Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ilay in my nest, staring at the ceiling and trying to process the hollow ache in my chest. Five days since the devastating revelations in Blake’s living room, five days of sleeping apart from Dominic, five days of him stubbornly maintaining his position while I grappled with the knowledge that the man I loved was capable of destroying three hundred lives without remorse.
The ultrasound photo lay hidden in the nightstand drawer where I’d placed it three nights ago. It was too precious and painful to look at, but impossible not to keep close to me.
The nausea had threatened again last night—pregnancy hormones made worse by stress—but I’d managed to settle it by pulling several of Dominic’s shirts from the closet and burying my face in their familiar scent.
Even fighting, even furious with him, my body craved the comfort of my alpha’s pheromones.
Through the door, I could hear the quiet sounds of Blake’s morning routine—coffee brewing, the news playing softly on the television.
Down the hall, I could hear Penny’s quiet voice, probably checking on Jake again.
Was Dominic still asleep on the couch or was he lying there as awake and conflicted as I was?
Through the bond, I felt his presence like a constant low-grade fever—not painful, but impossible to ignore.
He was chafing at the separation, sending waves of frustrated energy that made the omega in me want to submit and apologize.
But I had nothing to apologize for, so every time I considered unlocking the door, I remembered his cold satisfaction when he’d talked about ruining careers and destroying retirement funds.
When he'd described his calculated plan to seduce me into compliance, into betraying my own community. Had I really seemed so weak and biddable to him then?
I will always choose to protect you over strangers. That’s not a moral failing, the way I see it.
The words echoed in my head as I forced myself to get up and face another day of unresolved tension.
When I emerged from the guest room, I found Blake in the kitchen reading on his tablet while sipping coffee from a white porcelain mug. He looked up as I entered, his expression carefully neutral.
“Morning,” he greeted. “Coffee?”
“Please.”
As he poured me a cup, I could sense his discomfort with the ongoing domestic crisis—and with his own role in creating it.
Blake was used to solving problems through negotiation and strategic thinking.
Having his houseguests locked in an emotional stalemate over tactics he’d helped design was clearly testing his diplomatic skills.
I took a sip and immediately grimaced as the bitter liquid hit wrong, my stomach churning in protest. Without a word, I poured the coffee down the sink and reached for Blake’s well-stocked tea selection, searching for the ginger blend that had become my morning salvation.
I filled a mug with water and put it in the microwave, then waited for the water to heat.
“The demolition starts soon,” I said, dunking the tea bag into the steaming water.
“Eight AM,” Blake confirmed. “Vertex probably wants to begin before any protesters can organize.”
“A whole lot of good that’ll accomplish.”
“Nevertheless, Adelaide’s managed to gather about fifty people. They’re maintaining a vigil across the street.” He paused, then added quietly, “At least we saved the others. After what you learned about our original plans… that has to count for something?”
“Where’s Dominic?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“Shower,” Blake said. “He’s been up since four.”
Before I could respond, I heard the bathroom door open and the sound of bare feet on marble tile.
Dominic appeared in the kitchen doorway wearing dark jeans and a black sweater, his hair still damp from the shower.
His silver eyes found mine immediately, and I felt the bond flare with desperate need.
He looked younger with his hair damp and messy, droplets still clinging to the dark strands.
The clean scent of soap and his natural warmth drifted across the kitchen, and my fingers curled around the handle of my mug to keep from reaching for him.
The needy omega in me whispered urgent suggestions about leading him back to the guest room, to my carefully arranged nest of blankets where I could hold him close and breathe in the scent of his skin.
Instead, I took a stubborn sip of my tea, the ginger helping settle my queasy stomach, though I wished Dominic were close enough that his scent could provide the comfort my omega biology craved.
Dominic moved to the kitchen counter where he’d left his medication and shook out a pill with aggressive precision. When he caught me watching, he smiled—a sharp expression that showed just the tips of his fangs.
“Morning,” he said quietly, dry-swallowing the anti-seizure medication like it was a challenge.
“Morning.”
