Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 176: Chapter 176

Dominic’s POV

My mother just would not let it go.

"You two haven’t come home in weeks," Celeste said. "I miss you both so much."

"We’ve been busy."

"Is Lena busy too? Can’t you take better care of her? Tell her to stop working and stay home for a while, get some proper rest. She should spend more time with the other pack members too, build some bonds. Honestly, this is the perfect time for you two to start trying for pups. Your father and I keep watching everyone else in the Bloodmoon Pack welcome their little ones, and we’re still here waiting."

I glanced at Lena.

She was sprawled across the couch on the other side of the room, looking lazy on purpose, keeping her distance from the call. She wasn’t eavesdropping. That was just who she was—polite, careful, never pushing where she wasn’t invited.

Then she caught me looking at her and lifted one brow.

Yeah. She got it.

"We’re not planning for that right now."

"If that’s the issue, I can raise the pup myself. She only has to carry it for a few months. Is that really too much to ask?" My mother was seriously not backing off tonight. "What, are you going to wait until you’re fifty and your pup is still running around in diapers before you do something?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I said we don’t have plans right now. I didn’t say never. Mom, we know what we’re doing."

"If you really did, I wouldn’t have to call." Then she switched tactics. "Is it you who doesn’t want pups, or Lena?"

"Me."

"Is something wrong with your body? After the curse, after everything that happened, did it affect your ability to—"

"You can assume that if you want."

"Assume? What does that even mean? Either it works or it doesn’t. If something’s wrong, we’ll get a healer involved immediately."

"Mom, if that’s all, I’m hanging up."

"Wait—don’t you dare. At least give me a rough timeline. One year? Two?"

I let out a tired sigh. "Good night."

I ended the call before she could launch into another round.

Lena was still lying on her side on the couch, one leg draped over the other, one eyebrow raised like she already knew the answer.

"Let me guess," she said. "Pups again?"

I looked at her, and she grinned. “Every older person gets weirdly obsessed with this stuff.”

Lena’s POV

“So, when are we having pups?” Dominic tossed the question at me, his eyes pinned on mine with a focus so intense it made my skin tingle.

My smile dropped off my face.

He got up, came over, and sat down beside me. Then he lifted my feet onto his lap and wrapped both hands around them. “Give me a date so I can be ready.”

“I can’t give you a date.” I tried to pull my foot back. He caught my ankle and held on tight.

I frowned. “Let go.”

“You don’t want to have my pups?” He narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching. “When you came to me in the beginning, the deal between us was that you’d bear my pups. That was the condition. You agreed to it.”

My stomach turned hard.

He was throwing that original curse bargain right back in my face, and he absolutely knew what he was doing.

The curse was gone now. He was healed. I had joined the Bloodmoon Pack to give him an heir and break the curse. And the night I kissed him in the cellar, all that pressure vanished. Everything after that had been real—my choice, not some duty hanging over my head.

Which meant having a child now would be different.

It wouldn’t be a deal.

It would be our child.

I kicked him. “Nope. Not happening. If you want pups that bad, go find somebody else.”

“Are you serious?” His fingers slid lightly along the sole of my foot.

My toes curled at once, and I jerked my leg. “Don’t—ugh, stop that, it tickles.”

He did it again.

And again.

Slow, steady, almost deliberate, he stroked the arch of my foot until I completely lost it.

“Dominic, stop—oh my God, stop—” I snatched up a cushion and hurled it at his head. Tears sprang out of my eyes, and I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe.

He tilted his head, and the cushion flew past me. His hand stilled, but he still had hold of my foot, mischief flashing in his eyes. “So if I go find someone else, you won’t be mad?”

I wiped at my tears and glared at him. “Go ahead. Be my guest.”

He leaned in, let go of my foot, then slid both arms around my thighs and pulled himself closer until his face was almost against mine. “If that’s what you’re saying.”

I grabbed his arm and bit down on his forearm.

He didn’t back off. He frowned, glanced at the marks I’d left on him, then tipped his head. “You’ve basically bitten every inch of me by now.”

