Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Dominic’s POV

He leaned back against the headboard, staring at the photo Lena had posted.

His fingers twitched faintly. It almost felt like the trace of her touch was still there, like her fingertips had just brushed over his knuckles and never really left.

She had sneaked into his room while he was lying there. His eyes had been shut, but he’d been wide awake the whole time.

He had felt the mattress dip under her weight. Felt her fingers slide through the gaps between his. Heard the soft little click of her phone camera in the dark. And still, he hadn’t moved. Hadn’t stopped her.

He knew exactly why she did it.

To piss Eliza off.

Samuel had already forwarded Eliza’s latest post to him, then called right after, sounding way too entertained.

“They’re straight-up at war on Instagram, and you’re the battlefield,” Samuel said, clearly having the time of his life. “That photo was taken in the dark, on your bed. She snuck in while you were ‘asleep.’ But you weren’t actually asleep, were you? You let her do it. Dominic, come on. Just admit it. You’re done for.”

Dominic held the phone to his ear, his thumb absently rubbing along the side of his ring finger.

Bare. Empty.

His mind flashed back to the silver rings Lena had sent him.

“Anything else?” he asked flatly.

“Yeah. When exactly are you planning to end this agreement?”

Dominic laid his hand over the blanket, his voice low. “...After I deal with everything else.”

Samuel laughed, and the sound was seriously annoying. “I knew it. You can’t let her go.”

Dominic ended the call. The room went silent again, so quiet it almost pressed against his ears.

His fingers brushed his ring finger once more, and the memory came back so clearly it was almost dangerous—the feel of Lena’s fingertips slipping between his in the dark.

The next morning, he drove Lena to work.

She was unusually quiet today, almost obedient. Probably feeling guilty about sneaking into his room last night.

“I’ll pick you up at noon,” he said, one hand on the wheel.

She turned to look at him while unfastening her seat belt. “You’re taking me to lunch?”

“Yes.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

She got out of the car. He watched her limp through the front entrance, then drove off.

Lena’s POV

By noon, she was waiting for him. If she was being honest, she was kind of on edge. Dominic had stood her up before.

But this time, he didn’t.

Right on time, her phone rang. “I’m downstairs.”

She didn’t even bother pretending to play it cool. She grabbed her bag, headed straight for the elevator, and walked out the front doors. His car was parked across the street.

She wanted to move faster, but her ankle was not cooperating.

“Lena.”

She stopped and turned.

Reid Calloway was a few feet away, walking toward her. His eyes dropped to her ankle immediately, worry flashing across his face. “What happened to your foot?”

She glanced at Dominic’s car, then looked back at Reid. “When did you get here?”

“This morning.” His gaze stayed on her ankle. “Does it hurt?”

She shook her head.

A car door opened. Dominic stepped out, his face cold enough to freeze the air. In just a few long strides, he was at her side.

He stopped beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, firm and possessive. No words, no smile, just a straight-up territorial move.

Reid caught it. His shoulders squared at once. Two Alpha wolves stood facing each other with Lena stuck in the middle, and the air suddenly felt charged, like one spark could set everything off.

Dominic’s possessiveness threw her off. He had never done anything this blatant before. The hand at her waist felt almost deliberate, like he was making a point in broad daylight, loud and clear.

“Alpha Reid,” Dominic said, voice low and steady, “Lena told me what happened. You helped her when she was in danger, and I appreciate that. Since we’ve run into each other, let me buy you lunch.”

Lena stared at Dominic.

He was seriously inviting Reid to eat with them?

On the surface, it sounded polite enough. But the vibe was completely different. This wasn’t kindness. It was a power play, plain and simple: one man thanking his rival while holding his mate tight against his side.

"Fine," Lena said at last, the words dragged out of her like she had to force them loose. "Come with us, then."

"I should pass." Reed kept his voice steady, but it was obvious he was working hard to hold that calm together. "I’m here on business. I just stopped by to see Lena, and I’ve got a meeting soon."

A stab of guilt hit her hard. He had saved her life. And now she was tucked into another man’s arms right in front of him.

"Then let’s not force it." Dominic’s invitation sounded fake as hell, all surface and no warmth. He gave Lena’s backside a light pat. "Let’s go eat."

Lena looked at Reed, and Reed looked back at her. There was hurt in his eyes, raw and unhidden. He wasn’t even trying to cover it up.

"When you’ve got time," she said softly, "I’ll take you out for a meal. I owe you one."

He gave a small nod. "Sure."

