Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Lena’s POV

Out on the terrace, when Samuel walked up to me, I honestly had no clue who he was. But the second he said he was the Alpha of the Moontide Pack, I figured I should at least hear him out. I remembered Dominic and the Moontide Alpha were supposed to be good friends.

So yeah... I really thought Dominic sent him.

I assumed Dominic had already explained who I was, so when Samuel invited me over, I didn’t even hesitate. I just said yes like a fool.

But now, looking at Samuel’s "what the hell" expression... he clearly had no idea who I was.

Which meant—I was literally being hit on by another Alpha.

And I stupidly thought Dominic had approved of it?

Samuel jerked back like he’d been burned, his usually smiling eyes now full of shock.

He looked at me, then at Dominic, and finally couldn’t help asking, "You... you’re really Dominic’s mate?"

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I said calmly, "Why don’t you ask him? He’s right there, isn’t he?"

I instinctively looked toward Dominic.

He was pressing a burning cigarette into a crystal ashtray, slowly, like he meant to crush the life out of it. He didn’t say a word, but sometimes silence is clearer than any answer.

Dominic stood up, his gray eyes stripped of warmth—only cold sarcasm and a chill of disdain remained.

"My Luna really has quite the imagination."

He walked toward me, each step pressing on my nerves.

"One beta wasn’t enough, the heir of the Silvercrest Pack wasn’t enough... and now what? You want to try your luck with my friend too?"

His gaze slid over my face like a cold blade.

"Tell me, Lena Foster, how many males do you need orbiting around you to satisfy that never-ending scheming of yours? Or is it just the natural instinct of Omegas from your kind of background?"

"It’s not like that!"

The words burst out of me, my voice shaking, "Samuel came to me. I thought you sent him. I didn’t know he didn’t recognize me! I just..."

"Just what?"

He cut me off coldly, staring down at me, completely distrustful, "Just happened to agree? Just happened to follow a random Alpha into his friend’s private lounge?"

"Hey, Dominic, hold on," Samuel quickly tried to step in, embarrassment and unease all over his face, "This is a misunderstanding. I approached her, you know that, I—"

"Shut up."

Dominic shot him a look sharp enough to cut, "What? You actually interested in her? Speaking for her this fast? Guess she really does have her tricks."

Samuel fell silent immediately.

Dominic’s eyes returned to me, full of contempt.

"To raise someone as fake and calculating as you... your mother must’ve put in a lot of effort."

"What did you just say?!"

That sentence hit me like a bolt of lightning, shattering every bit of restraint I had left.

I knew exactly what I was in Dominic’s eyes.

As long as it didn’t involve others, he could say anything about me and I would endure it.

But... he actually talked about my mother like that, using words so filthy they made my stomach twist.

The anger hit me all at once, sharp and burning, wiping out the cold disappointment and humiliation from just moments ago. I jerked my head up, staring straight into his icy gray eyes. My voice didn’t shake anymore—it came out clean and hard, like something inside me finally snapped.

"Dominic Voss! You can doubt me, you can assume the worst about me, you can throw whatever poison you want at me! But you do not get to insult my mother!"

My eyes were stinging, but I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw hurt, refusing to let the tears fall. I couldn’t believe it... that the same Dominic who once had people pull my mother back from the edge of that cliff when she tried to kill herself would now say something this cruel.

My voice had been loud. He stayed quiet for a couple seconds before answering, cold as ever, with that almost surgical calm of his. "As mates, isn’t loyalty the bare minimum? With what you’ve done, tell me—why should I believe anything you say?"

His absolute, unfiltered mistrust hit me like a bucket of ice water. It smothered my anger completely, left me freezing and hollow and so, so tired. He wasn’t going to listen. He wasn’t going to trust me. Any explanation I gave would just bounce off him like it meant nothing.

Whatever strength I had left to defend myself just... faded. I looked at him—looked at this man I’d stupidly thought might be different, someone I’d been grateful to, someone I’d hoped... No. All that was left was disappointment.

"Fine. Think whatever you want," I said quietly. "But I’ll say this one last time: I came here with my coworkers. I didn’t seek anyone out. And now I’m going home."

