Chapter 90

Dante's pov

When I came to, the first thing I noticed was warmth. Real, human warmth. Not the fake kind you get from a blanket or the sun sneaking in. This was softer, heavier. Made me want to melt back into the mattress.

I finally bothered to look down.

Elora, out cold in a chair, head tipped onto the mattress, clutching my hand like it was her lifeline. The poor girl’s fingers were small, rough from training, but she held on gently, like she was afraid I’d slip away if she let go. She must’ve nodded off mid-vigil, battle over or not.

Couldn’t help it as a smile snuck up before I could chase it off. Elora, the Alpha’s Luna. Meant to be made of steel, running a kingdom. But right now? She just looked… young. Wrecked. So painfully, honestly human.

I shifted a bit. Mattress creaked. She blinked awake, slow at first, then suddenly sharp. “Dante?” Voice all hoarse and hopeful. The girl nearly fell out of the chair trying to sit up. “You’re awake.”

“Barely,” I croaked. My mouth felt like I’d been chewing sand. “Feels like I lost a fight with a tree.”

She let out this half-laugh, half-sob thing. “You basically did. You’re an idiot, you know that?”

“Reckless, huh?” I managed a smirk, shaky but there. “Pretty rich coming from the girl who charged into a rogue ambush with a dagger and a prayer.”

Her mouth twisted, equal parts annoyed and relieved. “I had backup.”

“Yeah, and look how well that turned out,” I muttered, staring at bandages on my side. “Next time, pick someone else for backup duty.”

She rolled her eyes, but something in her voice softened. “You scared me.”

I met her gaze. “You scare me right back.”

Something shifted then. Like the air got heavier, thick with stuff we weren’t saying. Neither of us talked. In the other room, someone was grinding roots...healer probably, like a weird soundtrack to our silence.

She was the first to look away and started to pull her hand back. Nope. I grabbed it before she could bail. “Don’t.”

Her breath snagged. I noticed.

“I know what you’re doing,” I said, voice down low. “You’re running. Pretending this is nothing.”

She didn’t answer. Just stared at the window, sunlight painting her gold. “It can’t be anything,” she whispered.

“Yeah? Tell that to your heartbeat,” I said, thumb brushing her wrist.

She opened her mouth, but said nothing.

Silence.

Not the good kind. I’d nearly died a hundred times, but honestly? Nothing scared me like this. Like her.

“You don’t get it,” she finally said, voice shaking. “Dominic...he’s still...”

“Alive,” I said. “But not blind.”

She looked at me, startled. “What are you talking about?”

“He sees you. Not the Luna mask, not the symbol. You. He’s finally figuring out what he’s actually done.”

Elora shook her head, hair falling into her eyes. “He doesn’t love me, Dante. He loved Mira. And I...”

“And you don’t know how you feel anymore,” I said. “Because you’ve spent your whole life being loyal to people who never bothered to see you.”

She looked up, and I wanted to drag her closer, erase how tired she looked, but…not yet.

So I just said, “You saved my life.”

She tried to smile, but failed. “You’d do the same for me.”

I snorted. “Don’t put money on it.”

She laughed, kind of broken.

“You need to rest,” she said, voice gentle. “Healer says you’re stuck here for days.”

“I’ve had worse,” I grumbled.

“Not with me watching you,” she shot back. “I’m not leaving you alone again.”

I stared at her. Nobody had ever said that to me, not and meant it.

“Elora,” I said, my voice rough. “There’s something I’ve got to tell you.”

She blinked, waiting. “Yeah?”

I hesitated. I care about you more than I should. You’re all I think about. You make me question everything I ever thought loyalty meant.

But before I could spit any of it out, the door creaked open.

Footsteps, slow and soft. I looked up.

I froze.

Dominic stood in the doorway.

He looked like a ghost, paler, thinner, hand shaking just a bit. But his eyes? Sharp.

Watching everything.

Elora jerked. “Dominic, you really shouldn’t be up...”

He cut her off, voice all smooth and impossible to read. “I heard voices.” His eyes flicked over us... her perched by my bed, our hands way too close for comfort. Pretty obvious.

She yanked her hand back and scrambled to her feet. “I was just… checking on him,” she blurted, suddenly all stiff and formal.

Dominic nodded slowly, eyes giving away nothing. “Right,” he said.

The silence that hit after that? Brutal. You could practically taste the awkwardness.

He moved forward, slow and careful, every step like he’d rehearsed it. “How’s the wound?” he asked, but his stare was glued to Elora, not me.

“Better,” I got out, probably sounding as stiff as I felt. “She fixed me up.”

He managed a smile, but honestly, it was faker than a politician’s promise. “Good. We’ll need everyone soon.”

And just like that, he was gone.

Elora didn’t move, just stood frozen, eyes glued to the spot where Dominic had been. Guilt, panic, maybe a dash of regret, all of it written across her face.

When she finally looked back at me, I didn’t flinch or look away.

“Dante,” she breathed.

I gave her the smallest smile, even though my chest felt like it was being crushed from the inside out. “You don’t have to explain,” I whispered. “I get it.”

And for a second, right there in the mess between what we wanted and what we weren’t allowed to be, her fingers brushed mine, just a fraction too long. And honestly, that was enough.