Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

"Yeah... of course." I nodded.

Ethan Thorne’s expression iced over in an instant, that Alpha pressure leaking out of him until the whole private room felt like someone had secretly turned down the thermostat. My coworkers exchanged looks. One of them, trying to smooth things over while obviously nosy as hell, leaned forward and said, "Finding your mate is a huge deal! Lena, you really kept this quiet. But since we all know now, why not invite your mate in? Let us meet him?"

The others chimed in right away, curiosity and suspicion tangled together. My stomach dropped. Bring Dominic Voss into a place like this? That was about as likely as the moon rising from the wrong horizon. And if he ever found out I dared to let people know about our arrangement, he’d throw me out of the Bloodmoon Pack without blinking.

Since things were already spiraling, I forced a stiff smile. "Maybe next time. You know how Alphas are—super busy. I’m not even sure when he’ll be done tonight."

"It’s fine. It’s still early. We can wait with you," Ethan said again. His tone was calm, but there was this quiet pressure behind it, like he wasn’t actually giving me a choice. "We’re all curious, after all."

"Uh... it’s raining," someone near the window suddenly said.

I looked over. Thin streaks of rain were sliding down the glass, blurring the neon lights outside into smudged patches of color.

Great. Even harder to escape now. Every minute that passed made my skin crawl. The rain thickened, the sidewalks emptied, and just as I felt myself cracking under the invisible weight—Ethan’s calm stare, everyone’s questions, my own panic—my phone buzzed again.

Dominic.

I sucked in a shaky breath and answered. "Hello?"

"You’re still not out?" His voice cut through the line, colder than the rain hitting the pavement outside.

My heart tripped. I stared at the window. "You’re here?"

"Pathetic," he said flatly.

I bit my lip, shoving aside his attitude. Whatever. At least he actually came.

Hanging up, I turned to my coworkers. "My mate’s here. I’ve gotta go."

"We’ll walk you out," Ethan said as he stood, the others pushing their chairs back to follow.

With a head full of mixed feelings, I stepped out of the restaurant. Dominic, who hated being seen with me, hated being tied to me, and hated the idea of anything "public"—actually came to get me?

Outside, rain covered the whole street in a hazy curtain. A black sedan idled at the curb, hazard lights blinking. No Bloodmoon Pack insignia anywhere. I hesitated, wondering if I should call to confirm—

Then the driver’s door opened.

Daniel stepped out with a black umbrella, walking toward me with his usual steady, precise movements.

He stopped half a step in front of me and dipped his head slightly. His voice was calm, just loud enough for the people behind me to hear.

"Luna."

I froze, my spine going rigid.

Not even long ago, Dominic had shoved an icy contract in front of me, making it painfully clear: I was not allowed to reveal anything about us.

The sharp, unmistakable "Luna" obviously hit the ears of the coworkers behind me too. A wave of whispers rolled through them, thick with shock and sudden realization, spreading like ripples on a pond.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Ethan standing at the front of the group. His gentle, polished smile was completely gone. Something like disbelief flickered in his eyes, before sinking under a tangle of darker, unreadable emotions.

"Alpha is waiting for you in the car," Daniel said, as if he couldn’t hear the commotion behind us. He stepped aside and gestured toward the black sedan resting quietly under the rain. "You can get in now."

"Okay." I forced myself to steady my breathing, pushed down the wave of panic rising in my chest, and gave my coworkers a small nod. "Sorry, I’ll head out first. We’ll hang out again next time."

Daniel tilted the umbrella fully toward me, shielding me from the rain as he led me to the car and pulled open the back door.

The interior was dim, but I saw Dominic immediately. He sat against the far side, eyes closed, looking as if nothing in the world could reach him. The cold, distant aura around him made the space feel ten degrees colder.

I slipped inside quickly. Daniel shut the door, the engine hummed to life, and the car glided forward, leaving behind the cluster of coworkers still staring after us through the falling rain.

Silence filled the car, broken only by the rhythmic sweep of the wipers. I couldn’t help sneaking a look at the man beside me.

"Thanks... for earlier," I murmured.

Dominic opened his eyes slowly. In the dim lighting, his gray irises looked like pieces of frozen glass. "He’s pursuing you?"

His tone was flat, unreadable. I stiffened for half a second. How did he even know? Ethan hadn’t done anything obvious when I left.

Then a thought hit me. Had Dominic already been there? Had he seen everything at the private room door? Was that phone call just him stepping in because he saw I was cornered?

He definitely wouldn’t bother explaining that, so I just admitted, "Pretty much."

"Why didn’t you accept?" His voice stayed calm, like we were talking about the weekly forecast. "The heir of the Silvercrest Pack. For an Omega like you, that’s about as ideal as it gets."

I lowered my gaze, staring at my hands twisted together in my lap. "I know where I stand, Dominic. We have a contract. I won’t consider anyone else before it ends."

"You’ve really thought this through," Dominic said, his words laced with cold mockery. "Planning to wait until I die, and then go play happy couple with Ethan? Is that why you’re so desperate to stay by my side?"

"What?!" My voice cracked. Heat stung my eyes. "You’re unbelievable! You’re such a jerk!"

"You broke the agreement, Lena. Flirting around with another male—that’s what you’ve been up to." His voice was icy. "Stop the car."

"Alpha, it’s raining hard out there, and Luna Lena only just recovered..." Daniel tried to speak up for me.

"Do you want to get out with her?"

Daniel didn’t dare say anything else. He just quietly eased the car toward the curb like Dominic asked.

I pushed the door open the second we stopped and stepped out. The door had barely clicked shut when the car still didn’t pull away. The driver’s side window slid down, and Daniel leaned over, holding out a long black umbrella.

"The rain’s heavy. You’ll need this."

"Thanks." I took it without pretending to be polite.

The window went back up, and the black sedan slipped into the rain-soaked traffic without a sound, vanishing almost instantly. I stood there on the sidewalk with the umbrella open, staring at the direction it disappeared. Raindrops hammered against the fabric—soft, steady, relentless.

And then my tears just started falling again, hot against my cold skin. Was I really supposed to spend a whole year tied to a man that arrogant?

His heart was basically a rock—cold, unmovable. I kept thinking maybe, just maybe, I could warm it up, but that was clearly just me lying to myself. Maybe Lily was right. Maybe that’s why I keep messing up. Maybe I’m just... not someone who deserves to be loved that much.

A gust of wind shoved the rain straight into my face and shoulders, icy and sharp. The chill sank right into my bones, and hopelessness wrapped around me like a wet blanket.

Where was I even supposed to go now?

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