Chapter 54
Ellie POV
After his little hunt, avoiding Dominic 24/7 became my new extracurricular activity.
The Healer Academy helped-different halls, different buildings, different air entirely. I could pretend the Management Wing didn’t even exist except for the faint smell of expensive cologne that still haunted certain hallways.
I stayed out of them.
And if I spotted Dominic in the distance-broad shoulders, that stupid perfect posture, hair pushed back like he walked out of a magazine spread-I turned and walked the other way.
Fast.
I even started avoiding his Beta’s too. Marcus, Tyler, and Vivian. Duh.
But for some reason, Marcus would pop up a lot. Even called my name a few times. I just ran.
When would they get the hint?
Although, the Lucas made things easier. Easier in having a friend way. Sarah was across the campus now, which sucked, but I wasn’t alone.
Lucuas would show up in the evenings with extra notes for me to help in my test, energy drinks, or dramatic retellings of his terrible day, plopping across from me in the library like he owned the chair.
And we… got closer.
Not romantically.
Not like that.
But he was warm. And funny. And surprisingly good at rerouting my spirals when I was moments from throwing a medical textbook out a window.
It was nice.
So when he slid into the seat beside me one afternoon, wearing that too-charming smile, I should’ve known trouble was coming.
“Ellie,” he said, flicking a pen between his fingers. “I require your assistance.”
“Hm. An future heir needing my help.” I tap my pencil with a smile. “So it’s probably bad. What will it be?” I asked warily. “Studying? Social sabotage? Smuggling medical supplies? All doable. I do owe you.”
He snorted. “Tempting, but no. Something bigger.”
“Define bigger.”
He leaned back, hands behind his head like he was about to break life-altering news.
“The Alpha Ball. I need a date.”
I blinked. “A date?”
“A partner,” he amended quickly. “Purely political. Also, purely fair. You owe me, remember?”
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I crossed my arms. “Do I owe you that much though?”
“Oh please,” he laughed. “I got you into the Healer Academy, didn’t I? Also, I let you be my mark in front of the whole school. Even got on Dominic’s bad side for you. That’s gotta be worth a dance.”
I groaned. “Lucas. What makes you think I want to go to some fancy Alpha Ball where everyone judges my napkin placement and glares at me for breathing too loud?”
He gave me a look. The kind that said he knew I wasn’t actually saying no.
“Ellie,” he said softly, nudging my arm, “it’s fun. Really. It’ll be nice to show up with someone who doesn’t take the whole event so seriously.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can already feel Dominic staring at me from three buildings away.”
Lucas grinned. “Excellent. Free entertainment.”
A laugh burst out before I could stop it.
But after it faded, hesitation crept in. Part of me worried about how it would look. People were already whispering enough.
And Dominic… Even when he pretended not to look at me, I felt the weight of it. He was still watching.
But another part of me–one that was finally learning to breathe again-knew I didn’t belong to anyone. Least of
all him.
Lucas leaned forward. “I’m not asking for romance,” he said easily. “Just company. And maybe someone who won’t let me get stuck talking to a crowd of fan girls.”
I snorted. “Fine. That’s actually a public service.”
“So you’ll come?”
I exhaled slowly, thinking of everything. I couldn’t hide forever. I was living my life.
“Yeah,” I said finally. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”
His grin went blinding.
I should’ve known something was wrong the second Sarah burst into my room without knocking.
She practically body-checked the door open, eyes sparkling like she’d just uncovered state secrets.
“Ellie,” she gasped, clutching her chest dramatically, “Get dressed. We’re going shopping!”
I blinked from my desk. “You broke my door…?”
She shrieked. Actually shrieked.
“Dress shopping for the Alpha Ball, duh! Lucas told Ryan who told Mia who told me-YOU SAID YES!”
Oh gods. News traveled through this school faster than airborne pathogens.
“I didn’t say yes,” I muttered. “I said okay. Big difference.”
Sarah waved a hand. “Not to the universe! Now move. If I have to force you into a dress, I will.”
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And that was how I ended up dragged downtown, Sarah arm-in-arm with me like she’d just won a prize pig at a festival.
The boutique she chose was ridiculous-floor-to-ceiling gold accents, chandeliers big enough to flatten a small child, and racks of gowns so sparkly they could cause seizures.
