Chapter 35

Dante’s POV

The second I turned away from her in the stupid garden, I already knew I was full of shit.

That frost in my voice? The way I just shut her down, that was all just a mask. None of it is real. Truth is, underneath? I was a wildfire.

Every time I was close to Elora, it felt like something was making me hold tight and refusing to let go. She wasn’t just the Luna. She wasn’t just my brother’s wife. She was...mine. In some way that distance couldn't be erased.

Too bad she didn’t feel the same. Or maybe she did, but just not enough. Not enough for any sort of risk.

And yeah, that drove me totally nuts.

I charged out to the training grounds, ripping past everyone like a bomb about to go off. The other warriors actually flinched when they saw my face. “Keep swinging,” I snapped, snatching a sword off the nearest guy. I needed to lash out at something. Anything.

Steel smashed together, and for a while, that’s all I heard, except that every blow was hers. Elora in my head. Her voice turned me down, her eyes moved back to Dominic, and she defended him even as that bastard let Mira walk all over her.

When I finally stopped, I was standing there, panting, fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned white. Still didn’t feel better. Still wanted to punch something, or maybe just scream.

The bond was there too, making sure I didn’t forget she was nearby. Making sure I knew I had hurt her. And I wanted to run back. I wanted to grab her and take it all back, to tell her she should never let Dominic touch her, not even once.

But I didn’t move. Because wanting her felt like being shoved underwater and told to breathe.

I dragged myself over to the fence. Sword in a death-grip. Not tired, just...craving.

And the scariest thing? It wasn’t even the bond. It was just me.

I wasn’t supposed to want her this much. Wasn’t supposed to remember her laugh. This was purely the mate instincts.

She didn’t want that from me anyway.

She wanted Dominic. Or at least the security, the neat Luna title, the not-so-small promise of a future. Even if that meant faking happy till she died.

Every time I tried to reach her, I saw it in her face. She seemed confused.

It was enough to make me want to punch a wall. Because I had settled for crumbs and pretended they were an entire feast.

Leaned on that fence so hard the damn thing groaned and cracked underneath me.

“I’m falling for her,” I spat at the empty air. It left a sour taste. “And she already belongs to someone else.”

To my damn brother.

That part? That was the blade that cut deepest.

If I touched her, I’d be done for. Beta turned traitor. The elders would lose it. I mean, Dominic, sometimes I could swear he didn’t even care if she looked at me, but sometimes? There was that mean jealous spark in his eyes.

He didn’t love her. Not like I did. But he called her his, and because of that, I was supposed to back the hell off.

Supposed to. Not that desire listens to that kind of logic.

By the time the moon rose, I was still pacing around my room. Muscles screaming, mind sharper than ever, replaying every second from earlier. The way her voice tried to close the gap between us, the way I went and shut her out.

She probably hates my guts now.

And gods, that stings worse than anything I got in the ring today.

Elora’s POV

The night before the marking bit down like some invisible collar I couldn’t tear off.

The whole place buzzed and my mind raced. Today is the eve of the marking. I was going to be their Luna for real.

I should’ve felt...well, something. Triumphant? Grateful? I’ve fought for this from day one, clawed for a spot, anything to prove I wasn’t just useless baggage.

Truth is, I felt empty. Like a ghost haunting my own life.

I parked myself by the window, stared at the woods drenched in silver moonlight. My eyes burned, but I refused to cry, not for this.

Tomorrow, Dominic’s mark would be on me for good. His scent mixed with mine, his ownership inked in.

And Dante...he would be gone from my life. For real this time.

My chest ached.

The bond still thrummed between us, like this buzzing under my skin I couldn't scratch away. It didn't matter how hard I tried to shove him out of my head, or how nasty he had been in the garden that afternoon, he stuck around, burning through me like, hell, like the last shot of whiskey at midnight.

Of course, he wanted me. Obvious. Painfully, infuriatingly obvious. What I couldn't deal with was how bad I wanted him back. That’s the bit that made me itch under my own skin.

Hand pressed over my heart, lungs clawing for air, I wondered if it was just the bond doing its thing, or if it was something else.

Those questions hollowed me out, left me raw and ragged and wanting. Like maybe if I could just shake the truth out of myself, I'd finally get some damn peace.

The door creaked. I flinched. Swear I almost convinced myself it was Dante, walking in to mess me up even more. It was just a maid, all stiff and apologetic.

“My Luna, the council needs to see you tomorrow before the ceremony. Ritual stuff.” Her words just skittered off me. I waved her away.

Once the door clicked shut, I couldn’t hold it together. Head in my hands, vows roared in my skull, what was it again? Always loyal to the Alpha. Always loyal to the pack. I was meant to be his anchor. His ghost. His Luna.

The heart was a traitor anyway. Gave itself to someone who was never really mine.

The night before I get claimed, and honestly? I had never felt less claimed, lost in my own skin, floating between what I owe and what I want.

No matter what tomorrow brings, ceremonies, vows, the whole ritual circus, some stubborn part of myself will always, always be Dante’s. And that’s the part you can never carve out.