Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 77: Chapter 77

Lena’s POV

Dominic flicked me a glance, then shut his eyes again. That look said it all—so childish.

I knew even if I didn’t wake him, the boarding announcement would do the job. Still, I hadn’t expected him to switch seats with a total stranger just to sit next to me.

With him right there beside me, there was no way I could relax. My thoughts were a complete mess, like a ball of yarn someone had yanked apart.

Two hours wasn’t that long. But the second the plane touched down, I let out a hard breath, like I was trying to empty my lungs completely.

I turned my phone on. Messages flooded in all at once.

Reid asked why I’d left without saying a word.

I had straight-up forgotten. I texted back, telling him I’d already landed in Bloodmoon territory. When he got back to town, dinner was on me. I owed him one for saving me.

The plane came to a stop. Everyone got up at once, crowding the aisle.

I glanced at Dominic. He stayed in his seat, not moving, not showing any intention of getting up.

So I stayed put too. No rush. It wasn’t like I had anything else going on today anyway.

By the time the cabin was nearly empty, Dominic finally stood. He reached up and pulled my suitcase down from the overhead bin.

“Thanks.” I reached for the handle, but he didn’t let go.

I frowned. “I can carry it myself.”

He ignored me completely and dragged my suitcase toward the exit.

I grabbed my laptop bag and hurried after him, tugging at his sleeve. “Give me my suitcase.”

He kept walking like he hadn’t heard a single word.

After we got off the jet bridge, I finally caught up and moved to his side. I reached for the handle, but my fingers brushed his hand instead.

I pulled back right away.

Dominic stopped.

His gray eyes settled on me, calm, unreadable, and somehow even more frustrating because of it.

"I said I’d carry it." This time, her voice came out firmer, with a bit more edge.

Dominic tightened his grip on the handle and kept walking like he hadn’t even heard her.

Frustration hit Lena so hard it almost made her dizzy. She hurried after him again. "Dominic, what is your problem? You have a mouth, so use it. Just say what you’re thinking."

"We’re in public," he finally said, his tone flat. "We’ll talk when we get home."

Daniel was already waiting in the lobby. Without a word, Dominic handed the suitcase over to him. Daniel took it straight to the trunk.

By the time Lena caught up, the trunk was already shut.

"Luna." Daniel opened the back door for her, polite and perfectly professional as always.

She was still breathing hard, still pissed off. "I’m not your Luna," she snapped.

Daniel didn’t so much as blink.

Lena turned to look at Dominic. He stood beside the car, waiting for her to get in.

Grinding her teeth, she climbed inside. A second later, he slid in next to her. Right next to her.

She pressed herself against the window, putting as much space between them as she possibly could.

She seriously could not figure out what he was doing. Since last night until now, he’d barely said ten sentences. She had zero clue what was going on in his head.

On the drive, his phone rang several times.

He declined every single call.

Not answering meant he was hiding something. Lena would bet money it was Eliza calling.

Then Daniel’s phone rang. He glanced at the rearview mirror and hesitated for a second.

"Alpha, it’s Miss Vane."

Lena let out a bitter little laugh. Called it. Dominic wouldn’t answer, so Eliza had gone straight to Daniel. Wow. What a beautiful friendship they had.

"Tell her the truth," Dominic said evenly.

Daniel answered at once and put the call through the car speakers. Eliza’s voice instantly filled the whole car.

"Daniel, Dominic isn’t answering his phone. Where is he?"

Dominic. Wow. First-name basis, that close, huh? Daniel’s voice stayed even and professional, like always. "Alpha went to pick up his partner. They’re on their way home now."

Lena just couldn’t make sense of Dominic. If he really cared that much about Eliza, then why have Daniel say something like that? Wasn’t he worried it would hurt her?

"Oh." Eliza’s voice flattened out right away. "Then I’ll hang up."

"Of course. Goodbye." Daniel was polite to the core, same as ever.

The call ended. Silence dropped back into the car, heavy and awkward.

When they got to the apartment garage, Daniel pulled the suitcase out. Lena had barely reached for it when Dominic stepped in first and took it from him.

