Chapter 186
Ellie POV
Lucas's jaw tightened when I finished speaking.
For a moment, something crossed his face.
Something close to softness.
Something like regret.
But it disappeared almost immediately.
He nodded once.
Slowly.
"Yeah, well..."
His voice was quieter than before.
"You never really needed it anyway."
I frowned slightly.
"So don't worry about it."
His eyes moved over me.
"You're exactly where you want to be, right?"
My fingers curled into the fabric of my dress.
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know.
The music changed.
A new song began.
Slower.
Softer.
The kind of song meant for people who believed in forever.
Lucas looked toward the dance floor, then back at me.
"One last dance?"
I blinked.
"Lucas—"
"For old times' sake."
His expression shifted quickly.
Then he added, almost immediately:
"As friends."
Like he knew what I was about to say.
"That's all."
A pause.
"I might be leaving for a while."
His voice lowered.
"It would be a nice goodbye."
Something strange moved through my chest.
No pain.
Not exactly.
Just a reminder that despite everything, Lucas had been there.
Before all of this.
Before Dominic.
Before the bond.
Before I became Luna.
I glanced across the room.
Toward Dominic.
He was still speaking with the elders.
Calm.
Collected.
Completely in control.
He wasn't looking at us.
And why would he?
I was his wife.
There was no reason for him to object to a dance.
Especially not one between friends.
So I nodded.
"Fine."
I hesitated.
"One."
Lucas extended his hand.
I placed mine in his.
Together, we stepped onto the dance floor.
The crowd shifted naturally, making space around us.
Like water moving around a stone.
Lucas kept his distance.
His hand rested at my waist, but there was nothing intimate about the gesture.
It was careful.
Respectful.
Formal.
Like he was reminding both of us that this was exactly what he said it was.
A dance between friends.
The music wrapped around us.
Slow.
Gentle.
Almost hypnotic.
We moved together.
Turned.
Swayed.
To anyone watching, we probably looked like every other pair in the room.
Two people celebrating.
Two people enjoying a beautiful night.
But Lucas wasn't the same.
His eyes didn't soften the way they once had.
They stayed focused.
Searching.
Like he was looking for something.
Something he hoped he wouldn't find.
"Ellie."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
He guided me through a turn before bringing me back.
Smooth.
Practiced.
"I wanted to warn you."
My brow furrowed.
"Warn me?"
His mouth tightened.
His gaze shifted briefly toward the crowd.
Then back to me.
He lowered his voice even further.
So quiet I almost missed it beneath the music.
"Dominic's vow."
A chill moved down my spine.
"What about it?"
My heartbeat had already started increasing.
Lucas's eyes dropped briefly.
To my throat.
To the place where the bond would settle after Dominic and I completed the final part of our union.
"When he said he would heal you every day you stand together..."
His voice was careful.
"He wasn't just being romantic."
My stomach tightened.
"What are you saying?"
Lucas's expression hardened.
"He bound it."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"You know the union was created to heal you."
I nodded.
"Yes."
"So you know the purpose of it."
His grip remained steady.
"But Dominic tied that healing to the bond."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Lucas."
My voice dropped.
"Get to the point."
His expression turned serious.
"That kind of declaration isn't just words."
The music continued around us.
The room continued celebrating.
But suddenly, I felt like I was somewhere else entirely.
"Vows are promises, Ellie."
His voice was low.
"And among wolves, promises have power."
My breathing slowed.
Unease crawled through me.
"If you ever try to sever it..."
He paused.
"If you ever try to walk away..."
My fingers tightened slightly around his shoulder.
"Your body will return to what it was before."
The world seemed to tilt.
The music faded.
The laughter disappeared.
Only his words remained.
"There is no way."
My voice barely came out.
"That can't..."
Lucas's hand tightened at my waist.
Not possessively.
Not to hold me there.
To steady me.
"It's true."
His eyes were hard.
Not cruel.
Not mocking.
Just certain.
"I wanted you to know."
A pause.
"In case you were planning to leave."
Leave.
Divorce.
Severing the bond.
Walking away.
Those words crashed through my mind.
I couldn't.
I couldn't leave.
Because if I did...
I would go back.
Back to being weak.
Back to being sick.
Back to the body that was slowly dying before the union.
My thoughts scattered.
Spiraled.
No.
Dominic wouldn't do that.
He wouldn't.
Not to me.
Not after everything.
He wouldn't create some hidden trap outside our contract.
Not with the Moon Goddess.
Not with—
My hand moved to my head.
My breath caught.
I was trapped.
Again.
The realization settled like a weight on my chest.
I couldn't leave him.
Never.
Before I could speak.
Before I could even gather the panic rising inside me—
A shadow fell between Lucas and me.
The music continued.
The room continued moving.
But everything around me stopped.