The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5 
Ellie’s POV 
I turned to find Dominic right behind me, his grip firm on my wrist. Behind him, Vivian stood with her invitation still unopened, looking uncertain and worried. 
“I’m going to lunch,” I said, trying to pull free from his hold. 
“Not until we finish our conversation.” His blue eyes were intense, searching my face as if solving a complicated puzzle. There was desperation in his gaze, looking for the old Ellie–the one who would have already apologized. 
The hallway went quiet. Everyone was watching, phones ready to record the upcoming drama. This scene would explode on social media minutes later. I could already imagine captions like: “Ellie vs Dominic: The Final Showdown” or “Love Triangle Drama at Moonstone Academy.” 
“Let go of me.” 
But Dominic didn’t release his grip, struggling with unspoken words. I saw conflict in his expression–anger, confusion, and an unidentifiable emotion. His jaw worked silently, and a muscle twitched near his temple. 
Finally, his face hardened into that cold mask I knew so well. 
“I don’t know what game you’re playing,” he said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade, “but don’t think this will get my attention. It only makes me dislike you more.” 
The words hit exactly where they were meant to. In my past life, those words would have destroyed me. They would have sent me crawling back, apologizing, begging for forgiveness and another chance. I would have dissolved into tears right there in the hallway, humiliating myself in front of everyone. 
My heart did crack, just a little. Some wounds never fully heal, even with the wisdom of a second lifetime. But this time, instead of breaking me, his cruelty only confirmed what I already knew. 
Pushing Dominic away, making him truly hate me, was exactly what I needed to do. It was the only way to break the cycle that had destroyed us both. 
“So much the better,” I replied quietly, meeting his gaze steadily. 
Dominic’s eyes widened slightly. He clearly hadn’t expected that response. Around us, I could hear the murmur of surprised voices as students processed this unexpected turn. 
“Did she just say ‘so much the better‘?” 
“Is Ellie seriously not backing down?” 
“This is not how this usually goes…” 
As Dominic and I faced off in the hallway, some of the onlookers started whispering among themselves, their voices growing bolder as they sensed the shift in dynamics. 
“You know,” one girl said to her friend, not bothering to lower her voice much, “it doesn’t look good for Vivian to be swooping in like this. I mean, stealing your sister’s man…” 
“Seriously,” her friend agreed. “Even if Ellie is being weird today, that’s still pretty low.” 
“They’re stepsisters, not real sisters,” someone else chimed in. “But still…” 
I noticed Vivian’s hand tremble as she clutched her invitation. The composure she’d had when approaching Dominic was beginning to crack. She realized the optics weren’t great for her. 
If she moved in now, while it looked like Dominic and I were having a public breakup, she’d appear as the opportunistic stepsister, swooping in to steal her heartbroken sister’s crush. 
The whispers were making her nervous. I could see her starting to second–guess her timing. Her eyes darted around the crowd, taking in their disapproving looks and judgmental whispers. 
In my past life as an 18 year old, I knew I had been overly possessive about Dominic. Whenever he got close to another girl, I would confront them directly, sometimes causing embarrassing scenes. 
After we discovered we were fated mates, I thought we could never be parted, so I began to trust and love him with my whole heart. 
My tragic death, of course, made me realize that Dominic had his heart set on my sister the whole time and never loved me back for even a second. 
Maybe Dominic had stopped me now to protect Vivian from my expected jealous fury. He probably thought I was about to create a scene. 
But I wasn’t that person anymore. I had learned the hard way that neither jealousy nor trust could make Dominic love me. 
So I gave up. 
Instead of confronting Vivian or making a scene, I did something that shocked everyone present, including myself. It was the kind of graceful gesture that the old Ellie never would have been capable of making. 
I walked over to her, ignoring the surprised murmurs that followed my movement. The crowd parted slightly as I approached, everyone holding their breath to see what would happen next. 
“Vivian,” I said softly, my voice carrying clearly in the hushed hallway. 
She looked up at me with wide, uncertain eyes, clearly bracing herself for an explosion. Her whole body was tense, prepared for the verbal assault she was sure was coming. “Ellie? I… I can explain. I wasn’t trying to- 
“It’s okay,” I interrupted gently, my tone calm and measured. Then I reached out and patted her shoulder with what I hoped was an encouraging smile. The gesture felt strange but liberating. “Good luck.” 
The hallway erupted in surprised murmurs and gasps. This was definitely not what anyone had expected to 
witness. 
“Did she just…?” 
“Did Ellie just give Vivian her blessing?” 
“What is happening right now?” 
Even Vivian looked stunned, her mouth falling open slightly. She’d clearly been expecting me to be angry, to try to stop her. She’d probably rehearsed responses to my anger and jealousy. Instead, she was faced with my calm acceptance and encouragement. 
She blinked several times, trying to process this unexpected turn of events. Her carefully prepared defenses crumbled, leaving her looking vulnerable and confused. “I… thank you?” she managed, her voice small and uncertain. 
The people around us were equally bewildered. Students who had been expecting a catfight were instead witnessing what looked like a graceful handover. Some seemed almost disappointed by the lack of drama, their phones still raised but capturing something entirely different than they’d anticipated. 
But I could see others looking at me with something that might have been respect. They were seeing a side of me they’d never witnessed before–someone who could step aside with dignity instead of clinging desperately to something that was never really mine. Someone who could choose grace over drama. 
Dominic’s friends looked particularly shocked. His Beta was staring at me with his mouth hanging open, clearly struggling to reconcile this version of me with the jealous, possessive girl they’d all known. Even his Gamma looked impressed despite himself. 
I nodded once at Vivian, then turned to leave. I’d said what I needed to say. The weight of everyone’s stares followed me, but I kept my head high and my steps steady. 
Behind me, I could feel Dominic’s stare like a physical weight pressing against my back. When I glanced back at him, his expression had darkened considerably. He looked like he was struggling to process what had just happened, his brows furrowed in confusion and something that might have been frustration. 
This wasn’t the script he’d been expecting either. 
I began walking away, my footsteps echoing in the suddenly quiet hallway. I could feel dozens of eyes following my movement, phones tracking my every step. But for once, I didn’t care what people thought or what they might post on social media later. 
I’d made it about halfway down the hall when I heard Dominic’s voice behind me. It was loud enough for everyone to hear, carrying clearly through the hushed space. 
“Yes, Vivian. I’ll be your partner for the mating ceremony.” 
I probably hesitated for a moment before I continued walking away.