LOGINEllie POVDominic stepped into our space with ease. He was smiling, the air changed immediately, the way it does when a predator enters a room and everyone pretends they don’t notice.I couldn’t help but shrink as his hand closed over mine, as if he could feel the tremor running through my fingers.
Lucas’s jaw tightened at the last word, and for a moment something in his expression flickered—almost softness, almost regret.Then it was gone.He nodded once, slow.“Yeah, well,” he said. “You never really needed it, so don’t worry about it. You’re exactly where you want to be, right?”My fists cu
Ellie POVThe first time I laughed, it surprised me.It slipped out before I could catch it, bright, totally unguarded, and the sound felt unfamiliar in my own throat, as if my body had forgotten how to make it without flinching afterward.For a second I expected the room to turn sharp again, for so
Ellie POVMy mother rushed past me like I wasn’t even there.For a moment, I just stood frozen, watching the hem of her deep purple gown sweep across the floor as she dropped to her knees beside Vivian, her white-gloved hands hovering helplessly over Vivian’s cheek, which was already swelling an ugl
He didn’t speak.He just stood there, staring at me with an expression I couldn’t fully name, something wounded and furious and heartbreakingly human all at once. His fingers twitched at his sides, curling and uncurling like he wanted to reach for me and didn’t trust himself to try.I felt this shar
Ellie POVYou know, I expected this.Even after everything Dominic had done these past few weeks, after the contract and the quiet promises and the way he had looked at me lately as if this arrangement was something fragile and real instead of something written in ink and obligation, a part of me ha
Ellie POV I’m halfway out the library doors, still vibrating with the urge to scream into a pillow.Dominic had the nerve to eavesdrop on me! Then, even ask me to stay?! Stay for what?! Gods! What a—Then, someone steps right into my path.“Ellie?” It’s a freshman. They look nervous, holding a clip
Ellie POV I find Lucas waiting in the back corner of the library, feet kicked up on a chair, hair a little messy from the wind outside. He’s flipping through a folder on his tablet when I walk over.“There she is,” he says, grinning. “Future medic extraordinaire.”I roll my eyes, but I can’t help s
"Ellie, I—" he started, his voice softer than before.But Marcus opened his mouth, clearly about to say something on Dominic's behalf. Probably something about how Dominic was just looking out for me, how as future Alpha he had responsibilities, how I should be grateful for his protection.Before Ma
Ellie POV Walking into the mate-course seminar felt a lot like walking into a trap.The room was already packed wall-to-wall with students, buzzing like they’d been waiting all week just to witness my impending humiliation. Someone had swapped the chairs out for couches — intimate, cozy, painfully







