The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6 
Ellie’s POV 
The sharp pain in my heart was immediate and familiar. Of course Dominic had accepted Vivian’s invitation without hesitation. From the very beginning, he’d always cared for her. 
I’d been running around like a fool for years, constantly getting in the way of their relationship. No wonder he hated me so much. 
The hallway behind me buzzed with excited whispers as students processed what had just happened. I could feel their eyes on my back, waiting for me to turn around and make a scene. 
Everyone expected me to regret this moment. To beg Dominic to change his mind. To throw myself at his feet and plead for another chance. 
But I didn’t look back. I kept walking, my steps firm and purposeful. I was done repeating the same mistakes. 
The rest of the school day passed in a blur of curious stares and whispered conversations. News of Dominic accepting Vivian’s invitation had spread like wildfire. 
By lunch, I’d overheard at least three different versions of the story. Some people said I’d finally given up on Dominic. Others insisted this was just another one of my dramatic stunts to get his attention. A few even suggested I was planning something worse. 
“Did you see her face when he accepted Vivian’s invitation?” one girl whispered to her friend as they passed my table. “She looked completely unbothered. It’s so weird.” 
“Maybe she’s finally growing up,” her friend replied. “About time, honestly. All that chasing after Dominic was getting embarrassing.” 
I ate my sandwich in silence while my best friend Sarah kept shooting me worried glances. She’d tried to ask what happened, but I wasn’t ready to talk about it. Not yet. 
“Ellie,” she said softly, leaning across the table, “you know you can tell me anything, right? I’ve never seen you this… calm about anything involving Dominic before.” 
I managed a small smile. “I know. I’m fine, really.” 
“But are you though?” Sarah pressed, her brow furrowed with concern. “You’ve been in love with him since we were kids. You can’t just turn that off overnight.” 
She was right, of course. In my past life, I’d been devastated every time Dominic showed interest in another girl. The jealousy had eaten me alive. But this time, I had the benefit of knowing how the story ended. 
But I wasn’t fine. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of my past life. Dominic’s cold indifference. Vivian’s fake tears. The taste of wolfsbane burning my throat. The memory of dying alone while he crowned my stepsister as his Luna. 
I had to stay focused. This time would be different. 
“I just realized some things aren’t worth fighting for,” I told Sarah, and it was the truth. “Dominic made his choice. I’m making mine.” 
Sarah looked like she wanted to say more, but the lunch bell rang, signaling the end of our break. 
The afternoon brought combat class, and I found myself walking toward the training grounds with a strange sense of anticipation. In my past life, this class had always been torture. Today felt different. 
Dominic’s POV 
I tried to shake off the weirdness of the day as I made my way to combat class. I didn’t know what was wrong with Ellie today. Who Vivian had given me her invitation, I’d accepted it out of impulse, betting that Ellie would turn back and make a scene like she always did. 
But she didn’t. 
Now I felt uncomfortable with Vivian being around me, but I didn’t know if I could reject her invitation without making her cry or something. And we weren’t close enough for me to ask her to step away for a second. I could do that to Ellie comfortably–we’d known each other for years. 
But I was the Alpha’s son, and I had to respect Vivian, who was almost a stranger to me, especially since I’d already accepted her invitation. 
I entered the training hall with my usual group. Marcus walked beside me, chatting about some strategy he’d been working on for our upcoming Alpha trials. Jake trailed behind him, making jokes that weren’t particularly funny but still managed to draw laughs from our followers. 
Several other students followed in our wake, as always. I was used to the attention, the way conversations quieted when I passed, the respectful nods from underclassmen. It was the natural order of things.