Chapter 120

Dominic’s POV

Look, I swear I didn’t set out to tail them like some lovesick idiot.

It just… happened. Pure lizard-brain reaction, really. I spotted Dante and Elora walking together, side by side, all slow and serious, drifting off through the courtyard, and the next thing I know, I’m slipping out of my study, heart banging. Their shoulders almost touched. I could feel the tension from across the flagstones.

I tried to tell myself I wasn’t lurking. Nope, just keeping an eye out. Making sure my Beta was still thinking straight and not doing things that he isn't supposed to do, that he wasn't chasing his feelings while neglecting things that are more crucial in the pack, that he wasn’t letting his feelings get in the way. Total lie, obviously. I knew exactly what I was doing. Jealousy is a nasty thing that simmers under your skin and whispers all kinds. Of things and excuses to back up your stupid claims.

From my hiding spot that was not so enclosed behind a marble column, I watched Dante reach for her hand. She didn’t take it. The look he shot her, that one stung. Confused, a little wounded. I’d seen that face before, staring back at me when she picked him and not me.

Then Elora walked off, head down. And honestly, I had no clue what I felt. Relief? Guilt? Both, probably. Maybe neither. My stomach was a mess.

Dante just stood there, rooted, until he finally slunk off the other way, shoulders basically dragging. Then it was just Elora, looking like she carried the whole damn pack on her back, shuffling toward the healer’s quarters like her shadow weighed fifty pounds.

Of course, I followed. Distant, like I had any self-control.

Inside, Elora flitted from patient to patient, hands moving but shaky, voice soft and tired. She was running on fumes. You could see it, the way her wolf side flickered, the slight hitch in her breath every time she leaned over.

“Elora,” I said, not even bothering to hide the concern.

She jumped a little, big-eyed. “Dominic...”

“You’re wiped,” I said. “Let me help.”

She looked at me like I was weird. “You don’t have to...”

“I’m not really asking,” I cut in gently. “You’ve done enough for everyone else. Let me take a turn.”

She paused, weighing it, then let out this long, tired breath. “Okay. Just… don’t get in the healers’ way.”

I grinned. “No promises. I’ll try.”

We worked together after that. We passed each other, as we were supposed to, helped the patient that the healer couldn't answer on time, wrapped their wounds, and made the kids feel comfortable enough before administering to them. Every time she walked past me, something in my chest sparked and I was sure people definitely noticed. I could hear the whispers, but whatever. Let them talk.

And there was something almost soothing about it. The rhythm, the teamwork, the way we didn’t even need to say much. For once, I didn’t feel like the Alpha with the weight of the whole pack's burden on my shoulders for me to carry. I was just me, standing next to the woman who made me feel alive each time.

At some point, I caught her laughing with one of the younger healers, a real laugh, bright and sharp. It hit me hard. She looked so beautiful at that moment that I caught myself staring for so long when I shouldn't have been doing so.

“You should laugh more,” I said out loud without thinking.

She stared at me, surprised, then half-smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I… I’ll try,” she said, voice small. “It’s easy to forget how.”

“Guess I’ll just have to remind you,” I blurted, words coming out before I could even think about it.

She gave me a look, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. “You really shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

“Who?” I kept my voice low, eyes on hers. “Because you’re his now?”

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. For a second, we just stood there, surrounded by the healer and patients, the world felt like it was shrinking and all I could see was the two of us standing there.

She finally turned away, her voice almost not heard through the noise. “Don’t go making promises you can’t keep, Dominic.”

“Maybe I only keep the ones that count,” I said.

A few hours later, the healers walked out, and it was already nighttime, and that last little candle was already drained out. Elora started gathering her things, hands shaking with plain old bone-deep tiredness. Without thinking, I reached out to steady her. Just a brush of skin, nothing dramatic but damn, it zapped straight through me.

She went still. I heard her breath hitch. Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, all wide and startled, like maybe she’d felt it too.

Neither of us breathed. The rest of the world? It didn't matter. Just that silent pulse hanging between us.

She pulled her hand back first, voice shaky. “Thanks… for helping today.”

“No need to thank me,” I said, but my voice came out cracked, not how I had intended to sound.

Her eyes softened, staring at mine. “I mean it. Thank you.”

Then she was gone, just like that, leaving me with my hands shaking and my heart racing like crazy.

When the door closed behind her, I finally let out a breath. I could feel the connection within us, refusing to die.

I’d tried to bury it, smothered it with distance, with guilt. But the damn thing was still kicking, just waiting.

And honestly, for the first time in ages, I wasn’t sure I wanted to kill it at all.