Chapter 155
Ellie POV
The gardens are doing entirely too much.
Everything is green.
Everything is alive.
Everything is painfully peaceful.
Sunlight filters through the leaves in a way that looks like it belongs in a painting, not outside a hospital where I’m still recovering from almost dying.
Flowers line the paths in carefully arranged bursts of color.
Bees drift lazily from one bloom to another.
Somewhere nearby, water trickles softly.
It’s beautiful.
Which is exactly the problem.
I sit in my wheelchair with my hands folded in my lap, watching a loose petal spin through the air before landing on the stone path.
And I try very hard to ignore the nervous flutter in my chest.
I don’t know why I’m nervous.
I’ve faced impossible exams.
Alpha councils.
My stepfather.
Death.
Fate.
A literal bond is trying to destroy my body.
But calling Dominic out here?
Asking him about my future?
That feels impossible.
I’ve never done this before.
Not like this.
Not with me choosing the conversation.
Not with me holding the power.
The thought settles uncomfortably.
Sitting here, surrounded by flowers and sunlight, this almost feels like something it isn’t.
Almost like a date.
I immediately hate the idea.
I’m not here for romance.
I’m here because I need to survive.
That’s all.
Five minutes later, Dominic appears.
Of course he does.
He’s punctual.
Infuriatingly reliable.
And, annoyingly, unfairly attractive.
He’s wearing a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up just enough to make me notice the muscles underneath.
Which is rude.
Honestly, the universe needs to stop making my problems physically appealing.
He stops when he sees me.
His head tilts slightly.
“You called?”
His eyebrows lift.
“Should I be concerned or flattered?”
“Undecided,” I say.
Then I gesture toward the bench.
“Sit.”
The corner of his mouth twitches.
But he listens.
He lowers himself onto the bench across from me, waiting.
Not pushing.
Not demanding.
Just waiting.
That’s new.
I hate that I notice.
For a moment, neither of us says anything.
The silence stretches.
Then Dominic glances around.
“It’s nice out here.”
I look at him.
“I should bring my book outside sometime.”
I almost smile.
Almost.
Then I remember why we’re here.
“I thought about your offer.”
The words come out before I can overthink them.
My heart beats once.
Hard.
Dominic’s attention immediately shifts back to me.
“And?”
I take a breath.
“It’s not bad.”
That earns me a look.
Not offended.
Not smug.
Just focused.
He sits up slightly.
Listening.
“But I’m not accepting it exactly the way you offered it.”
I straighten.
“If this happens, it happens on my terms.”
“I expected nothing less.”
The answer comes so quickly I blink.
“I like terms.”
He folds his hands together.
“Agreed.”
I stare at him.
“You didn’t even ask what they are.”
He shrugs.
“They’re yours.”
His expression is calm.
“Which means they’re probably thought out. Fair.”
A pause.
“And I don’t really care.”
I narrow my eyes.
“You don’t care?”
“I care that you’re safe.”
His voice is quiet.
“The rest is yours.”
For some reason, that catches me off guard.
I recover quickly.
“Okay.”
I lift my chin.
“Regardless, you need to know what you’re agreeing to. You’re part of this…”
I search for the right word.
“Mess?”
Dominic offers.
I glare.
“Don’t help.”
A small smile appears.
Then disappears.
“First.”
I take a breath.
“I’ll accept the bond. We get married.”
The words feel strange.
Heavy.
Permanent.
“But as you said, this is a contract. A business arrangement.”
I look directly at him.
“No romance.”
He nods.
“No romance.”
“No touching unless I want it.”
“Okay.”
I blink.
“That’s it?”
He looks confused.
“Your body. Your choice.”
His voice is simple.
“Seems obvious.”
It shouldn’t affect me.
It does.
I clear my throat.
“Second.”
I continue.
“I can say no. At any time. To anything.”
“Agreed.”
“Third.”
I lean back slightly.
“I stay in school.”
“Absolutely.”
“I finish my education.”
He smiles faintly.
“I love an educated woman.”
I stare at him.
“Did you?”
His expression shifts.
A little.
“I changed.”
He shrugs.
“So did you.”
That shuts me up for a second.
Because he’s right.
And I hate that.
I move on.
“I will not be a decorative Luna.”
My voice sharpens.
“I’m not going to stand behind you, smile, and let everyone else make decisions.”
A faint smirk pulls at his lips.
“Good.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“I hate smiling.”
A laugh escapes me before I can stop it.
Small.
Weak.
But real.
The moment passes.
Then I get serious again.
“And I want full access to my mother’s case.”
His expression changes immediately.
“I want to reopen it.”
I grip the arms of my wheelchair.
“I want to investigate my stepfather myself.”
Something dark flashes in his eyes.
Not anger at me.
Something else.
Determination.
“Done.”
The answer is immediate.
Too immediate.
I hesitate.
My fingers twist together.
Because there’s one more condition.
The one I hate.
The one that makes my stomach tighten.
“There’s…”
I swallow.
“One more thing.”
Dominic waits.
No pressure.
No interruption.
I look away.
“Because this is a loveless marriage…”
The words feel heavier than they should.
“We should be allowed other partners.”
Silence.
For the first time since this conversation started…
Dominic doesn’t answer.
It’s only a second.
Barely even that.
But I notice.
The tiny pause.
The slight stillness.
The way something changes behind his eyes.
And my chest tightens.