He watched Dominic keep an arm around her waist and walk her to the car. Watched her get in. Watched the door shut.

Inside the car, neither of them said a word for a full minute.

"What I owe him," Dominic said at last, voice low, "I’ll take care of it."

Lena turned to him. "You’ll take care of it?"

"Yeah."

"What does that even mean?"

"It’s not your concern. But you’re not meeting him alone."

For a second, she genuinely thought she’d heard him wrong. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." His eyes stayed on the road. "Don’t see him alone."

"Why?"

"You know why."

The scene in that hotel hallway still hung between them like smoke that refused to clear. Lena in Reed’s arms. Dominic standing at the far end of the corridor, that hurt on his face impossible to miss no matter how hard he’d tried to hide it.

If he hadn’t shown up that night, then what would have happened between her and Reed—

Lena knew exactly what Dominic was getting at, and it made her blood boil.

"How many times have you seen Eliza alone?" Her voice turned sharp and cold. "Did I ever say a word about it?"

"I’ve never been alone with her." He stressed the word "alone" on purpose.

Lena let out a short, humorless laugh. "And what does your version of ‘alone’ even mean? After the door shuts? Because Reed and I never did anything like that either."

She really hated his tone right now—that suspicion in it, the way he sounded so bossy, like he’d already decided she was going to cross a line.

"So now you’re planning to have a meal alone with him."

"He saved my life. Buying him one meal is literally the bare minimum I can do."

"I already told you I’d take care of that debt."

"I don’t need you to take care of it for me!"

"And you think one lunch fixes everything?" He frowned, his gray eyes dark and unreadable.

"Then what do you think it takes? Stop assuming the worst all the time."

"We’ll talk about this later."

Lena scoffed, her chest tight with anger. "Dominic, we agreed we’d each live our own lives. You can see Eliza whenever you want, and I’ve never stopped you. So don’t even try to stop me from seeing whoever I want."

She paused, then said each word clearly, "You don’t get to control me."

The next second, Dominic pulled the car over to the side of the road. He turned fully toward her, those gray eyes locked on her face.

"So," he said, staring straight at her, "when you said you liked me... was that real, or not?"

The question hit out of nowhere and shattered her anger on the spot.

It was so sudden, so completely off-script, that Lena couldn’t answer. He watched her silence, and his lips slowly pressed into a hard, thin line.

"Lena," he said quietly. Under that cold tone, there was something else—something raw, something hurt. "Have you ever said one honest thing to me?"

It wasn’t just anger in his voice.

There was disappointment too.

Like she had promised him something without saying it out loud, and now she was taking it back.

Guilt rushed up so fast it almost knocked the breath out of her. She clenched her teeth, fighting with everything she had to keep the words from slipping out.

"I do like you," Lena said softly. "But what does that even change? You don’t like me. I can’t just—"

Dominic kissed her.

His hand closed around the back of her neck and pulled her across the center console, his lips landing on hers before she could finish. It felt like he was saying, loud and clear without words: "Enough. Listen to me."

The kiss went on and on, long enough to leave her dizzy, like the whole world had tilted. By the time he finally let her go, she dragged in a shaky breath, cheeks burning, eyes damp.

"Dominic—"

"Don’t see him alone." His voice came out rough, low, almost hoarse.

Lena had to admit it—that kiss completely nuked her whole argument. She licked her lips without thinking, still catching the taste of him. "You can’t just kiss me every time you want to win a fight."

He turned his face toward the window. "You’re my mate. Kissing you isn’t some accident."

Heat rushed straight into her chest. Especially hearing him say you’re my mate in that deep, gravelly voice—yeah, that hit way too hard. A warm ache spread through her so fast it almost made her lightheaded.

"Are you blushing?" she asked.

He cleared his throat and started the car. "We’re going home."

For the rest of the drive, Lena kept sneaking glances at him, trying so hard not to smile like an idiot.

His ears stayed red the entire way.

When they pulled into the restaurant parking lot, Dominic got out first, walked around to her side, and opened the door.

Lena tilted her head up at him, eyes bright and sparkling.

"Out," he said.

She held out her hand.

He frowned. "What now?"

"My ankle hurts." She pushed out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout.

He glanced around. It was lunchtime, and the lot was packed. "People are watching. You really want me to—"

"My ankle is injured, and my mate is helping me out of the car." She wiggled her fingers at him. "What’s there to be embarrassed about?"

He resisted. His whole body was basically screaming no.

But even so, he stepped closer and bent down.

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