Chapter 57
Vivian POV
I stood there.
Alone. Alone after Dominic – my Dominic- walked away from me like I didn’t exist.
People stared. Whispers spread. Faces turned pitying.
I smiled through all of it. Soft. Sweet. The perfect little victim.
Inside? I was burning.
How dare he.
I watched Dominic grab Lucas like he wanted to snap him in half. I watched Ellie stumble back, wide-eyed and innocent.
And then-
Then he said it.
He claimed her.
Ellie.
Not me.
For a split second, I forgot how to breathe.
What.
The.
Hell.
I kept my pretty, trembling smile on, because people adore a girl who suffers gracefully, but inside I was one second away from tearing the chandelier down on all three of them.
She did something to him. She had to. Because Dominic doesn’t lose control like that. He doesn’t claim a girl like her unless she manipulated him.
Especially when he had me.
Ellie jerked her wrist free and snapped at him, stalking off toward the drink table like she wasn’t the reason my entire life just caught fire.
My jaw tightened.
That bitch.
Acting above him when she’s been drooling over him since we were five.
Fine.
My smile sharpened.
If Ellie wants a war…
1/3
+25 Bonus
She just picked the wrong girl to start with.
My gaze slid across the ballroom until I spotted him – one of the servers I knew, someone who owed me a favor. A desperate boy with a weak spine and weaker morals.
I drifted toward him with that same perfect porcelain smile.
“Excuse me, sweetheart,” I whispered, batting my lashes, “So sorry to bother you, I need a tiny favor.”
His eyes widened. I was beautiful, of couse.
A little something slipped into Lucas’s and Ellie’s drinks. Nothing dangerous – I’m not a monster. Just something strong enough to get them confused, clinging to each other, stupid enough to ruin themselves.
Because if they’re found together? Like that, Ellie’s reputation will shatter. She’ll be tainted, unfit, unworthy, and candalized beyond repair.
I’m practically doing Dominic a favor. A girl like that would never make it next to him. Ever.
My plan set in motion, I smoothed my dress, reapplied lip gloss, and walked back toward him.
Dominic stood alone now, shoulders heaving, jaw tight. Everyone gave him a wide berth.
I wasn’t.
“Dominic,” I breathed softly as I approached, touching his arm like I had every right to. “That was…Gods. You must be overwhelmed. I understand. Anyone would be in your shoes. I’m sorry she didn’t… return your claim.” I tilted my head, sweet empathy dripping from every word. “Why don’t we get some air? I’ll help you calm down.”
Because I always help. I always support. I always stand by his side.
Even when he makes…
Unfortunate mistakes.
He barely looked at me, still locked on where Ellie had walked away.
My smile never faltered, but godsI was going to make Ellie regret ever breathing the same air as him.
“Yeah,” he finally said tight. “Thanks.”
Ellie POV
Oh gods, I needed air.
I needed distance.
I needed something.
Because the second I wrenched myself out of Dominic’s grip, every nerve in my body turned molten. The claim in his boice burning through me.
The ballroom was too hot, too bright, too loud. My pulse hammered like it was trying to break out of my chest. I shoved through the crowd, ignoring the whispers, ignoring the way Dominic’s voice kept echoing in my head.
Ellie is my fated mate. My future Luna.
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My stomach lurched.
5 Bonus
I barely made it to the refreshment table before the room tilted. Chandelier lights blurred, the music faded, and my skin burned like I’d stepped into sunlight after years underground.
Why did I feel like this? Stress? The bond? Something worse?
“Miss?” a waiter’s voice cut through the fog. “You don’t look well.”
I dragged my gaze to him, breathing sharp and uneven.
“I-I’m fine,” I lied.
“Here.” He handed me a glass. “Water. Drink.”
I didn’t refuse. The cold slid down my throat, grounding me for half a second.
“Good,” he said softly. “Let me walk you somewhere quiet, You seem like you need it.
Normally I’d hesitate. Question it. But the world was listing sideways, heat crawling up my spine, and I couldn’t think straight. I let him guide me down the hall, each step heavier than the last.
The moment he opened a door, I stumbled inside and collapsed onto the bed. The room spun. My skin felt wrong. Overheated, hypersensitive, like I was drunk but somehow worse.
Then a scent hit me through the pillow.
Warm musk. Something sweet.
Lucas.
My head snapped up. Why did these sheets smell like-
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