“You had it coming.”

He slid an arm around my waist, lifted me onto his lap, and pinned my hands behind my back. His face came in close, so close his warm breath brushed my lips. “We don’t have to have a pup right now. But I do want to keep doing the stuff that makes pups.”

“You—”

I didn’t even get the word out before his mouth was on mine.

Physical closeness mattered. I wasn’t going to lie to myself about that anymore. As long as we still wanted each other, as long as his hands on my body could smooth over every fight, every frustration, then whatever tied us together was still there.

What Dominic Voss and Lena Foster had now went past the curse, past the deal they’d started with. One day, there would be a pup. She knew it.

Anna had once told her that if she really wanted to know whether someone loved her, the easiest way was to see if they wanted a pup with her.

“Is Eliza still around?” Anna asked over lunch the next week. “I haven’t heard her name in forever.”

A few days earlier, Lena had gone out of her way to pass by Eliza’s old restaurant. The sign was gone. A breakfast place had taken over.

“I think she left.” She hadn’t asked Dominic. Eliza was out of their lives now, and dragging it all back up would help exactly no one.

“Good. Things between you and Dominic are finally not a total mess. The last thing you need is her popping back up again.” The second Anna mentioned Eliza, her jaw tightened. She was never going to forgive what Eliza had done at the hospital.

Lena looked at her. “You seem a lot better after going home.”

“That visit was a disaster from minute one.” Anna stirred her coffee. “We got there, and my father fell. My mother freaked out and couldn’t even get him up. Daniel picked him up, carried him to the healer, then drove him into town for a full checkup.”

The corner of Anna’s mouth twitched. “My mother just stood there and watched the man she’d spent all that time trying to push out carry her mate through the house, get him into the car, and handle everything she couldn’t.”

Lena could picture it perfectly.

“She did it on purpose. This time she didn’t stop me from leaving, and she didn’t bring up breaking the bond either. But I could tell she still hasn’t made peace with it.”

Neither of their roads had been easy. If two people still chose each other after all the pain, then maybe the bond could hold.

The next weekend, Dominic was at the office. Lena went shopping, then decided to swing by the building where he worked.

When she got there, he was still in a meeting. She went straight into his office and waited for him.

I didn’t need Daniel to walk me in anymore. Everyone at the front desk knew who I was. Dominic and I hadn’t made some big official announcement to the whole company, but word had clearly gotten around, so nobody even blinked when the alpha’s mate stepped into the lobby.

His secretary brought me a cup of coffee. While she set it down, I took a quiet look at her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who made people stop and stare, but there was something gentle about her face, warm and easy.

After Dominic joked that maybe I should become his “personal assistant,” I’d asked Daniel about the women who worked for him. Daniel told me every female secretary Dominic hired was already mated.

Women with mates tended to care more about their careers and were less likely to cross a line. Smart move, honestly. It also said a lot about Dominic—he’d always been careful about that kind of thing.

Holding my coffee, I walked over to the window and stood there, looking out across the territory.

I pressed my palm against the glass. The city looked so close, like I could reach out and touch it, but from this height everything below seemed small, fragile, almost unreal.

I couldn’t help wondering what Dominic thought about when he stood here. What did this view look like through his eyes?

The door opened behind me.

I turned around.

Chapter 177

Lena’s POV

The second Dominic walked in, his eyes landed on me. He saw me standing by the window, glanced at the handprint I’d left on the glass, then shut the door behind him.

“Meeting over?” I asked, turning toward him with the coffee still in my hand.

He came over, and I held the cup out. He took it and had a sip.

“I’ll get another one in a minute.” He stepped past me and looked at the glass, at the mark my hand had left there. One brow lifted. “What were you doing?”

“Looking at the view.”

“You like it?”

“It’s gorgeous.” I’d always known that the higher you climbed, the better everything looked from above.

He smiled.

