Chapter 129
Ellie's POV
The door closes behind us with a sharp click.
Almost like the house itself is relieved I'm finally gone.
The cool morning air hits my face, and for a moment, I just stand there on the front steps.
Breathing.
Just breathing.
I need a second.
Beside me, Lucas waits quietly.
His hands are tucked into his jacket pockets, his posture careful and restrained, like he's deliberately making sure he doesn't crowd me.
The silence between us arrives almost immediately.
And it isn't comfortable.
Not after everything that happened at the gala.
Not after what he said.
I like you.
Not just liked.
He said he really liked me.
That he always had.
And somehow, after something that huge, we just...
Moved on.
Or pretended to.
Which feels impossible.
I slowly glance at him.
He looks the same as always.
Patient.
Kind.
Like he isn't standing beside someone who still doesn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry."
The words leave my mouth before I can think better of them.
Lucas looks over.
"For... all of this."
I gesture vaguely toward the house.
"I didn't know he was going to drag you into it."
His expression softens slightly.
"You don't have to apologize."
He looks ahead again.
"I figured something was going on."
"Yeah."
I look down.
"That sounds about right."
We start walking.
The neighborhood is still waking up.
Curtains remain drawn over windows.
Grass glitters with morning dew.
The streets are quiet.
Peaceful.
It should feel calming.
It doesn't.
"Ever since the gala..."
I rub my hand over my face.
"It feels like my stepfather decided my entire life is some kind of puzzle he gets to rearrange."
Lucas listens.
"First Dominic."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Now you."
I shake my head.
"Like I'm some problem that needs to be solved by marrying me off to whichever Alpha is available."
His jaw tightens.
"You're right."
His voice is quiet.
"That's not okay."
A humorless laugh escapes me.
"Apparently it is."
"According to him, anyway."
The silence returns.
But this time, it's heavier.
Because beneath everything sits the thing neither of us has addressed.
His confession.
The way he looked at me when he said it.
I do like you, Ellie.
He said it so simply.
Like it was something I should know how to respond to.
Like there was an obvious answer.
But I didn't have one.
I still don't.
Lucas clears his throat.
"Ellie?"
I glance over.
"Yeah?"
He hesitates.
Then asks quietly:
"Is he hurting you?"
My steps falter.
Only slightly.
I keep walking.
I can't stop.
If I stop, I might not be able to lie.
"No."
The answer comes too quickly.
I force a small laugh.
"No. He's not."
Lucas studies me.
Really studies me.
Like he can see the cracks I'm trying to hide.
He doesn't look angry.
He looks worried.
And somehow that hurts worse.
"It's not like that," I add softly.
"It's just..."
I swallow.
"Complicated."
A pause.
"Really complicated."
Lucas nods once.
"Okay."
He doesn't push.
And somehow, that makes it harder.
We walk a little farther before the weight inside my chest becomes too much.
"There's something else."
My voice comes out quieter than I intended.
Lucas turns toward me.
"Ellie..."
"You don't have to—"
"I know."
I interrupt gently.
"But I want to."
I take a breath.
"I wanted to tell you that I understand how you feel."
His expression changes slightly.
"I heard you."
I look down.
"But I..."
I stop.
Because he stopped.
"What?"
Lucas shakes his head.
"I don't need an answer right now."
His voice is calm.
"I didn't need one the second I confessed."
A small smile touches his face.
"And I don't need one just because I see you today."
He looks ahead.
"It just needed to be said."
I slowly nod.
Then move back beside him.
"So you're not mad?"
"No."
A pause.
"But I am worried."
His eyes shift toward me.
"What happened after your fight with your stepfather?"
My fingers tighten around my sleeves.
"The night after the gala..."
I stare at the road.
"He exploded."
Lucas stays silent.
"He said I was lying."
My throat tightens.
"That I was hiding something with Dominic."
"That I was trying to ruin my sister's chances."
Lucas's hand twitches at his side.
"And then?"
I force myself to continue.
"My mom took me upstairs."
I inhale slowly.
"And then I broke."
The words feel heavier than they should.
