Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 177: 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.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!