I frowned. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” He set his coffee down, took Lena’s hand, and guided her to the window. Then he stepped in behind her, wrapped both arms around her waist, and pressed her hands flat against the glass, his fingers sliding between hers.

His chest was flush against her back. His breath brushed the edge of her ear.

By the time she fully registered what was happening, it was already too late. She didn’t fight him. She just let him move her however he wanted, like he’d somehow flipped off the part of her brain that was supposed to scream run.

“What are you doing?” She remembered all those photos he’d been sending her of this exact window. The hint had not been subtle. Not even a little.

She had been dodging this whole vibe for weeks. Seriously, she never should’ve stood here.

His throat worked once. He moved even closer, hips pressing against hers, arms tightening around her. “Nothing.”

“Then let me go.”

“Just let me hold you.” He buried his nose in her hair and took a deep breath. “I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes. No time.”

Lena swore to herself, right then and there, that she was never stepping into this office again.

“You don’t have to be so tense.” He finally loosened his hold, his hands still resting at her waist. She could hear the smile in his voice. “It’s broad daylight. What exactly do you think I can do?”

“With you? Literally anything could happen.”

He laughed. “So I’ve got absolutely zero credibility with you now, huh?”

“You’ve got hormones. That’s what you’ve got.”

That made him laugh even harder, the sound bouncing off the glass. She jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow.

He cut himself off, let her go, and straightened his shirt. “I need to go to my meeting.”

“Then go.”

He turned her around to face him. When he caught the annoyance in her eyes, he tipped his head slightly. “Am I really that annoying?”

“A little.”

“Only a little. I’ll take it.” His mood seemed lighter now, and some warmth finally returned to his face, wiping away that usual cool indifference he wore so often. “Wait for me.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m going home.”

"Wait for me."

Her tone was firm, no room for debate. If she waited for him to finish his meeting, it would be dark by then. And once the sun went down, with Dominic already in this kind of mood—and with all the tension from her walking into his office earlier—there was no way he’d just let her leave like that.

"Alright." He didn’t push it.

She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

"Hey." His voice carried across the whole room, amused, but with a sting under it too. "Not even a little?"

"No." Before he could say another word, she slipped out the door like she was escaping a trap.

That night, after Dominic got into bed, Lena brought up something Anna had mentioned before.

"Is a house near the estate really the best fit for them?"

"Why are you asking?" Dominic adjusted the blanket, smoothing it out like it needed his attention more than the question did.

"Anna and I went to look today. Even the smallest apartment there costs an insane amount. She grew up in a tiny pack, spent her adult life in regular apartments, and now she’s supposed to move into a place worth more than she’d make in ten years. She feels like she doesn’t belong there."

"If Daniel couldn’t handle it, he wouldn’t have suggested it."

"I know. But Anna’s the kind of person who keeps track of every cent she thinks she owes someone. She counts every dollar Daniel spends, then compares it to what she can contribute. And every time she does that, she ends up feeling small."

Dominic looked at her, his eyes steady. "They’re mates. She’ll adjust."

"I know." Lena lay back against the bed. "I just want to make sure she doesn’t spiral."

Dominic turned onto his side, propping his head up with one hand, his gaze settling on her face without moving.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I’ve been too busy lately. Haven’t really taken care of you."

Lena yanked the blanket up to her chin in one quick motion. "You’ve already given me a lot. I’m fine."

The second the words left her mouth, every alarm bell in her body went off.

He caught the reaction instantly. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Then he lowered his arm and lay flat again.

"I’m not going to touch you."

"You’d better not touch me."

"Why are you so scared of me?" He turned to look at her, eyes fixed on her face. "We’re good together, aren’t we?"

Lena shut her eyes. She really didn’t want to keep talking to him.

Under the blanket, his hand found hers. She tried to pull away, but his fingers locked around her hand and held on.

"Tell me. What’s bothering you?" His thumb brushed lightly over her knuckles, slow and careful.

"Go to sleep."

"We should talk."

"There’s nothing to talk about. Good night." She turned over and gave him her back.