Sarah practically vibrated.
“I can’t believe you and Lucas are going together,” she said, rifling through dresses like she was in a timed competition. “You two look so cute side-by-side. Like… opposites attract, but make it academic lovers.”
“We’re not lovers.”
She smirked. “You’re definitely something.”
I swatted her with a hanger.
She only laughed and shoved an armful of dresses into my arms.
“Try these. Now.”
I groaned, stepping into the fitting room. “If I die in here, tell the Healer Academy I want extra credit.”
The first dress was too poofy. The second was too tight. The third made me look like an expensive cupcake.
“Next!” Sarah called.
I lost count by dress eight.
Finally, I pulled on a deep midnight-blue gown with a slit up the leg, soft shimmer in the fabric, and delicate embroidery along the bodice that almost looked like moonlight scattered on water.
It made my skin look warm. My shoulders elegant. My waist tiny.
I stared at myself for a long moment.
I didn’t really recognize myself. I looked like someone new.
Strong. Continuing forward. Learning to choose things for herself. I smiled.
“Ellie?” Sarah called cautiously. “Are you stuck? Do you need help with the zipper again-
I pulled the curtain aside. “Nah. I’m perfect.”
And her squeal filled the store with an echo. Yeah. This will do.
I wasn’t ready for how beautiful the ballroom would be.
Golden light dripped from massive chandeliers, scattering across polished marble floors like scattered stardust. The air carried the drifting scent of roses, rich perfume, warm candles, and expensive cologne. Strings of soft music floated through the space like a spell.
For a moment, standing at the entrance with Lucas’s arm warm beneath my hand… I actually forgot to breathe. But, I had seen it before. Only Lucas wasn’t the one next to me.
We stepped forward, and the entire room seemed to pivot toward us.
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Lucas, of course, looked like he belonged here. Hair neat, suit tailored perfectly, confidence radiating off him like heat. And me? For once, I didn’t feel like an impostor sneaking into a world I didn’t belong to.
Not in this dress.
“Ready?” Lucas murmured, leaning down slightly.
I nodded. “Shockingly… yes.”
He smiled wide. “Good. Because you look to beautiful to stay here. Let’s give them something to stare at.”
He meant it as a joke, but the moment we stepped into the golden glow of the ballroom, whispers rippled through the crowd.
“That’s Ellie?”
“She looks… incredible.”
“She and Lucas look amazing together.”
“I didn’t know she could smile like that.”
And Lucas pulled me onto the dance floor before I could overthink any of it.
Our hands linked easily. Our steps synced like we’d done this a hundred times.
It wasn’t romantic, but there was an ease to it that softened something tight in my chest. Lucas cracked jokes between turns, leaning in for dramatic whisper-commentary on everyone’s outfits, and my laughter kept surprising even me.
We spun past couples, past opulent decorations, past people staring far too openly-but for once, the attention didn’t make my skin crawl.
It felt… good. Normal.
When the music shifted into something slower, Lucas dipped me in a ridiculous flourish, making me snort, then pulled me upright with a smooth grin.
“You’re having fun,” he teased.
“Don’t push it.”
He grinned wider. “Didn’t deny it.”
I didn’t.
Because this time I wasn’t performing here. Tending to Dom. I was just breathing. Living. Dancing.
Then the trumpets sounded.
A low, grand fanfare that silenced the entire ballroom in less than a breath.
Heads turned toward the entrance.
Mine included.
Dominic walked in.
And the golden light caught on him like the universe was mocking me-and it was. He was in the same sharp
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black suit I remember.
And Vivian stood on his arm.
Perfect curls. Perfect gown. Perfect smile aimed up at him like she’d won some prize.
Typical.
Lucas felt me tense, his hand squeezing mine gently. I forced my face neutral, forced my spine straighter, forced my heartbeat to quiet.
But still…
The room felt suddenly colder.
Dominic’s eyes swept the ballroom.
And when they landed on us-on me in my midnight-blue dress, on Lucas’s hand at my waist-
His entire expression changed.
Just for a second.
But I saw it.
Lucas leaned in, voice low beside my ear.
“Well,” he murmured, “this just got interesting.”
My heart hammered.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Always is with him.”
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