The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17 
Dominic’s POV 
I was stunned. My mouth fell open slightly as I stared at the torn pieces scattered across the hallway floor. 
“You were going to invite me—what kind of act are you putting on now?” I demanded, my voice rising with each word. 
Ellie looked at me calmly. Her voice was steady when she spoke, and something about how controlled she sounded only made me angrier. 
“That invitation was written last month. I don’t like you anymore.” 
I couldn’t believe what she was saying. Students around us were recording everything on their phones now. 
“Last month,” she continued, seeing my confused expression. “When I still thought there might be something worth saving between us. When I was still stupid enough to believe that maybe, just maybe, you cared about me even a little bit.” 
I shook my head, refusing to believe it. “People don’t change that fast.” 
“Maybe you never knew me as well as you thought you did,” she replied. “Maybe you were so busy looking at Vivian that you never really saw me at all.” 
A murmur went through the crowd. Everyone knew about the tension between the three of us, but she’d never 
been so direct about it before. 
“That’s not ” I started, but she cut me off. 
“Isn’t it? When’s the last time you asked me how I was feeling? When’s the last time you cared about my opinion on anything? When’s the last time you treated me like I was worth more than the coffee I brought you?” 
I couldn’t answer. The silence stretched between us. 
Vivian stepped in quickly, clearly sensing an opportunity. She grabbed my arm and urged me forward. 
“Don’t bother with her. She’s obviously just trying to make you mad,” she said in her sweetest voice. 
But in my fury, I flung her hand off without hesitation. Vivian stumbled back, looking hurt and surprised. 
“Dominic,” she whispered, reaching for me again. 
But I was focused entirely on Ellie. I stepped closer, ignoring Vivian completely. 
“What is it that you want?” I asked, my voice low and intense. 
“I just want to stay as far away from you as possible,” she said coldly. “I hope we never have anything to do with each other again.” 
“You don’t mean that,” I said, but there was uncertainty in my voice now. 
“I’ve never meant anything more in my life.” 
The crowd pressed closer, eager to hear every word. 
We broke into a loud argument after that. Students stopped in the hallways to watch. 
“You’re being ridiculous,” I said. 
“I’m being honest for the first time in years.‘ 
“This is all because wasn’t excited enough to go to the dance with you?” 
“This is because you’ve made it clear how much you despise me. This is because you sabotaged my date with Ryan. This is because you can’t stand the thought of me being happy with someone else.” 
My face went red. “That’s not–that was different.” 
“How was it different?” 
“Ryan was using you!” 
“And what are you doing to me? At least Ryan was honest about what he wanted.” 
The words hit their mark. My jaw clenched. 
“I never used you,” I said quietly. 
“Didn’t you? Three years of letting me fetch and carry for you. Three years of letting me plan your schedule and organize your life. Three years of taking everything I gave you and never giving anything back.” 
“That’s not how it was-” 
“That’s exactly how it was.” 
I couldn’t answer. We glared at each other for a long moment. 
Finally, she turned away. “We’re done here.” 
We parted bitterly. I stormed off in one direction while she went the other way. Vivian hurried after me, trying to catch up, but I was walking too fast. 
That afternoon during Alpha training, Lucas arrived with his team. Word of our hallway confrontation had already spread throughout the school. 
Lucas casually tossed out some barbed comments as he walked past my group. 
“Heard you got dumped once and still went back for more–only to get shut down again,” he said with a grin. 
People nearby asked who Lucas was talking about. When they found out it was Ellie, they started congratulating me. 
“Finally shaking off your clingy shadow,” someone said. 
“About time you got rid of her.” 
My temper flared. The atmosphere between the two teams grew tense. 
“Ellie still believes you’ve never had any feelings for her,” Lucas continued. “That says a lot about your failure as an Alpha. And now, she won’t even look at you.” 
“Shut up,” I growled. 
“Hit a nerve, did I?” Lucas asked, his smile widening. 
My hands clenched into fists. 
“At least I don’t have to manipulate people to get their attention,” I shot back. 
“No, you just sabotage their relationships instead,” Lucas replied smoothly. “Everyone knows you had Ryan investigated. Everyone knows you made sure Ellie found out about his wife.” 
The training field had gone quiet. 
“He was lying to her,” I said defensively. 
“And you cared about her feelings so much that you couldn’t just talk to her about it? You had to humiliate her publicly instead?” 
Just as the situation was about to explode into a physical fight, the instructor appeared and broke it up. 
“Enough!” the instructor barked. “Save your energy for training.” 
Both groups reluctantly backed down, but the tension remained. 
After training, Marcus offered some advice. We were walking back toward the main building. 
“You know,” Marcus said carefully, “there might be a way to fix this.” 
I looked at him sharply. “I’m listening.” 
Marcus stopped walking and turned to face me. “You’re the Alpha’s son. Your pack is one of the major investors in this school. We hold strong influence on the board.” 
I could see where this was going. 
“All you need to do is drop a hint to the school. If they mandate attendance at the mating ceremony–and require everyone to have a partner–Ellie won’t have a choice.” 
Marcus paused, then added with a slight smile, “She’ll have to come to you. No one else would dare ask her after what happened today.” 
“That’s manipulative,” I said slowly. 
“That’s strategic,” Marcus corrected. “It’s what any Alpha would do to protect what’s his.” 
“She’s not mine,” I said, but my voice lacked conviction. 
“Isn’t she? Then why are you so upset about her dating other people?” 
I considered this for a long moment. It was manipulative and underhanded. 
But the thought of Ellie dancing with someone else, of potentially finding her fated mate with another person, made my wolf snarl with possessive fury. 
“That’s…” I started, then stopped. 
“Smart?” Marcus suggested. 
I pulled out my phone and stared at it. My finger hovered over the contact for the school board chairman. 
“This could backfire I said quietly. 
“Or it could be exactly what you need to get her back.” 
I made the call. 
I asked the school to issue an official rule: All students must attend the mating ceremony, and no one is allowed to go without a partner. 
The rule would be announced tomorrow morning. And Ellie would have no choice but to find someone to take her. 
But who would be brave enough to ask her now? 
As I hung up the phone, I felt a mixture of satisfaction and guilt. I’d just trapped the woman I claimed to care about. 
But if it meant she’d come back to me, maybe it was worth it.