He shifted right after her, pressing close, his body warm against hers, his lips near her ear. "Has it been too long? Was I too rough?"

She seriously wanted to shove a pillow into her ears and call it a night.

He kept murmuring in that low voice, one hand settling on her waist.

"Dominic." Lena snapped, voice sharp as she slapped his hand off her waist. "Can you chill for five minutes?"

"I told you I wasn’t going to do anything." He caught her hand again.

And, for once, he actually kept his word. He just held her tightly in his arms and stayed still. Her muscles stayed tense for a long while, bracing for an attack that never came.

In the end, her body gave up before her mind did, and she fell asleep in his arms. This time, he was unusually well-behaved.

Daniel bought the house, and he put Anna’s name on the deed too. Anna came straight to Lena after that, and the two of them went out to shop for furniture.

Lena was totally into it, checking everything out with real enthusiasm, but Anna kept drifting off like her mind was somewhere else.

"You’re not into this at all." Lena nudged her. "What’s up?"

"When Daniel handed me the deed and his bank card, I suddenly felt this heavy pressure in my chest." Anna rubbed at her chest, looking a little dazed. "Am I making too big a deal out of this?"

"Yeah, you are."

She frowned a little.

"You two chose each other. It goes both ways. Before you even figured out you wanted him, he already wanted you. Daniel knows exactly what he wants, and he’s proving it with everything he does."

I picked up a throw pillow, looked it over, then tossed it back. "He wants to build a home with you. If that freaks you out, it’s probably because you’re not used to someone caring this hard. But that was his call. You don’t need to feel guilty just because someone loves you."

Anna’s expression turned serious. "I always feel like I’m not enough for him. He’s the Beta of Bloodmoon Pack. He could’ve had any she-wolf he wanted. But he picked me."

"He picked you because of who you are. And whatever your mother did? He already decided he’d deal with it. So stop keeping score. He’s not."

Anna stared at me for a long moment, then let out a sigh. "Since when did you get so wise?"

"Since I stopped overthinking the bond between us and actually started living in it." I caught her by the arm and pointed at a row of bedding sets. "You’re moving into a new place with your mate. You need decent sheets. What about these?"

Anna frowned. "We are absolutely not sharing a bed."

"You’re not sharing one now, sure, but that’s not gonna last forever. Been there, done that. Trust me."

I bought her two high-thread-count sheet sets, then added a few decorations, candles, a matching mug set, and a cashmere blanket. Anna tried to stop me, but I completely ignored her.

By the time we’d gone through every floor in the store, she finally dug in her heels. "Enough. No more shopping."

I stopped and looked at her. "Actually, there’s one more thing."

"No."

I held up one finger. "This one, you’re buying yourself. I’m just the guide."

Anna relaxed a tiny bit. "What is it?"

I led her into a lingerie boutique.

Anna’s eyes went huge. She grabbed my arm and tried to drag me back. "What are you doing?"

"This matters." I pulled her inside. "You don’t have to use it tonight. But you need to be ready, because night always comes, and when it does, you’re gonna thank me."

"Lena—"

I lifted a black lace set and tilted my head. "This one’s pretty good."

Anna’s face went bright red.

For years, she’d talked big about men and sex like it was no big deal, but standing in front of a whole rack of sheer lingerie when her actual mate was waiting at home? Yeah, totally different story.

I nudged her toward the fitting room, three sets of lingerie draped over my arm. “Go on. Try them. Pick the one that makes you feel a little dangerous.”

She vanished behind the curtain, and I could hear her muttering curses at me under her breath the whole time.

A minute later, she came back out with two sets, paid for them without even glancing at the cashier, then shoved the bag all the way to the bottom of her shopping tote like she was hiding state secrets.

“Trust me,” I said as we walked out, hooking my arm through hers, “when the day comes—and it will come—you’ll feel way better knowing you’re wearing something like that—”

“Oh my God, stop talking.”

I grinned. “I’m just saying, physical intimacy matters. Daniel is your mate. You’re allowed to enjoy—”

“Lena, I swear to God—”

Neither of us was watching where we were going. I walked straight into someone, and Anna stumbled sideways.

