Chapter 153
Dominic POV
I’ve started spending so much time at the hospital I’ve gotten used to the gross clean smell, the machines constant humming, lights buzzing.
There’s always someone yelling in the distance, bleeding.
But here was quiet. At least as soon as Lucas was escorted out.
Thank the gods.
I take that as a win.
Still, I rub my head, feels like I haven’t slept in days. Or years.
Ellie shifts against the pillows, pale but awake, eyes sharp despite everything. She looks at me like she’s deciding whether to scold me or laugh.
I missed that look.
“So,” she says weakly, lips twitching. “You almost started a full-blown Alpha brawl in a hospital room. I can’t believe you two
even fit in here.”
Felt like a weird thing to talk about after everything. But I can’t blame her for not wanting to confront death quite yet.
I huff. “I showed restraint.”
She snorts, then immediately regrets it, wincing as she presses a hand to her ribs. “You shattered a door.”
“It was already flimsy,” I mutter. “Poor craftsmanship.”
She stares at me.
I add, “Lucas started it.”
That gets a real breathy laugh out of her this time, and for half a second, the knot in my chest loosens. Just a little. Enough to remind me why this hurts so much worse than any fight ever could.
Then the humor fades.
Because it always does.
Lucas’s words still echo in my skull. Because he’s ugly, there ugly, the whole idea ugly.
You’re killing her.
I scrub a hand down my face and finally sit on the edge of her bed, elbows braced on my knees. The joking tone doesn’t come back. I don’t even try to summon it.
“He’s not wrong,” I say quietly.
Ellie stills.
I know she’s thinking the same thing.
I glance at her, watching the way she tenses like she’s bracing for another argument.
“You’re not living, Ellie” I continue, staring at the floor instead of her. “Not like this. Not trapped in a bed, waiting for pain to hit, waiting for me all the time.”
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My jaw tightens.
“And whether you like it or not… that’s on me. If you die because of a connection between us, I-”
I stop.
Her fingers curl slightly into the blanket.
I straighten and turn toward her fully. “Before you say anything,” I say quickly, holding up a hand, “just-hear me out. Then you can yell. Throw things. Tell me to go to hell. Whatever feels right. But I have an idea.”
She watches me carefully. “You’re being weird.”
“Yeah,” I admit. “But I watched you die and brought you back, so I’m allowed to be.
“That’s fair.”
I inhale slowly, grounding myself.
“Okay, we have a few goals you want to achieve. So, this isn’t just about the bond,” I say. “Or your health. It’s about power. Leverage. Control.”
Her brows knit together.
“You want your mother out,” I go on. “You want the truth exposed. You want your stepfather burned to the ground legally, socially, permanently for what you think he did.”
“He did. He framed her.”
“Right,” I wave. “But you can’t do any of that as you are,” I say bluntly. “Not with your name. Not with your rank. Not with bening sick and dying.”
Her shoulders stiffen.
“But you could,” I continue, voice steady, “if you had Alpha authority.”
She exhales sharply. “Dominic, we already knew this–”
“Not a leash,” I cut in. “Like armor.”
Silence stretches.
I force myself to keep going.
“Rejecting the bond is killing you,” I say flatly. “We both know it. Pretending otherwise doesn’t make it less true”
Her gaze drops.
“So,” I say, heart hammering now despite my calm tone. “My solution.”
She looks back up.
“A contract marriage.”
The words land exactly how I expect them to.
Her eyes flash. “Dominic, Lucas already offered this. I can’t be caged-”
“But I’m not Lucas,” I say.
She pauses.
“You’re joking.”
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“No,” I say. “I’m not.”
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“That’s-” she pushes herself up a little, anger flaring. “It’s just…it just feels like if I say yes to you, this, it just goes against everything I’ve been fighting for. Like it was all pointless and I’m right back where I started!”
My head tilts. “What do you mean, ‘back where you started?””
She waves a hand.
“Nevermind.”
“If it help, this isn’t romance,” I continue. “It’s not a love story. It doesn’t have to be anything like that.”
She shakes her head. “I know, Dom, but-”
“We set terms,” I say. “Clear ones. Boundaries. Conditions.”
I meet her eyes now, holding them.
“You get your life back,” I say. “Your body. Your choices. Your school. Your future. You get access to every resource I have. Every protection. You’ll be a Luna, but a free one. Every door my name opens.”
Her breathing slows, despite herself.
“You live how you want,” I go on. “If you hate me for the rest of your life, you’re allowed to. But I can’t just let you die, Ellie.”
She shakes her head. “Dominic, this isn’t fair for you. You’ll be trapped with me too. You deserve love, a real Luna. I’ll owe you.”
I meet her eyes, determined. “You won’t. I take full responsibilty of the bond between us.”
Then she exhales slowly, something inside her shifting. Maybe… understanding.
“I need time,” she says finally.
I nod immediately. No pressure.
“Take all of it,” I say, standing, stretching. “I meant what I said. Think first. Yell at me later.”
I move toward the abthroom door, then pause.
“For what it’s worth,” I add quietly, trying to put the door back on it’s hinges., “This is me trying to give you control back. Not take it.”
She doesn’t answer.
And that’s fine.
I leave her with the choice.
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