Chapter 116

Dominic’s POV

I forced myself to spit it out before my nerves made me swallow the words. “From here on, you’re not my second. You’re my equal. Co-Alpha, right at my side.”

At first, there was this stunned hush, then the place just exploded. Dante was the first to start clapping, couldn’t have been prouder if he tried, then he damn near tackled her in a bear hug.

I watched it all, tried to smile, but honestly, it stung a bit, deep in the places I don’t like to poke.

She drifted over, face impossible to read. “Dominic…”

I didn’t let her finish. “Don’t say it’s a gift. You bled for this, every scar, every impossible call you made was for them.” I waved at the pack, now spinning and howling and just... alive again. “For us.”

She swallowed.

“You brought us back, too,” she said, voice almost a whisper.

I just shook my head. “Nah. I only followed the one light that refused to burn out.”

She almost said something, then just... didn’t.

After that, the night turned into a celebration. Music playing, more drinks than I could count, people grabbing Elora’s hands like she was some kind of angel. Her laugh was loud enough for me to hear, tired but full of something I hadn’t heard in ages.

And for the first time in a very long time, there was real hope in their eyes. But my chest just ached harder.

Later, after the crowd had reduced and the fire was going out, I found her alone, a tiny smile on her lips.

“You should get some sleep,” I said, stepping into the circle.

She didn’t look at me. “You first. You’ve been running actively throughout the night.”

“Sleep and I aren’t on speaking terms. Not with all this work left.” I said, shrugging.

Her tone softened, almost gentle. “You’ve done enough tonight.”

The silence that fell wasn’t awkward. It was just... thick. Full of all the junk we’d never say out loud.

After a minute, I finally muttered, “You were always meant for this. Not because of who your parents were or how hard you hit, but because you’ve got a heart. You remind these people what it means to actually live.”

She blinked at me, obviously caught off guard, and for a second I thought she might cry or laugh... or both. “Dominic…”

I moved closer... close enough to catch her hands shaking, just a bit. “You’re the heart of NightShade, Elora. They stick with me ‘cause they have to. You? They’d walk through fire for you.”

Something flickered in her eyes. Maybe hope, or maybe she was about to shatter. “And you?” her voice is low.

That hit me as sharp as a blade could. “Me?” I let the breath out, rough. “I’d follow you straight into hell if it meant this pack survived.”

Her lips parted, like she had something to say, but nothing came out. I didn't focus on anything else in the room. Just her

My hand moved before my brain even caught up. I reached out, brushed her fingers, turned her palm up. She didn’t pull away, thank god.

I pressed a kiss to her hand. No plan, no grand gesture. Just... needed to. Instinct or madness, take your pick.

The second my lips touched her skin, something snapped between us. She sucked in a breath. I still went to the stone. Could’ve sworn the world tilted a little.

I drew back, barely, and met her eyes.

That spark? Not in my head. It was there. Real as the blood in my veins.

She stared at me like she couldn’t decide whether to run or close the gap. My heartbeat was pounding away, drowning out every sane thought.

“Dominic…” Her voice was shaky.

I tried for a smile. Probably looked more like a grimace. “You’re the heart, Elora. Don’t let them make you forget it.”

And before I did something I would regret, I turned and walked out.

But leaving didn’t change a thing. One truth stuck to me, stubborn as a shadow.

Whatever we’d had before the war hadn’t vanished. It just twisted, got deeper, heavier, and a little more dangerous.

And honestly? If I wasn’t careful, this thing between us would finish me off long before any enemy managed to.

Elora's pov

I never imagined peace would sting this bad.

Standing between two guys who’d bleed for me, knowing I’d have to hurt one of them, no matter what is its own kind of battle.

Dominic has changed. Still got that alpha swagger, just… dialed down. Like he’s learned how to move slow, talk softly. He looks at me differently now, less like I’m something to win, more like something he kinda wants to keep safe. And Dante… Dante’s love is a freaking sunrise. Warm, steady, so gentle it almost hurts. He doesn’t push or pull. He just is. Always right there, patient as the dawn.

Me? I’m stuck in the middle, yanked between two truths I hate and need all at once.

They’ve both given up everything for this pack. For me. Swore to myself, I wouldn’t let either of them fall again. But every look, every loaded silence, it just makes that promise feel more like a joke.

When Dominic’s hand brushes mine during meetings, the room seems to disappear. When Dante laughs with me when we're alone, it’s like I’ve finally come home. But you can’t split home down the middle, can you? And it's not peace when it rips your heart in two.

The night before the new moon, I can’t sleep. Something’s crawling under my skin, pacing inside me like my soul’s trapped in a cage. I just lie there, eyes wide, listening to the silence get heavier and heavier. The ache in my chest keeps winding tighter, more like a warning.

I sit up, hand over my heart, breath all ragged. These aren't feelings. It’s deeper. Like some invisible string is yanking me from a million miles away.

Dante shifts beside me. “Elora,” he mumbles, half-lost in dreams. “You okay?”

“Mm. Just restless,” I lie, the word sour as old blood.

His hand finds my wrist, warm for a second, then gone. I almost reach for him, but my mind has gone somewhere else. My wolf gritted its teeth as we both felt a presence that wasn't supposed to be here.

I get up, wander to the window. It was like someone tugging at my heart painfully. My pulse stutters.

Thunder out of nowhere.

It rolls in, low and hungry, even though the sky’s clear as glass.