"You can go," Dominic said to Daniel. "I’ve got it."

"Yes, Alpha." Daniel handed him the car key, then turned and left.

Dominic rolled the suitcase toward the elevator. Lena followed behind him. They rode upstairs without saying a word, the silence almost suffocating.

He opened the front door, shoved the suitcase off to one side, then suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, pinned her against the wall, and kissed her.

No warning. No lead-up. Not even a second to process it. Before Lena could react, his lips were already on hers.

Her hands flew to his chest and shoved hard. He didn’t move an inch. His body held her firmly against the wall, solid and unyielding.

She didn’t want this. Not like this. Not when nothing had been cleared up, not when his lies were still stuck in her mind like thorns. The second she found an opening, she bit his lip.

He stopped.

His breathing turned rough. His eyes churned like a storm, dark and overwhelming, like they could swallow someone whole.

They stayed there like that, locked in place, neither of them moving. After what felt like forever, he finally loosened his hold a little.

Lena let go of his lip.

"What are you doing?" Her chest felt twisted into a knot that just would not come undone, and this sudden kiss only made it hurt worse.

What even were they? Why was he kissing her?

His chest rose and fell hard. His hand was still pressed against her back through the thin fabric of her shirt, and she could feel her own body trembling.

"Do you know what I said when I switched seats?" His voice came out rough, like that kiss had scraped his throat raw.

Lena stared at him, frozen for a second before it clicked what he meant.

She didn’t care what he had said.

"I told the passenger you were my partner." His Adam’s apple bobbed. "I said, ’The woman by the window is my partner.’"

Her chest tightened hard. She looked at him, fists clenched at her sides. "Dominic, I seriously can’t figure you out."

He dropped his hands and took a step back, putting space between them. That familiar cold expression slid right back onto his face. Then he turned away and undid the top few buttons of his shirt.

"We are partners," he said with his back to her. "And we still have a long way to go."

Lena frowned. What was that even supposed to mean?

Was he seriously not planning to end the agreement?

"So you’re not ending this?" she asked.

"Why would I?"

"Then what about Eliza? Don’t you owe her an explanation?"

His eyes narrowed. "Why would I owe her anything?"

Lena kept staring at him. Him and Eliza. What was the truth, exactly?

Again and again, he had dropped everything for her. He stayed by her hospital bed. He showed up for the opening of her flower shop. And now he was standing here, telling Lena he owed Eliza nothing?

"I want out." She drew in a deep breath. "I want to end the agreement."

Dominic’s gaze swept lazily across her face, calm to the point of infuriating. "Go ahead. Try."

"Dominic!" She rushed up to him and stopped right in front of him, anger flaring so hard it almost burned. "There is nothing between us. No feelings, nothing. So why are you trapping me like this?"

He looked down at her, voice firm and steady. "No feelings? Lena, there’s history between us. And the agreement was never terminated."

Lena bit down hard on her teeth. He was actually throwing her own words back at her? How could he be this shameless?

I forced myself to calm down. I walked to the counter, grabbed a bottle of water, drank half of it, then braced both hands on the table.

"Let’s talk properly. After I shower."

He was already heading for the bedroom to get a change of clothes.

She seriously wanted to scream.

The bathroom door shut. Lena stood in the kitchen, waiting, anger burning in her chest.

Half an hour later, he finally came out. He had on loose lounge clothes, his hair still damp. The shower had taken the edge off him, softening his whole look.

But Lena knew better.

Under that calm surface was a heart hard as stone.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, sitting on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, those gray eyes fixed on her.

She was ready.

"Last night at the club, the second someone said your name, everybody froze." She did her best to keep her voice even. "Then another guy spoke up. He said he’d asked someone close to you, and that person confirmed you didn’t actually have a real partner."

Dominic kept listening, expression unreadable.

"That’s why they didn’t back off." She looked straight into his eyes. "Because someone around you told them I was nothing to you."

His face still didn’t change, but his gaze sharpened in an instant.

"So who was it? Samuel? Daniel?" She paused, then said the last name flatly. "Or Eliza?"

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