Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 146: Chapter 146

Lena’s POV

“Love?” Lena gave a small shake of her head. “When your body and heart already feel full, hearing someone say it out loud doesn’t matter that much. Sometimes you’re actually happier when you stop overthinking it.”

“Fair enough.” Anna nodded like that made perfect sense. “Then just stay happy. You two are together, so enjoy it.”

A faint smile tugged at Lena’s lips.

By now, she had stopped obsessing over whether Dominic loved her, or whether what he felt was real.

Wanting certainty meant wanting him to say it himself, and Dominic had never been the type to toss around words like “love” every other second. And honestly, even if he did say it, she probably still wouldn’t buy it.

What they had right now was enough. Living each day well was enough. Nothing in this world was perfect anyway.

Eliza had been unusually quiet lately. No calls. No drama. No showing up where she clearly shouldn’t.

Lena had heard Eliza was throwing herself completely into work. She had invested in restaurants, beauty salons, and fitness studios. Lena had to admit it—a she-wolf building her own career with her own hands had a kind of energy that hit different. Confident. Busy. Glowing.

The next time Lena saw her was at the Bloodmoon Pack estate.

She and Dominic stepped through the front entrance, and the very first voice she heard was Eliza’s, drifting over from the garden gazebo. She was sitting there with Celeste, arranging flowers.

Eliza spotted them first. “Dominic. Lena.” Her smile came easy, natural, open, like there was nothing forced about it.

Dominic flicked a glance her way, said absolutely nothing, and walked straight inside.

“Lena, come here.” Celeste lifted a hand and beckoned her over.

Lena walked up to the gazebo. Celeste raised a finished arrangement, the stems trimmed clean and even, the colors balanced beautifully. “Take this inside and find somewhere nice to put it.”

Carrying the vase carefully, Lena crossed the hallway. Behind her, she could hear Eliza explaining to Celeste how to adjust the stems so the bouquet looked fuller and more alive. As Lena turned the corner, their voices slowly faded.

Alpha Theodore was recovering well. The moment they arrived, he and Dominic went straight into the study, leaving Lena alone in the sitting room with a newspaper and a cup of tea.

After a while, Celeste came in, gave Lena a warm smile, then headed off to check on the kitchen.

Then Eliza appeared.

She set a vase down on the wooden table by the window, smoothed her skirt with both hands, and took the seat across from Lena. Strange enough, the silence between them didn’t feel tense at all.

“I haven’t been here in a while. The shop got some new stock in, so I brought Celeste a few bouquets.” Eliza spoke first, calmly explaining why she was there. “I didn’t know you two would be coming today.”

I set the newspaper aside and poured her a cup of tea. "Dominic wanted to come by and see them."

"He’s always respected his parents."

Lena smiled a little but didn’t answer.

"I owe you an apology." Eliza set down her teacup and looked straight at Lena. "My last partner completely wrecked me. I had no one to talk to. Dominic was the only person I trusted. He was my safety net, but I leaned on him way too much. I was selfish. I never stopped to think about what that might do to you, or to your relationship. I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused."

Lena slowly turned her cup in her hands and said nothing. Honestly, she had no clue what script Eliza was following today.

"You and Dominic have been friends for years," she finally said. "You have a deep bond. When your life was falling apart, going to him for help was only natural. I get that."

Eliza let out a breath, her shoulders loosening as if some weight had slipped off. "Thank you, Lena."

Lena kept the same polite smile on her face.

A she-wolf who had spent months trying to mess up her plans was suddenly apologizing to her. That alone was sketchy. Either Eliza had something else up her sleeve, or Dominic had finally gotten through to her and now she was scared of losing him for good.

She had held on for too long. A woman that stubborn didn’t just let go overnight.

Still, Eliza kept smiling and speaking softly, all kindness and calm. And really, you couldn’t just swing at someone who was smiling at you. No matter what was hiding behind her eyes, Lena was willing to accept a temporary truce for now and wait things out.

The conversation kept going. The mood was easy, even pleasant. When Dominic came out of the study and saw the two of them apparently chatting like old friends, his brows drew together.

"Dominic’s here," Eliza said, tipping her chin toward the doorway.

Lena turned around. He walked over. "What are you two talking about?"

"Not you." Her eyes gleamed.

Eliza laughed. "Well, that’s proof, isn’t it? Even if there wasn’t some big love story at the beginning, a happy relationship can still be built if people really put in the effort."

No big love story at the beginning. That was the part she wanted to underline.

"Exactly," Lena said smoothly, playing along. "Feelings change."

Eliza nodded. "People change too."

Lena tilted her head back and looked at Dominic. "Would you?"

"Become my wolf?" He looked at her with that same blank face of his. "That doesn’t count."

Lena burst out laughing.

She didn’t see Eliza’s expression behind her, and honestly, she didn’t need to.

"Come on." Dominic took her hand and led her out into the garden.

"Where are we going? There are still guests inside." She let him pull her along anyway.

August had turned the garden into a sweet, fragrant little paradise. The climbing roses were taller than she was, still blooming hard, layer after layer, packed so thick it was almost unreal. Night-blooming jasmine drifted beneath the trees, soft and intoxicating, wrapping around the air like a spell.

Dominic brought her to a lush osmanthus tree, pressed her back against the trunk, and kissed her.

Lena’s mind went totally blank.

She pushed at his chest, barely making enough space to breathe, then whispered, "What are you doing?"

He tipped up her chin with one finger. "Kissing you."

"Not here." Both her hands stayed braced against his chest. "Are you seriously high? You spend one afternoon at your parents’ house and suddenly you can’t keep it together?"

"No one can see us here." His thumb brushed lightly over her lower lip. "I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Kissing you in this garden. Every she-wolf wants something romantic, right?"

Lena stared at him. Her arms went stiff.

"Dominic, before me... who exactly were you imagining kissing here?"

"No one. I don’t need to imagine." He leaned in again.

She turned her head away. His lips grazed her cheek instead.

He drew in a breath. "What?"

"Because once you start, you don’t know how to stop. And I am not walking back into that house in front of your parents with swollen lips."

He laughed. He bought her excuse and finally let her go. "You get embarrassed too?"

"I still have some dignity, okay?" She gave him a shove.

He stumbled backward and hit the wall of climbing roses behind him.

Pink and red petals came drifting down like rain, landing in his hair, on his shoulders, brushing past his face.

She stopped in her tracks.

The sight in front of her was seriously beautiful. Dominic stood beneath a drifting shower of petals, the warm afternoon sun spreading softly over his skin, roses framing him on all sides.

It was so beautiful she knew she would remember it forever.

After lunch, they sat with Theodore and Celeste for a little while longer. Then Dominic got a call. Something had come up in the pack, and he had to go deal with it.

Lena rose with him. Eliza stood up too and said goodbye to his parents.

"Alright, I’m heading out. You two drive safe." She waved from her car, then pulled away.

Lena lifted a hand and waved back. Once she got into the car, she watched the manor grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.

"Eliza apologized to me today."

"Hm?"

"She said you’re the person she trusts most. She said she leaned on you too much, and that’s what caused problems between us." She lowered her head and slowly turned her ring. "Why do you think she suddenly changed?"

"No idea."

A knot of unease tightened in her chest.

If Eliza had kept picking fights, Lena would have known how to handle it. She was already used to that kind of stubbornness.

But today Eliza had been calm. Too calm. A woman who had loved a man that deeply, fought that hard, and held on for that long—how could she just let go like that?

Lena didn’t buy it.

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