A girl crashed down right in front of us, one of her crutches clattering onto the sidewalk beside her.

Chapter 178

Lena’s POV

Anna and I both rushed forward to help her up.

The girl’s palm had scraped hard against the ground. The skin was torn open, and blood was already welling from the cut. Guilt slammed into me so fast my stomach twisted. “I’m so sorry. This was completely my fault.”

“It’s okay.” She looked down at her hand like it barely mattered, then took the crutch Anna handed back to her. She tucked it under her arm, steadied herself, and gave us a small smile. “I wasn’t watching either.”

“Wait here. I’m going to get something to clean that up.”

There was no way I was just walking off. She was on crutches, and I was the one who knocked her over. I hurried across the street to a pharmacy and bought disinfectant and bandages.

I cleaned her hands for her, spread ointment over the wound, and wrapped the worst scrape. I asked her twice if anything else hurt.

“Really, I’m fine.” She kept waving us off, like we were making too much of it.

Once I finished tending to her hand, she thanked us, adjusted her crutches, and clicked away down the sidewalk.

I watched her leave and finally let out a long breath.

"Oh my God, that seriously scared me to death," Anna said, one hand pressed to her chest. "If she’d hit her head when she fell, or twisted something, we’d be stuck in a hospital filling out forms right now."

I knew exactly what Anna meant. Knocking a girl with a crutch flat onto the ground? That kind of accident could go sideways real fast. If she had decided to report us or ask for compensation like some people would, we’d be in deep trouble.

"She was actually pretty nice," I said.

"Yeah. You do not run into people like that every day."

The mood dropped right after that. We went to Anna’s new place and spent the whole afternoon moving furniture around, hanging curtains, and sorting through the mountain of stuff I’d bought.

By the time we were done, it was already dark outside.

Daniel came home, and Anna waved me over. "Tell Dominic not to come upstairs. Let’s all go get dinner together."

I called Dominic. He had just stepped out of the elevator in our apartment building, but after hearing me, he turned right around and came back down.

We met in the parking lot, then drove to a restaurant together.

During dinner, Anna told them about all the things I’d bought, and I told Daniel to take good care of Anna and make their new place feel like an actual home.

Anna also brought up the girl with the crutch, and we laughed about how guilty we’d felt at the time, while also being relieved she hadn’t made a scene over it.

After dinner, we all went our separate ways. I took a shower, did my skincare, then headed over to the bed.

Dominic was already lying there, watching me, his eyes following every little move I made. The second I sat down, his arm wrapped around my waist and tugged me onto the mattress.

"You—"

Before I could finish, the phone on the nightstand started vibrating. Celeste’s name lit up on the screen.

At this hour, a call from his mother could only mean one thing. Something was wrong.

Dominic let go of me and answered.

"Mom."

"Come home. Now." Celeste’s voice was sharp and rushed, all the usual warmth gone.

Dominic frowned. "What happened?"

"I’ll explain when you get here. It’s urgent." Celeste paused, then added, "Come alone."

She had never said that before. Every other time, it had been both of us. But this time, she was making it crystal clear—I wasn’t included.

"Get some sleep." Dominic stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I’m going to see what’s going on."

I nodded. Celeste said she wanted him there alone, and I respected that.

Then he left.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wide awake no matter how hard I tried. My mind kept looping around the same question—what could possibly make Celeste shut me out like that?

She had always been warm with me, always pulling me closer, always making me feel like I belonged, like I mattered to her.

That shift in her tone sent a weird chill through me. It made my chest feel tight. I couldn’t make sense of it no matter how much I turned it over in my head. All I could do was wait for Dominic to come back and ask him.

So I waited. I texted him, asking if he was coming home tonight. No reply.

I stayed up until two in the morning, barely hanging on, and eventually passed out with my phone still in my hand.

The next morning, the bed beside me was cold. He hadn’t come back.

