was supposed to mean.

The way Morgan talked made it sound like she knew Dominic.

Lena pulled out her phone, found Morgan’s photo, and sent it to Dominic.

"Do you know her?"

"No."

This was the second time she’d asked.

"Her name is Morgan Hale. Are you sure?"

His call came through almost right away.

"Am I supposed to know this person?" Dominic asked.

"She seems like she knows you," Lena said evenly. "I can feel it."

He answered again, firm this time. "I really don’t know her."

Lena didn’t press him anymore. He’d said three times that he didn’t know Morgan, so she chose to believe him.

"Are you still out?" he asked.

"I’m heading home now."

"I have a dinner tonight. Some stuff to deal with. I’ll be back late. Don’t wait up for me."

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