Chapter 180: Chapter 180 Hidden Truth
Elara
At four o’clock, Dominic walked into my office like he owned the place. I could smell him before he even came in.
I looked up from my computer. "You’re here early."
"Remember Marcus? The guy who just got hitched?" He perched on the edge of my desk. "He’s having everyone over for dinner. Want to come?"
I shook my head, already knowing this was trouble. "It’s a guys’ night. I’d just be in the way."
"Everyone’s bringing their mates."
Dominic leaned closer. Those amber eyes went all soft and puppy-dog sad."Babe, I can’t be the only alpha there without his Luna. You don’t want me to look pathetic, do you?"
His thumb traced along my jawline. "Plus, your mate’s way too good looking for his own good. All those single she-wolves at the bar next door will be sniffing around. Don’t you want to show them who I belong to?"
I rolled my eyes and pushed him away, but he barely budged. "If some random she-wolf can steal you that easily, then you’re not worth keeping."
He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck.
The touch sent electric shocks straight through our bond. My wolf practically purred. "Nobody’s stealing anything. Not when I’ve got the sexiest, smartest mate in the whole damn pack waiting at home."
I pulled back to stare at him. "Sexiest and smartest? You’re really laying it on thick."
He just grinned and flashed those sharp canines. "Is it working?"
Despite myself, I felt my resolve cracking. "Fine. ”
--
I believed him about everyone bringing their mates. So when we walked into Romano’s private dining room, I wanted to crawl under the nearest table.
The place was wall-to-wall testosterone. Eight guys sprawled around a long wooden table, beer bottles already scattered everywhere. Not a single woman in sight.
I shot him a death glare that could melt steel.
He threw up his hands with Oscar-worthy shock. "Whoa, nobody brought their better halves? I could have sworn you guys said mates were invited when we were setting this up. Damn, my bad!"
The whole table stared daggers at him. A few low growls rumbled through the room.
[The lying bastard.]
My face burned hot enough to fry an egg. I felt like the world’s biggest idiot.
But Dominic looked totally calm, like he’d just made an honest mistake instead of orchestrating this whole thing.
"Here, gorgeous. Best seat in the house." He pulled out the chair right next to his at the head of the table. He made sure I was positioned so close that his scent would mark me completely. Every wolf in the room would smell him all over me.
After I sat down, he addressed the whole table. His voice carried that subtle alpha command that made everyone pay attention. "Just so you know, guys, we’re trying for pups. Mind taking the smoking outside? Don’t want anything messing with her system."
This was what Dominic always did when we went out with the pack. He always acted protective like this.
I smiled at everyone. "Sorry about that."
Not that I wanted to breathe in their secondhand smoke anyway.
Luckily, most of his pack brothers weren’t big smokers. They could survive one dinner without nicotine.
"Man, Elara, Dominic’s totally whipped."One of them laughed. "I’ve never seen this guy care about anyone before. Remember when he used to disappear for weeks without telling anyone?"
Great. More stories about Dominic’s mysterious past.
I smiled politely.
Before I could say anything, Dominic started his usual bragging. "Hell yeah, I’m whipped. You know how we got together? Elara made the first move. "
" My mate hunted me down like a true alpha female. So obviously I gotta treat her like a queen!"
"Best decision I ever made was letting her catch me," he added with that smile I’d fallen for.
"Gonna spoil her for the rest of our lives!"
I could feel everyone trying not to laugh.
Logan seemed to understand. He gave me a look that said ’I feel sorry for you’ from across the table. This whole dinner was just Dominic’s way to show me off like a prize.
I stayed quiet most of the night. I ate my steak which was actually really good and listened to them talk trash to each other. They argued about sports, politics, and who could drink the most.
Two hours and many drinks later, I looked over at Dominic. His face was red from the beer. His eyes looked drunk and glassy. He’d switched from beer to whiskey shots, which was never good.
He seemed extra excited tonight. Extra loud, extra touchy, extra everything. He’d been drinking way too much.
"Alright, gotta use the bathroom."
"I gotta hit the bathroom."
Dominic automatically reached for my hand. "Babe, come with me."
I stared at him like he was crazy. "I’m not going. You’re a grown man."
"Elara, stay right there! I’ll watch him!" Marcus jumped up like he was helping us out. "Make sure he doesn’t cause trouble on the way."
Dominic gave his friend an annoyed look for getting in the way. But he still got up and followed Marcus out. He was a little unsteady walking. Definitely too drunk.
The second they left, the whole mood at the table changed. People started talking quieter and more seriously.
Logan was sitting two seats away from me. He’d been drinking the same beer all night, barely joining the conversations. He looked like he was struggling with something.
Then he moved his chair closer. The chair legs made a scraping sound on the floor.
Maybe he wanted to apologize in case I heard something weird at the wedding.
"Elara, about what Sam said at the wedding... don’t read into it. Three years ago, Dominic came to my shop for ink. He got your name tattooed on his chest."
My mouth curved into a small smile. "I know."
Then his words hit me.
"Wait. Did you say three years ago?"
"Yeah, three years ago. It was pouring rain that day." Logan’s face went white. He realized he’d screwed up. "Elara, please don’t tell Dominic I said anything. He’ll rip my throat out."
Something twisted in my chest. I kept my voice casual. "Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe."
But my brain was spinning.
[Three years ago? Dominic wanted me three years ago?]
I thought back to three years ago.
I was still with Zack then. Still playing the role of his perfect, obedient mate.
