The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156

I rush on, lifting my hand between us. “Not because I want to-I mean, not necessarily. This is more for you. You’re an Alpha. You’ll have options. Expectations an dneeds. I don’t want to trap you.”

His gaze stays on me, unreadable.

Then he nods slowly. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

Relief and something else tangle painfully in my chest.

We sit there in the garden with the space between us filled by birdsong and the soft rustle of leaves, neither of us rushing to break it. Then he pushes’ to his feet, all business again.

“Sounds like we have a deal. I’ll have the contract drafted tonight,’ he says. “You’ll move into my place immediately while you heal. And tonight… you accept the bond.”

Tonight.

…TONIGHT?!

The word settles in my chest.

Oh gods that’s soon.

As he turns to leave, I reach out before I can overthink it and catch his hand.

He stiffens instantly.

“I just, um” I stuttered. “Thank you,” I finally say quietly, my fingers tightening just a little. “For doing this. It means more to me than I know how to say.”

For a second, he just looks at our hands like he’s not sure how they got there. Then he nods, voice low.

“Maybe you can hate me a little less now.”

Heat creeps up my neck. “I never really hated you,” I admit. “Not truly.”

He doesn’t answer right away.

r

The silence stretches, filled with the soft scrape of leaves shifting in the breeze. Dominic looks out over the garden instead of at me, jaw set like he’s debating whether he wants to open this door at all. When he finally speaks, his voice is quieter than it’s been all day.

“You know,” he says, absently rubbing his thumb along my knuckles, “Sarah said something like that to me the night you almost died.”

I stay still, afraid that if I interrupt, he’ll shut it all down. “What did she say?”

He exhales through his nose, almost a laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “She said the way you talk about me is… brutal. Like you can’t stand me. Like I’m the problem in every room.”

I wince. “That… tracks.”

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