Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Lena’s POV

Lena stared at the shut bedroom door, her brows pulled tight. She’d asked Dominic every question she could think of, and he’d given her absolutely nothing. Not one real answer.

God, the man was seriously annoying.

It took her a long while to wrap her head around the fact that the agreement was still active. That night, she video-called Anna and dumped the whole mess on her.

“I knew it,” Anna said right away. “There’s no way he wants to let you go. Otherwise why would he drag his feet on ending the agreement?”

Lena sat curled up on the couch, popping grapes into her mouth, still not buying it. “He doesn’t want to keep me. His former mate is back, and I honestly have no clue why he’s letting this agreement stay in place.”

“Oh, come on, Lena.” Anna rolled her eyes so hard it was almost dramatic. “You and him have been in this thing for months. His parents have met you. You sleep in his bed. He literally saw you crawl through a basement for him. You’re gorgeous, and you’ve got backbone. You really think he can’t catch feelings?”

“Yes,” Lena said flatly.

Anna blinked. “How? He’s a male, Lena. A possessive one. You seriously think an Alpha wolf can sleep beside you and feel nothing?”

Lena’s thoughts drifted to all the times Dominic had been close to her. Aside from the kiss on Christmas Eve, and that moment in the car, the other times they’d slept together... he hadn’t exactly been holding back.

“So what am I supposed to do?” She rubbed her temple, already getting a headache. “Push him to make it official?”

“Push him?” Anna nearly choked. “Are you kidding me? Before, we thought the curse was going to kill him, so yeah, I told you to take the money and leave. But he lived. The agreement is still active. And he’s the one refusing to end it. Why are you acting like you need to fight that?”

She had a point.

“Listen,” Anna went on, her voice turning firmer, “he’s the Alpha of the most powerful pack around. He’s rich, hot, and obviously not over the idea of losing you. So where exactly is the problem?”

“The problem,” Lena said, her chest tightening, “is that every coffee shop, every restaurant I walk into, I see his ex standing next to him.”

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t back off.” Anna’s tone sharpened instantly. “The agreement is still valid. Which means you’re the one tied to him, not her. She’s the outsider trying to squeeze in. You need to use that.”

Lena let out a laugh before she could stop herself. “Anna, I’m not about to start playing games to keep a man.”

“You don’t need to play games. You just need to stop giving ground.” Anna leaned closer to the screen, eyes dead serious. “Do not hand that woman an opening to get near your mate. I’ve got another call coming in. I’ll talk to you later.”

The screen went dark.

Lena stared at the TV, her reflection faint and blurry against the black screen.

My mate.

In a way, Dominic was still her mate.

I just couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t end this relationship.

Maybe he was using me to keep Eliza away, a human shield. A neat little excuse to stop the woman who had walked out on him from getting close again.

Honestly, that wasn’t impossible.

Or maybe in a few weeks, he’d bring up ending it again and hand over the place Eliza wanted more than anything.

I wasn’t about to fight for someone who was never mine. I’d always known Dominic didn’t belong to me. If not for that curse, our paths never would’ve crossed in the first place.

If it wasn’t mine, I wouldn’t cling to it.

That night, Dominic came over again.

And no, he didn’t just drop by. He had Daniel bring his stuff over too. I stood there and watched him carry clothes into my guest room, hang his shirts in the closet, line up his toiletries on the shelf, and stroll around my apartment like he’d been living there for years.

"You’re moving in?" I stood in the doorway with my arms folded across my chest.

"Yes."

"Why?"

He slowly looked around with a faint, almost mocking disdain, then turned to me without answering the question. "Give me one reason I can’t stay here."

I had never seen this side of Dominic before. Shameless. Stubborn as hell. Taking over my space without so much as asking.

I leaned against the doorframe and watched him occupy my guest room like a wolf marking territory. And yeah, that was probably exactly what this was. His scent had already settled into the sheets, the closet, the air itself.

"Fine," I said, because the man was already unpacking like the decision had been made.

What was I supposed to do, grab him by the collar and drag him out?

"But there’s one rule." I turned to leave, then looked back. "Stay out of my bedroom."

Dominic narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?"

I let out a scoff. "You don’t get to say that. This is my place."

I took a step back, moving toward his room, and added, "I can go wherever I want in here. Including that bed."

Dominic sucked in a sharp breath.

Lena lifted a brow, fully enjoying that tiny win like she’d just scored a clean hit, then turned and walked off.