I didn’t look at him again. I didn’t look at Samuel Clarke’s complicated expression or Daniel’s silence. I grabbed the door, yanked it open, and walked out without turning back.

The blast of loud music and messy chatter hit me instantly, swallowing me up. I went back to my coworkers—they were still laughing, still having fun, completely unaware anything had happened.

I grabbed my glass and downed the whole thing in one go. I forced myself not to replay Dominic’s words, not to think about how badly they’d cut. I’d believed that if I just stayed honest, stayed open, he’d eventually see me differently.

I was such an idiot. I didn’t want to keep trying anymore... but Luna Celeste’s pain flashed through my mind, and so did the memory of Dominic saving my mother.

Was I really going to let him become a monster?

Samuel’s POV

Lena slammed the door so hard it echoed. I just stood there, staring at Dominic like I couldn’t trust my own eyes.

"You..." The question scraped out of my throat, sharp and furious. "That’s your mate?!"

Dominic Voss. The guy cursed to hell and back, the guy who hated being anywhere near a female wolf. He let the rumors get crazier every year, and in all the years I’d known him, I’d never heard of him treating any female wolf with anything but indifference or straight-up hostility.

He had a mate? And it was Lena?!

A sudden thought hit me like lightning. My eyes went wide as I stared at him. "Wait—don’t tell me she’s the one—"

"She’s just an unimportant Omega," Dominic cut in, voice flat as stone. "There’s only a contract between us. Why would that concern you?"

I couldn’t even bother with his attitude anymore. My head was buzzing with everything I’d dug up before—the clues and the strange glow Lena carried with her. Pure. Warm. Like she could scrub away every bit of darkness she touched.

"Oh, hell!" I shot up so fast I nearly knocked over my glass. "Dominic, she’s the one who can break your curse, isn’t she?! That Omega!"

Dominic’s fingers paused for half a second, just enough for me to catch it, then he went right back to calm mode, exhaling a slow stream of smoke without saying a word.

"I knew there was something different about her!" I paced across the room, too wired to keep still. "The moment I met her, I felt it—this quiet, grounding energy around her. And look at you. Ever since she showed up, your curse hasn’t acted up nearly as often!"

I spun around to face him head-on. "That’s why you won’t let her go, right? Forget that contract crap—you’re terrified of losing your only shot at freedom!"

His eyes sharpened, danger flickering there, but I was way too fired up to stop.

"Dominic, do you even get what this means?" I stepped right up to him, my pulse pounding. "You actually have a chance to get rid of that damn curse. You could finally breathe like a normal person again!"

I sloshed a hefty pour of whiskey into my glass, but my hand wouldn’t stop shaking. "I’m happy for you, man. Seriously. I’ve watched you suffer for years... especially after Eliza walked out..."

I hesitated. His face didn’t move an inch, but the mention of her hit like a silent punch. Eliza’s departure had wrecked him—froze whatever was left of his heart. And now Lena... Lena might be the only one who could thaw it.

"No joke, she’s way better than Eliza ever was," I muttered, unable to hold it back. "At least she didn’t run from you. And when she left just now... the look in her eyes? That wasn’t fear. That was real heartbreak."

I dropped onto the couch, glanced at Daniel standing stiff as a statue nearby, then looked back at Dominic. "But what you said to her just now... Dominic, if she’s really the key to saving you, why the hell would you tear her down like that? You should be holding onto her, not shoving her away."

Dominic finally lifted his gaze. For a split second, something complicated flickered in those steely gray eyes... then the cold slammed back into place.

"She can’t leave me." His voice was steady, almost disturbingly sure of itself. "No matter what happens, she won’t leave."

"But what if her heart already has?" I shot back. "Dominic, breaking the curse isn’t just about her being here. You need her heart in this. If you keep hurting her... you’re going to lose her the same way you lost Eliza. Except this time, you won’t just lose a woman—you’ll lose your only chance at freedom."

I rubbed my face, worry clawing at me. This stubborn idiot... His heart probably froze over the day Eliza walked away, tangled up with that curse everyone talks about. But Lena... Lena might actually be the one person who could warm it back up.

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