I got up and walked out of the bedroom, only to find him standing by the window, staring outside like his mind was somewhere else entirely.

"When did you get back?" I asked, walking over to him.

He turned around.

The look on his face made my heart drop. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark, like he was holding something heavy inside and trying not to let it show.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

"I need to leave for a while."

I frowned. "Pack business?"

"Something like that."

"Something like that?" I didn’t get it, not really, but I could feel it—he was putting up a wall between us. And whatever this was, he had no intention of explaining it.

I didn’t push anymore. “When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

Lena looked at him quietly. From Celeste’s phone call last night to the way he was acting now, every instinct she had was screaming that something had shifted. Something big.

She still had her pride. If Dominic didn’t want to tell her, she wasn’t going to stand there and beg for scraps.

Sooner or later, she’d find out.

“Okay. When are you leaving?”

“This afternoon.”

She gave a small nod. She really hadn’t expected it to be this soon.

“Daniel’s driving me.”

“All right. I’ve got a staff meeting this afternoon anyway.” Her voice stayed even, almost too calm. “Go pack. I’ll make breakfast.”

She turned toward the kitchen, but Dominic suddenly caught her hand.

She glanced back at him. His eyes were dark, restless, loaded with emotions she couldn’t read at all. It was like something was boiling under the surface, but he was forcing a lid on it.

“What is it?” she asked.

His fingers tightened hard around her hand, then slowly loosened. “Nothing.”

Yeah, something was definitely wrong. She knew it. He was hiding something, locking it away where no one else could touch it. Whatever Celeste had told him last night had changed the air around him completely. He’d shut everything down, and he wasn’t letting her in.

“Are you eating?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

She gave his hand a light tug, and he let go.

Lena ate a little, changed into different clothes, then headed for the door.

He insisted on driving me to work himself. The whole ride was dead quiet. I stared out the window at the buildings flashing by, and neither of us said a word.

He pulled up right in front of my office. I unbuckled my seatbelt, but I didn’t open the door.

"Dominic."

"Yeah?"

I looked at him. His profile was tight, stiff. His hands were still locked around the steering wheel, his knuckles pale.

"Come back soon."

"I will."

I got out of the car and walked into the building without looking back.

That feeling in my gut kept getting stronger. Whatever Dominic was hiding was big enough to change us.

But then I thought about us. What we had was solid. The bond between us was real, the pull between our bodies wasn’t fake, and somehow we’d fallen into a rhythm that fit.

But had we really opened up to each other? Truly laid ourselves bare? The deepest parts, the parts that actually mattered?

The fears. The truths. The words we’d swallowed and never said out loud.

I wasn’t sure we had.

So I braced myself. Whatever was coming, I’d deal with it.

Dominic texted me when he left. I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t explain it, but I had this weird, sinking feeling that when he came back, everything between us would be over.

"You’re overthinking it," Anna said when I started spiraling.

I didn’t argue. I knew when he was coming back.

And in the meantime, I stayed ready. The life we’d built on a curse that no longer even existed could fall apart overnight. Just like that.

For two days, Dominic kept texting me, sending his location, sending photos of everywhere he was. I sent him pictures too, little updates of what I was doing.

We didn’t say much to each other. Just images, little proof that we were still alive, a silent thread pulling tight between us no matter how far apart we were.

On the third day, Celeste called and asked me out for afternoon tea.

When I walked out of the office, she was already waiting downstairs. At that point, there was really no graceful way to turn her down.

We went to a quiet café. She looked the same as always—elegant, composed, greeting me with that soft, warm smile of hers.

And yet, underneath all that, something felt off.

The genuine warmth she usually carried had thinned out, little by little, replaced by a kind of careful restraint.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

We sat down. We made some small talk, the usual surface-level stuff, and she ordered our drinks. She asked about my job, my apartment, whether I’d been eating properly.

Then she lowered her eyes to her coffee cup. A second later, she looked back up at me, and every trace of warmth on her face was just... gone.

"Lena," she said, "I think you and Dominic should end things."

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