The simple exchange felt loaded with everything we weren’t saying. Blake cleared his throat and stood, gathering his tablet and papers with pointed efficiency.
“I have calls to make,” he announced, clearly giving us space to work through our issues.
And then we were alone.
Dominic moved to the coffee maker, going through the motions of preparing a cup. His scent was more controlled than it had been over the past few days, but I could still detect the edge of frustrated alpha underneath his calm facade.
“You’re going to the demolition,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“I think I should. Adelaide organized a vigil, and after everything that’s happened…”
“I’ll drive you.”
I looked at him sharply. “You don’t need to—”
“Yes, I do.” His voice carried that tone of alpha authority that brooked no argument. “I’m not letting you go alone.”
“Marcus can drive me.”
“I’m driving you,” Dominic said firmly. “We can continue our fight in the car if necessary, but you’re not walking into a potentially volatile situation with anyone other than me.”
“It’s a peaceful protest,” I said.
“A crowd can shift with the right provocation,” he retorted.
The possessive certainty in his voice made me want to purr with satisfaction even as my rational mind bristled at being managed.
But the truth was, I didn’t really want to face the demolition alone.
I should insist on going with Blake and Penny and Jake, but maybe it was time to have the conversation we’d been avoiding for the past five days.
“Fine,” I said. “But we leave in ten minutes. I want to get there before…”
“Yeah,” Dominic said grimly.
Dominic parked his silver Aston Martin behind the mature oak trees in the small park area, the same secluded spot where he’d accused me of stalking him months ago.
The heavily tinted windows and natural canopy provided privacy while still allowing us to see the demolition activity across the street.
“Look at them,” I said, watching the milling crowd that had organized across from the pharmacy. The crowd included many of the business owners whose shops had been mysteriously spared from Vertex’s acquisition campaign. “They have no idea what you and Blake did to save their businesses.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me—they were here to mourn Paula’s loss while celebrating their own unexpected salvation, not knowing that their good fortune had come at the cost of three hundred strangers’ livelihoods.
“And they don’t need to know,” Dominic replied. “What matters is that their shops are safe. Your shop is safe.”
“What matters is that you bought their safety with other people’s suffering.”
“Leo—”
“No.” I turned to face him in the confined space of the car, frustration and moral conflict making me fist my trembling hands against my knees.
“Don’t you dare try to rationalize this again.
You destroyed three hundred jobs. Three hundred families lost their income because you decided their lives were worth less than mine. ”
“And I’d make the same choice again tomorrow.” Dominic said, his alpha scent growing stronger in the enclosed space.
“That’s exactly the problem!” I was shouting now, the sound echoing off the car’s interior. “You don’t see them as real people with real lives. You see them as acceptable casualties in your campaign to protect what’s yours.”
“Because that’s exactly what they are,” Dominic said, his voice dropping to that dangerous rumble that made my spine straighten involuntarily. “I am bonded to you, Leo. My loyalty is to you. My responsibility is to you. Not to random corporate employees I’ve probably never met.”
“Those random employees have families who care for them and rely on them!”
“I don’t care.” The words were flat and final. “I don’t care about their families. I don’t care about their mortgages or their health insurance or their retirement plans. I care about you, and I care about protecting what makes you happy.”
His complete lack of empathy was somehow more infuriating than outright cruelty would have been.
“You only changed your plans because you mated me,” I said, the words tasting bitter in my mouth.
“If we hadn’t bonded, if you hadn’t caught feelings, I could be watching my shop being demolished today right alongside Paula’s pharmacy. ”
Dominic’s expression darkened, his scent turning sharp and dangerous. “But we did bond,” he said, his voice carrying a warning edge. “And that changes everything.”
“Does it? Or does it just mean I got lucky?” I pressed, unable to stop myself. “How many other communities have you and Blake destroyed? You only made the choice you did because your plan to seduce a convenient omega turned serious for you. You and I both know it.”
The silence stretched between us, heavy and damning.
Dominic’s jaw clenched, his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles went white.
I could feel his fury building through the bond, a dark wave of alpha rage that made my omega instincts scream at me to back down, to apologize, to stop pushing.