"I couldn't stop crying."
I shake my head.
"I didn't even recognize myself."
Lucas doesn't interrupt.
He just listens.
"My mom stayed with me."
A bitter smile crosses my face.
"For a second, I thought..."
I stop.
"I thought she was finally going to stand up for me."
My voice lowers.
"But she didn't."
Lucas's expression hardens slightly.
"She told me I needed to reconsider Dominic."
I laugh quietly.
"For my own good."
"She said I needed to respect my stepfather."
"That I was being reckless."
"That I didn't understand what I was risking."
My hands curl tighter.
"I lost it."
"I yelled at her."
I look away.
"I told her she didn't get to choose my life."
"That I wasn't something she could hand over because that's what she had done."
Lucas's jaw tightens.
"She yelled back."
My voice grows softer.
"I've never seen her that angry."
"She said this was the best path."
"That I didn't see the whole picture."
A pause.
"That I never see anything."
I swallow.
"Then she walked away."
"She was crying."
I stop walking.
The ache settles deeper.
"She's always smiling."
My voice cracks slightly.
"How did I never notice?"
Lucas looks at me.
"She never lets me."
I shake my head.
"I don't even know what she meant."
"It didn't feel like an argument."
"It felt like..."
I search for the word.
"Fear."
"Or a warning."
I look toward the ground.
"And that makes it worse."
"Was my stepfather always this bad?"
I sigh.
"I mean, he was always an asshole, but this..."
"This feels different."
Lucas exhales slowly.
Thinking.
"I can't judge your family when I'm not inside it."
He speaks carefully.
"I don't know what either of your parents is like."
A pause.
"But your mother might be under a lot of pressure."
"Blended pack families aren't always easy."
"Especially with history, expectations, and politics involved."
He looks at me.
"Sometimes people panic when they feel like they're losing control."
"Sometimes they try to control everything because they're afraid."
"Maybe."
The answer leaves me quietly.
But it doesn't completely settle.
"I just don't know what she's protecting me from."
I look at him.
"Or who."
A pause.
"Is it him?"
"And if it is..."
"Why are we still here?"
"If she doesn't love him anymore, why stay?"
Lucas doesn't have an answer.
Maybe nobody does.
By the time we reach the academy grounds, the world has already moved on.
Students fill the paths.
Voices rise.
People laugh.
Life continues.
Like nothing is wrong.
Lucas turns toward me.
The morning sun catches in his light hair.
"I'm not sure."
His voice is gentle.
"But I'm glad we talked."
He smiles faintly.
"It's always better to get things out instead of keeping them inside."
I stop at the entrance path.
Turn toward him.
A real smile finally pulls at my lips.
"Yeah."
"Thank you."
"For listening."
I pause.
"For not telling me what I should do."
His smile softens.
"I care about you, Ellie."
The words settle somewhere deep.
Warm.
Uncomfortable.
But not unwelcome.
"No matter how messy this gets."
I nod slowly.
"I know."
"And thank you for walking me."
"Anytime."
His voice is quiet.
"Really."
For a moment, he hesitates.
Then his hand moves.
His fingers brush toward mine.
A simple gesture.
Natural.
Before I can think, instinct takes over.
I pull back.
The moment freezes.
His hand hangs there for a second before he lowers it.
His expression barely changes.
But I see it.
The surprise.
The quiet adjustment.
"Sorry."
I start.
"I should..."
The words disappear.
"I'll see you later."
"Yeah."
His voice is slightly quieter.
"See you."
I turn toward the academy.
My steps quicken.
The awkwardness follows me like static.
Then I feel it.
That familiar pull.
That impossible awareness.
My gaze drifts across the courtyard.
And there he is.
Dominic.
Standing near the steps with his friends.
He isn't laughing.
He isn't talking.
He's watching.
Watching me.
Watching Lucas.
Oh.
Great.
Exactly what I needed.
I don't know how long he's been there.
I don't know how much he saw.
Only that he saw enough.
Our eyes meet.
Just for a heartbeat.
Heat crawls up my neck.
And I look away.