Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 175: Chapter 175

Anna’s POV

The next morning, Anna called the real estate agent and put her apartment up for sale.

Since she was already doing that, she started checking out new listings too. Out of habit, she kept leaning toward cheaper places. The kind of basic apartment an average person could actually afford. The kind where you could live without being crushed by debt every month.

Right then, she was standing in the living room of a two-bedroom unit with decent sunlight and a pretty fair price when Daniel called.

"Did you check out the apartments near Heishi Ling?"

"Heishi Ling?"

"Near the Alpha’s estate."

After hanging up, Anna turned to ask the agent about Heishi Ling. The woman gave her a quick once-over, head to toe, like she was suddenly recalculating Anna’s budget in real time.

The second the agent told her the price range, Anna’s heart just dropped.

She wanted to live close to Lena. That part was seriously tempting. But those numbers? Yeah, they shattered the fantasy on the spot.

Daniel was the Beta of the Bloodmoon Pack. He made good money, sure, but Heishi Ling was on a whole different level. Where was he even supposed to get that kind of cash?

She gave up on the idea.

On the drive home, her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number and figured it was probably one of the listing agents she’d talked to before. So without thinking too much, she answered.

"Hello?"

"So now you’ve finally grown a backbone." Her mother’s voice blasted through the speaker, and Anna’s stomach clenched so hard she nearly swerved to the side of the road.

A few weeks ago, she had blocked every number they used. Since then, she hadn’t picked up unknown calls at all.

Today, she slipped.

"You think you can block us and pretend we don’t exist? Anna, let me make this very clear. As long as I’m alive, I have the right to decide your life."

That bridge. That hospital. Those weeks of silence. None of it had changed her mother. If anything, it had only made her worse.

Anna ended the call and shut off her phone.

If I left my phone on, she’d definitely call again.

Any tiny bit of warmth I’d managed to hold onto from last night’s talk with Daniel was gone, just like that. My mother’s voice could wreck me faster than anything. Faster than anyone.

Lena’s POV

Daniel texted me asking if I’d heard from Anna. He couldn’t reach her. Her phone was off, and she wasn’t at her apartment either.

Dominic and I split up to look for her. Nothing. We came up with absolutely nothing.

I stopped and really thought about it. If Anna wanted to disappear, where would she go? Her place? No. Daniel’s? Also no. The office? Definitely not. She’d go to the one person who wouldn’t push, wouldn’t pry, wouldn’t ask questions before she was ready.

So I drove back to my apartment.

The elevator doors slid open, and there she was, curled up by my front door, arms wrapped around her knees, face buried against them like she wanted to vanish into herself.

“I knew it,” I said, hurrying over and helping her up. “Daniel’s losing his mind looking for you!”

Anna pushed herself upright with the wall behind her. Her eyes were swollen and red. She’d been crying for a while. Not just a few tears either—full-on breakdown level.

I unlocked the door, guided her inside, poured her a glass of water, then shot Dominic a text to let him know I’d found her.

“What happened?” I asked, sitting down beside her. “Was it your parents again?”

That whole mess still haunted me. Every time Anna went quiet like this, my brain jumped straight to the worst-case scenario.

Anna looked at me and forced out a weak little smile.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “At first they were over the moon about Daniel. They loved that he was the Beta of the Bloodmoon Pack. So what changed? Why are they suddenly trying to break you two up?”

“They want control,” Anna said with a tired sigh. “They want me obedient again, like when I was a kid. They point east, and I’m supposed to run east without asking why.” Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I thought once I got older, they’d ease up. But honestly? They’re worse now than they were before.”

I pulled her into a hug. “I know this sounds harsh, but if it really comes down to it, cut them off.”

“If I do that, I’ll be the heartless daughter who abandoned her parents. Everyone in the pack will have something to say about it.”

“Let them talk. Seriously, who cares? If you don’t listen, all that noise is just background.” I tried to imagine being in her shoes, and anger flared hot in my chest. “Yeah, they gave you life. That’s true. But that doesn’t mean they get to chain you to the ground.”

Anna looked worn out, like she had nothing left to fight with. She wanted out. She wanted room to breathe, to live, to be free. But they were still her parents, and blood ties didn’t just snap cleanly. I knew that much from my own father.

Daniel and Dominic showed up in less than twenty minutes. The second Anna saw Daniel, her eyes dropped, and she kept staring at the floor like there was something written on it.

"I’m staying with her tonight," I said.

Anna didn’t want to face Daniel alone right now. That much was obvious. I could feel it in the air.

Dominic frowned and shot me a flat-out no look.

"Let Daniel stay with her." His voice left zero room for debate. "They’re mates."

Anna fixed her gaze on the floor even harder. I shot Dominic a glare, but he didn’t budge an inch.

Daniel stepped up to Anna and held out his hand. "Let’s go home."

Anna looked at me. Her eyes were searching mine, like she wanted permission. Or maybe she just needed one good reason to stay.

"He’s right." I hated saying it, seriously hated it, but Dominic had a point. This was something Anna and Daniel had to deal with together. I could hold her hand, sure, but I couldn’t fix this for her. "Let him in. Trust him."

Anna took a deep breath and got to her feet.

"We’re heading out." Daniel gave us a small nod, then gently guided Anna toward the door.

The door shut behind them. I turned on Dominic at once. "What is wrong with you? Seriously. Just one night. I just wanted to stay with her for one night."

"And then what?" he said. "You stay with her, she cries, you hold her, and tomorrow the problem is still there."

"She doesn’t need to solve anything tonight. She needs someone with her."

"Daniel is her mate. You really think you’re better at that than he is?"

"Right now? Yeah." I meant every word.

Daniel might be her mate, but their relationship was still new. Compared to the friendship Anna and I had built over the years, what they had was still paper-thin.

And the thing hurting her most was tied directly to Daniel. There was no way she could open up to him the way she could with me.

"Stay out of other people’s relationship drama." Dominic glanced at the time and took my hand. "Come on. Let’s get dinner."

Early the next morning, Daniel called Dominic.

I was just about to step out of the bedroom when Dominic hung up. I reached for my glass of water. "Who was that?"

"Daniel. He’s taking Anna back to her parents’ territory."

Lena took a sip of water, then set the glass down. "Wow, he’s really getting bolder by the day. Honestly, Anna wanting to bond with him might end up being the smartest choice she’s ever made."

Dominic watched her pour coffee, his gaze drifting to the dark circles under her eyes. "So you’re seriously going to keep turning down my offer?"

Lena glanced at him. "What offer?"

"Come work with me."

She bit into her sandwich, then shot him a glare so sharp it looked like it could peel the wallpaper right off the wall. "Nope."

December had finally rolled around, and work had at last slowed to a manageable pace. She could leave on time, eat dinner like a normal person, and actually get to sleep before midnight.

Dominic, on the other hand, had only gotten busier. Pack business was piling up like crazy, and he was stuck in meetings from morning till night.

Then one evening, Luna Celeste called and asked when they were planning to come to the main estate for Christmas.

Lena’s stomach instantly knotted.

She knew exactly where this was going. Celeste had always been patient, sure, but she had never once let go of the idea of wanting an heir.

Spending the holiday at the pack estate meant sitting across from her and getting hit with one pointed question after another—about her cycle, her health, and whether they had "started thinking about the future."

"It’s still early," Dominic told her. "We’ll figure something out."

And honestly, Lena was more than happy to let him deal with that.

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