The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 129

Ellie POV

The door closes behind us with a sharp sound, like the house is exhaling now that I’m gone. The cool morning air hits my face, and for a second I just stand there on the steps, breathing it in.

I just needed a second.

Lucas waits beside me, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, posture careful in a way that makes it clear he’s trying not to crowd me. The quiet between us stretches almost immediately. It’s… thick and uncomfortable, especially we haven’t said much since the ball and everything that’s changed because of it.

I mean…he said he liked me. Really liked me and always have and we just….left that

Yikes.

I slowly look his way.

He looks as patient as ever.

“I’m sorry,” I say finally, the words spilling out before I can overthink them. “About… all of this. I didn’t know he was going to pull you into it.”

Lucas glances at me, then back at the path ahead. “You don’t need to apologize. I figured something was going on.”

“Yeah…” I mutter.

We start walking, side by side. The neighborhood is still half-asleep, curtains drawn, lawns damp with morning dew. It should feel peaceful.

It really doesn’t.

“It’s just “I scrub a hand over my face. “Ever since the ball, it feels like my stepfather has decided my life is some kind of puzzle he gets to rearrange. First Dominic. Now you. Like I’m a problem that needs to be solved by marrying me off to the nearest Alpha.”

Lucas’s jaw tightens. “You’re right. That’s not okay.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Apparently it is, according to him!”

r

The silence creeps back in, the shape of his confession pressing in from all sides. But, I do like you. He’d said

it so plainly, like I knew what to do with that information, when really I’d just felt… lost.

Lucas clears his throat. “Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

He hesitates, then asks quietly, “Is he… hurting you?”

My steps falter just a little.

I don’t stop walking. I can’t. If I do, I might not be able to lie convincingly enough.

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“No,” I say too quickly, waving a hand. “No, he’s not.”

Lucas studies my face, searching, like he doesn’t quite believe me but doesn’t want to push. The look makes something twist painfully in my chest.

“It’s not like that,” I add, softer now. “It’s just… complicated. Really complicated.”

He nods once. “Okay.”

We walk a few more steps before the weight of everything finally breaks through my ribs.

“There’s something else, Lucas” I say. My voice sounds thinner than I mean it to. “Something that’s been bothering me.”

Lucas turns fully toward me this time. “Ellie. Maybe now isn’t the me. You don’t have to-”

“I know,” I cut in, then sigh. “But I want to. I wanted to say, I understand how you feel, I heard you, but I-”

He stops.

Which stops me a second after.

“What?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I don’t need an answer now. I didn’t need one the second I confessed, and I don’t need one the second I see you. It just… needed to be said.”

I slowly nod as he keeps walking and I move back to his side.

“So, you’re not mad?”

“No,” he saids, “But I am worried. What happened after your fight with you dad?”

I stare at the ground as I speak. “The night after the ball… my stepfather blew up. He said I was lying, hiding my affair with Dominic or trying to sabatage my sister. Then, my mother took me upstairs.”

Lucas’s hand twitches at his side. “And then?”

“And then,” I continue, forcing myself to keep going before I can lose my nerve. “I just.. broke. I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t even recognize myself.”

My throat tightens, but I swallow and keep walking, letting the memory spill out. “My mom sat with me. She tried to calm me down. And for a second, I really thought she was going to stand up for me. I thought…”

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