Chapter 39
Dominic POV
“Ellie,” Lucas said with that stupid bow. “Will you be my partner?”
And that alone sent my world into orbit. The room tilts,, and for a second my brain just… stalls.
This isn’t right. None of this is right.
She didn’t even look at me.
Vivian gasps beside me. “Oh! Well… I guess that settles that!”
Her voice sounds muffled, far away, like I’m underwater.
People are whispering, pointing. Some full-on staring like they just witnessed a public execution.
“Yikes,” Marcus mutters to Tyler. “I betted on Vivian… but damn, that’s cold.”
Ellie choosing Lucas. Ellie choosing anyone other than her fated mate the future Alpha — is…
What does that even say about me?
My chest twists sharp and hot. Humiliation, anger, something deeper and uglier coiling tight in my gut.
She was supposed to pick me.
She was always supposed to pick me.
I never paid much attention to Lucas before. He wasn’t worth noticing. But judging by the way the girls looked at us – the whispers, the stares — apparently we were always rivals for ‘hottest guy.’
Funny. No one told me I was supposed to be threatened. And I never was.
Until now.
Before the instructor had told us to pair up, Lucas had his own group of fan swarming him. He was flashing that lazy grin, lounging against a table like he’s posing for a magazine shoot he definitely didn’t earn.
Lucas is a flirt. A loud, overdramatic, irritating flirt. He flirts with teachers. With baristas. With vending machines if he thinks the buttons look shiny enough. But he doesn’t choose anyone. Not for real.
He had nothing I didn’t. He wasn’t note worthy. He was a playboy with a lazy streak in class- not even an exceptional fighter.
And yet…
Ellie stops in front of him, with this look in her expression. It’s small, almost imperceptible. “Sure, I’d love to.”
My stomach twists. Hard.
Love to?
Lucas gives her that infuriating grin, the one he uses when he thinks he’s charming.
My hands curl into fists.
This isn’t happening.
1/4
+25 Bonus
Lucas doesn’t want Ellie. Lucas can’t want Ellie. He’s doing this to show off, to stir drama, to poke at me whatever. Anything but the idea that he actually wants to stand beside her.
The instructor snaps her fingers for attention, oblivious to the social earthquake she just unleashed.
“All right, everyone! Let’s begin with something simple. One partner places their hand on the other’s hip.”
The words barely register before Lucas steps closer to Ellie. Just a small shift forward, nothing dramatic, but to me it feels like he’s crossing a line drawn into the earth since the moment the Moon Goddess paired us.
He hesitates, glancing at her like he’s checking for permission, then places a tentative hand on her waist.
My breath catches.
Actually catches.
Ellie tenses, just slightly. And then, the part that hits me hardest, she gives Lucas a polite, almost shy smile.
That tiny, fleeting moment sears itself into my mind so fast it feels like my brain catches fire.
He didn’t deserve that smile.
A tug at my sleeve jerks me back into the present.
Vivian stands next to me, cheeks glowing, fingers curled lightly around my arm.
Gods… I had almost forgotten she was there.
She giggles in that breathy, delicate way that usually makes guys fall over themselves. She’s all soft innocence and fluttery lashes. Normally, I liked that.
Right now, it grates.
“Dom?” she whispers, tilting her head. “Are you okay?”
My skin is hot, pulse everywhere it shouldn’t be. My focus is a splintered mess.
“Yeah,” I say, forcing calm into my voice. “Just thinking about practice later.”
“Oh!” Vivian giggles again. “You should probably focus on this first, you know? You’re supposed to be the example.”
I huff a breath. “I am focused.”
She peers up at me. “You don’t look focused. You look… tense.”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?” she presses, blinking too sweetly. “Because you’re staring over there a lot…”
“I wasn’t staring,” I snap before I can stop myself.
Vivian blinks, startled. “I— I didn’t mean anything by it. I just thought you seemed… distracted.”
“I’m not distracted,” I mutter. “I’m just- it’s hot in here.”
“Oh.” She brightens instantly, back to sugary. “Well, if you’re nervous, don’t be! This part is easy. We can be the model couple for everyone else.” She squeezes my arm lightly. “Isn’t that cute?”
+25 Bonus
“Thrilling,” I deadpan.
Vivian giggles like I just told a joke. “See? You’re loosening up already.”
But I’m not.
Everything inside me is coiled tight. My chest burning, jaw clenched, all because Lucas’s hand is still on Ellie’s hip, and Ellie’s not pushing him away.
Vivian bumps my shoulder playfully, oblivious. “Come on, Dom. Smile.”
I try.
I really do.
But it feels wrong on my face.
Her words barely sink in, because the only thing I can focus on is that Lucas’s hand is still on Ellie’s hip. But she is right, everyone is watching, glancing our way as if to gage what to do. The instructors, students, half the damn school-waiting to see how the future Alpha handles himself.
I swallow. Slowly, I let my hand slide along Vivian’s side until it settles at her waist.
She lets out an unexpected sound – half laugh, half gasp – and the noise sends warmth crawling under my skin despite myself.
“Sorry,” she murmurs, her blush darkening. “You just… have big hands. It’s warm.”
All I can manage is astiff nod as the instructor claps once. “Wonderful! Now, we will begin simulating mate marking. Now, this is just practice, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean anything, especially for our fated couples. Please be careful not to go too hard.”
A chorus of reactions ripples through the classroom. Everyone knew what it was, and instantly how intimate it would be.
It’s a kiss on the neck. But harder.
Some couples choke on laughter as they have been together for a minute, comfortable with a hug and kiss. Others freeze with wide eyes. A few over-enthusiastic idiots immediately nip at each other’s necks, followed by startled yelps and nervous squealing.
“Dom,” Vivian taps my chest, arching her head to the side. “Just… be gentle. Okay?”
I freeze. It’s embarrassing, but I don’t react at all.
My eyes see movement from the corner, and I lock back on Ellie.
She stands rigid next to Lucas, her shoulders braced like she’s preparing for impact. There’s no way she’s going to let him close enough to simulate a mark. She’s…so innocent, blushing if I even brushed passed her in the hall. She can’t handle-
Lucas leans in to say something quietly in her ear, and whatever he says makes her shift in place, chin lifting, steadying herself.
My stomach drops. My pulse spikes hard enough to rattle my teeth.
There is no universe – none – where Ellie should be letting Lucas anywhere near her neck. She wouldn’t.
3/4
Not for practice
Not for a course.
Not for anything,
The idea alone sends a vicious wave of heat tearing, through my chest.
I can feel it. The bond tightening like a restraint pulled too tight, the pressure rising fast enough to make my vision blur at the edges.
And as Lucas lifts a hand toward Ellie, every instinct in me roars the same thing so loudly it drowns out the entire
room.
My vision reddens.
My breath shortens.
My grip on Vivian’s waist unconsciously tightens.
She is not his to touch.
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