Chapter 198

Chapter 198: Chapter 198

Lena’s POV

The way Dominic chased someone was seriously not like normal people.

On day one, he sent over a whole truck of flowers. I had the staff donate every last bouquet to the hospital.

On day two, he had lunch delivered to the office—so much food our whole department could’ve lived off it for three days. I packed up the leftovers and sent them to a nearby shelter.

By day three, he’d finally learned something. He only showed up with one cup of coffee and waited for me downstairs.

On day four, he didn’t send anything at all. He just called me that night.

“How was your day?” he asked.

I paused, caught off guard. “You called just to ask me that?”

“When you’re courting someone, you’re supposed to care about what happens to her every day.”

“Who told you that?”

“Daniel.”

“He can’t even handle his own love life.”

“Anna made him a list.”

I couldn’t help laughing. The strongest Alpha and Beta in the Bloodmoon Pack were apparently studying how to treat their partners with the help of a checklist Anna wrote. If that got out, people would clown them for a whole year.

“It was fine,” I told him. “The meeting dragged forever, one of my coworkers spilled coffee all over the report, and our manager pretended not to see it.”

He listened quietly. He didn’t rush to fix it, and he didn’t ask if I wanted that coworker replaced.

Now that was growth.

“That’s it?” I asked, glancing at his empty hands.

“You don’t like too much.”

“You’re learning fast.”

He handed me the coffee. “Do I get a reward?”

“Yes.” I took it from him. “I won’t chase you off today.”

He walked with me for two blocks. We talked about work, Gemma’s treatment, and the investigation into Blueridge Pack.

My father had been suspended for the time being. The council had taken over pack affairs, and they’d also uncovered evidence of Celia being involved in financial fraud. Lily had left and moved to another city.

I didn’t plead for any of them.

They made their choices. For once, I didn’t have to carry the consequences.

Gemma had gone through her first surgery. It wasn’t some miracle ending where everything turned perfect overnight, but the doctor said her condition had stabilized. At the very least, she was no longer down to just a few months.

Eliza was being held pending trial. Gemma had gone to see her once. When she came back, she didn’t say a word. That was something between sisters.

A few days later, Gemma gave up the apartment. She didn’t take any of the jewelry or clothes Eliza left behind. She only packed a few childhood photos.

“She used to be a good sister,” Gemma told me. “Nobody is born evil. She just kept choosing to run away, over and over, until in the end she couldn’t even recognize herself anymore.”

She didn’t forgive Eliza, but she also didn’t let hate become the only meaning left in her life.

A month later, Dominic asked if I was free that weekend.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To see your mother.”

I held the phone and went quiet for a moment. “Okay.”

The trees in the cemetery had grown new leaves. When the wind moved through them, sunlight slipped through the gaps and flickered across the stone.

Dominic brought a bouquet of white lilies, same as last time.

I crouched down and wiped the dust from my mother’s photo. He stood beside me, not saying anything right away.

“Mom, he’s back again,” I said softly. “Last time he promised he’d take care of me, and then he turned everything into a total mess.”

Dominic looked down at me. “Do you really have to complain about me in front of her?”

“Obviously. She deserves to know.”

I stood and gave him space.

Dominic set the flowers in front of the headstone. “Last time, I said I would take care of Lena. I’m taking that back now.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“She doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. She can take care of herself, and most of the time she somehow ends up taking care of everyone else too.” His voice was low and steady. “What I want is to stay by her side. If she’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that she never has to trade endurance for a home again.”

Something deep in my chest—some soft, hidden place—was touched so lightly it almost hurt.

Dominic turned to me and took a small box out of his pocket.

“Another ring?”

“The first one doesn’t count.”

“What a waste.”

“I have money.”

I rolled my eyes.

He didn’t go down on one knee. Wolves didn’t have that tradition. He just stood in front of me, looking straight at me at eye level.

“Lena, I don’t want to restore the contract we had before,” he said. “I want a new mate bond with you. No time limit. No conditions. No demand for heirs.”

“What if I never want kids?”

“Then we won’t have them.”

“What if I insist on working?”

“You’ll keep working.”

“What if I don’t move back to the manor?”

At last, his brow twitched. “Can that one be negotiated?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll move back into your apartment.”

I pictured Dominic trying to exist in that tiny bathroom and instantly laughed.

“You’re going to regret that.”

“I already regretted things once.” His eyes never left my face. “There won’t be a second time.”

I held out my hand.

“Put it on.”

The ring slid over my knuckle and settled on my ring finger. It was simpler than the last one, and two words were engraved on the inside.

I choose you.

The formal bonding ceremony was set for two weeks later.

This time, there was no trade agreement, no breeding clause, and no one handing me over to another pack.

I walked into the Bloodmoon Pack hall on my own.

Anna stood beside me, her eyes even redder than mine. Daniel stood behind Dominic. Samuel had just rushed back from Aria’s place and complained the whole way about his delayed flight, yet he was grinning like an idiot.

Gemma sat in the front row. She still needed a wheelchair, but color had already returned to her face.

Celeste stepped in front of me.

“Lena.” Her voice was soft. “I once treated you like the answer to saving my son, and later I treated you like an obstacle. I never truly saw you as a person with the right to choose your own life.”

She took my hand.

“I’m sorry.”

Everyone was watching us.

“I can’t pretend nothing happened,” I said.

The light in Celeste’s eyes dimmed.

“But I’m willing to give you a chance to do better.”

“I won’t make decisions for you ever again.” Celeste wiped away her tears. “Not about children, not about work, not about where you live. All of that is yours to decide. I’ll only come close when you allow me to.”

One apology couldn’t erase wounds like that. But it was a place to start again.

She lifted her head, and tears spilled out all at once. She hugged me, and I didn’t push her away.

When the ceremony began, Dominic stood before everyone and took my hand.

“Lena is not standing here because she can give me an heir,” his voice rang through the hall, clear and firm. “And she is not here because she broke my curse.”

He looked at me.

“She is my Luna because she understands courage, freedom, and choice better than anyone in this room. She does not belong to me. We belong to each other.”

Once, I had waited for another man to acknowledge me in front of everyone during a ceremony.

Back then, I thought being acknowledged would prove I wasn’t some lowly Omega.

Now I finally understood: I didn’t need anyone to prove my worth.

I was standing here for one reason only.

Because I chose to.

“Lena,” Dominic asked softly, “do you choose me?”

“I choose you.”

“Not because the Goddess tied us together?”

“No.”

“Not because I once saved your mother?”

“No.”

“And not because you think you owe me?”

I tightened my fingers around his hand. “Dominic, I don’t owe anyone anything anymore.”

The last trace of unease in his eyes finally disappeared.

“Good,” he said. “Because I don’t want to trap you with anything ever again.”

The moment the mate bond reconnected, warmth rushed into my chest. I felt his heartbeat, his fear, his joy, and the love he wasn’t hiding anymore.

He lowered his head and kissed me.

This time, there was no contract.

No curse.

Only our choice.