Dominic’s POV

Samuel called to ask where he was. Eliza had been blowing up his phone all day too, calls, texts, the whole package, wanting to know where he’d gone.

He sat on the narrow little balcony with a cup of coffee in hand, looking through the glass door into the kitchen at Lena.

She had an apron tied around her waist and was stirring something on the stove. Her hair was pulled up, and her attention was locked on what she was doing, like the rest of the world had been muted.

This was the kind of plain, everyday home life he used to think was dull as hell. Ordinary. Small. Even this apartment had always felt too cramped, too modest, nowhere near his style. And yet somehow, sitting on this tiny balcony, watching this woman cook in that warm patch of kitchen light, he felt more at ease than he had in years.

“I’m home,” he said.

“Home? You went back to the estate?” Samuel asked.

Dominic set his coffee down. “No.”

“Then where are you?”

“At her place.”

“Whose place? Lena’s?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God.” Samuel cursed again, louder this time.

“Did you tell her the agreement is still in effect?”

“I did.”

“You won’t end the agreement, and now you’re living in her apartment too. You are seriously—” He cut himself off mid-sentence. “You told me yourself you didn’t have feelings for her.”

Dominic said nothing. He looked toward the kitchen again. Lena had finished one dish and was plating it up.

“The agreement is still in effect,” he said evenly. “It’s normal for mates to live together. I’m going to eat now. Bye.”

"Wait—" Samuel Clarke sounded tense now. "Then if Eliza asks where you are, what am I supposed to say?"

"Say whatever you want."

"What, just tell her you found a mate? That you’re living with your mate now?"

I went quiet for a second. "Fine."

"Dammit, Dominic." Samuel’s voice turned sharp, half mocking, half pissed. "You’ve got it bad for Lena. Why can’t you just admit it?"

I ended the call, shut my laptop, and walked over to the kitchen doorway. "Need a hand with anything?"

Lena handed me two bowls and set one down in front of me.

"If you’re staying here, you help with the chores," she said. "You do the dishes after dinner."

"Sure."

She looked at me, clearly caught off guard that I didn’t push back.

I met her eyes. "When I lived alone, I cooked for myself. This isn’t exactly new to me."

"You used to split chores with your ex too?" she asked lightly, like it was no big deal at all.

I didn’t answer.

Lena didn’t seem bothered. "Then if I run into that she-wolf again, what exactly am I supposed to be here?"

"Whatever you want."

"Great." She speared a piece of meat with her fork and dropped it onto her plate. "Because if she dares come near my mate, I’ll make sure she regrets it."

I frowned. Lena was smiling when she said it, calm and easy, but somehow that soft smile felt more dangerous than any outright threat I’d ever heard.

We finished dinner in silence. The second Lena put down her fork, she went straight to the couch, stretched out, grabbed the remote, and left the whole mess for me.

She really had no problem bossing me around. I rolled up my sleeves and started clearing the table.

Later that night, Eliza called again. Her flower shop renovation was done, and she was hosting a housewarming dinner at her new apartment.

"Samuel and Daniel are coming too," she added.

"Alright," I said.

Her voice instantly perked up. "Then come early, if you can."

"I’ll try."

The next morning, I stepped out of the guest room. Lena’s door was still shut. I knew her routine. She wouldn’t show her face until at least nine, maybe ten.

I grabbed my coat and headed out.

When I got to Eliza’s apartment building, I called Samuel and asked where he was. A car horn sounded behind me.

Samuel got out of the car. Seeing I was alone, he raised a brow. "You didn’t bring Lena?"

"She was asleep."

"Does she know you’re here?"

"No."

Samuel gave me a look that clearly meant something. "I didn’t tell Eliza about your arrangement. I also didn’t tell her you two are still mates."

"Just let it play out."

"What exactly are you doing, Dominic?" Samuel walked with me toward the entrance. "Seriously, where do you stand with Eliza? She broke her bond with Marcus and came straight here. She’s going to come after you. If you don’t tell her about you and Lena, she’s going to keep hanging onto some totally unrealistic fantasy."

"She won’t."

"You trust her that much?" Samuel pressed the elevator button. "I helped her break the bond. She walked away with a huge chunk of Marcus’s property. That should be more than enough. If she’s smart, she’ll stop reaching for things she thinks are still hers with you."

I watched the number above the elevator doors keep climbing.

"If I didn’t say it, don’t jump to conclusions."

Samuel shrugged. "I’m just giving you a heads-up. If you keep playing this game, innocent people are going to get dragged into it."

I knew he meant Lena. The elevator doors slid open, and we stepped out.

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