Chapter 183
Ellie POV
He didn't speak.
He just stood there.
Staring at me with an expression I couldn't fully understand.
Something wounded.
Something furious.
Something painfully human.
For once, Dominic didn't look like an Alpha.
He looked like a man who had just been hurt.
His fingers twitched at his sides, curling and releasing like he wanted to reach for me but couldn't trust himself to.
And seeing that—
Seeing him look at me like that—
Created a sharp, unexpected ache in my chest.
I hated it.
I hated that even now, even after everything, part of me still reacted to him.
My hands curled into fists.
I forced myself not to look away.
Vivian recovered first.
Of course she did.
She stepped forward carefully, one hand rising to cover her mouth as if she were horrified. As if she were devastated by what had happened. Her movements were delicate, her expression trembling with the perfect amount of regret.
Anyone else would have believed her.
Anyone else would have seen a heartbroken woman.
But I knew better.
Gods, I was so tired.
Tired of the games.
Tired of pretending.
"Ellie," she said softly, her voice shaking with manufactured guilt. "Don't blame Dominic."
She swallowed.
"It was me."
Slowly, I turned my head toward her.
The look I gave her made her stop.
"Oh, I'm very aware this is your fault."
My voice was quiet.
But every word carried.
"It always is."
A pause.
"And somehow, no one ever believes me."
Vivian froze.
Her lips parted slightly.
Her eyes shimmered with something that looked like fear.
To anyone else, it might have seemed genuine.
I knew better.
She wasn't afraid.
She was calculating.
She always was.
"Get the fuck out of my face."
My voice remained steady despite the anger tearing through me.
"Go sit down before I start treating you the way a Luna should treat someone who disrespects her mate."
I stepped closer.
"We aren't children anymore, Vivian."
That hit.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Just enough.
The perfect mask slipped.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
The truth underneath.
"Ellie..."
Her voice softened.
Careful.
Cautious.
"Please. Just hear me out. Dominic—"
My hand moved before I even realized I had decided.
The sound echoed through the marble hallway.
Sharp.
Final.
A crack like thunder.
Vivian's head snapped to the side as my palm struck her cheek.
The force sent her stumbling backward.
Her heel caught against the floor, and she fell hard, one hand immediately flying to her face.
A thin line of blood appeared beneath her nose.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Vivian stared up at me.
Shock replaced every carefully practiced expression.
Her fingers pressed against her cheek as she tried to process what had happened.
"Ellie!"
Dominic's voice cut through the hallway.
His head turned sharply toward me.
"Enough."
I looked at him.
And something inside me finally broke.
"No."
My voice trembled.
Not from fear.
From anger.
"I'm done."
I stepped toward him.
Closing the distance until there was barely any space left between us.
I lifted my chin.
Forced him to look at me.
"I am going to be your Luna."
My voice lowered.
"The contract means you do not get to command me."
A pause.
"Not anymore."
His jaw tightened.
But he didn't argue.
Didn't deny it.
Because he knew I was right.
"I'm going to say this once."
My voice dropped lower.
A warning.
A promise.
"Get to your damn place at the end of that aisle before people start whispering."
His eyes darkened.
I kept going.
"You're going to say your vows."
My fingers tightened around my bouquet.
"You're going to say 'I do.'"
A bitter smile touched my lips.
"And then you're going to leave me alone."
I stared directly into his eyes.
"Forever."
Something flashed across his face.
Pain.
Anger.
Something raw.
"You and Vivian can go fuck in a field for all I care."
The words were cruel.
I knew they were.
I said them anyway.
"Just get through this damn hour."
For a long moment, neither of us moved.
The silence between us was unbearable.
If his wolf were visible, I would know exactly what it would look like.
Ears pinned back.
Teeth bared.
Pacing beneath his skin.
Ready to fight.
Ready to break.
His lip lifted slightly, just enough to reveal the edge of his teeth.
His eyes held mine.
A silent challenge.
Then—
After what felt like forever—
He nodded once.
Sharp.
Controlled.
"Fine."
The word was quiet.
But it sounded like surrender.
He turned away.
No argument.
No last attempt.
Nothing.
He pushed open the glass doors, and the sound of the wedding music immediately rushed into the hallway.
Then he closed them behind him.
Hard.
Too hard.
The impact echoed.
The fragile glass didn't shatter completely, but thin cracks spread across the surface like a spiderweb.
Sarah gasped softly behind me.
Nobody spoke.
The silence felt heavy enough to crush us.
And then—
"Well, Ellie."
My mother's cheerful voice broke through the tension.
I turned.
She rounded the corner, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
Her dark purple gown flowed behind her as she adjusted the white gloves covering the bruises left from her chains.
"Can't say I'll be the best replacement for your father, but are we ready to—"
She stopped.
Her smile disappeared.
Her eyes locked onto Vivian.
Still on the floor.
Still bleeding.
Still holding her cheek.
"V-Vivian?"
My mother's voice softened.
Confusion filled her face.
And something deeper.
Concern.
"What happened?"