Chapter 217: Chapter 217 The Reconciliation
Author
Alpha Dominic grabbed her chin and kissed her. Not soft. Not gentle. His mouth crushed hers, demanding, taking. When he pulled back, his eyes were dark, pupils blown.
"Who told you that bullshit?" His voice was low. Rough. "You do not look like her. She does not look like you."
Elara’s chest loosened. A little.
"Luna." He tilted his head, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Are you actually jealous of Dr. Reed?"
"Shut up."
"Hit a nerve."
"I said shut up." She shoved his chest. "You are the one who was vague about everything. What was I supposed to think?"
"So you were jealous."
"I was not."
"Right." He laughed, short and rough. Then he pulled her in, arms locking around her waist. His face dropped into her hair. He breathed her in.
"Listen to me." His voice was quieter now. Harder. "There is no one else. There never was. She was my doctor. I paid her. She did her job. End of story."
Elara stayed still.
"If there was something between us, do you think I would have waited years to find you?"
She let out a slow breath. "She came to your office. About Vanessa."
"Yeah. She did." He pulled back to look at her. "And you handled it. I saw the deal got signed. You did not need me."
"No. I did not."
She was quiet for a second.
"Mm." She hummed. "From now on, if it is work, I handle it. If it gets ugly, I will tell you. But you trust me to deal with it, right?"
"I do."
She was not being stubborn. She just wanted to solve her own problems.
She did not want to be the kind of wife who needed saving every time something went wrong.
---
Alpha Zack found out that Vanessa had been sitting on Elara’s deal. He was pissed.
The news came through his assistant that morning. Casual. Quiet.
Just a mention that Vanessa’s office had been holding Park Hotel Group’s proposal for weeks. Not reviewing it. Not rejecting it. Just letting it collect dust while Elara waited.
By dinner, the anger had settled into something cold. Hard.
He didn’t say a word during the first course. Just sat there, jaw tight, eyes fixed on his plate.
Vanessa knew better than to speak first.
Halfway through the meal, he finally looked up. His eyes cut across the table like a blade. "I thought I made myself clear. You get the Blackwood name. Nothing else."
Vanessa’s fork paused mid-air. Then she set it down slowly. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Bullshit." His voice was flat. Final. "You know exactly what you did. Stay in your lane, Vanessa. Don’t make me regret this arrangement."
She held his gaze for a moment. Then she pushed her plate forward. Appetite gone.
"You know what, Zack?" Her voice was quiet. Controlled. "If you wanted her that badly, maybe you shouldn’t have let her go."
The words landed like a knife between his ribs.
He went still. His hand hovered over the table. The only sound was the hum of the fridge in the kitchen.
"That’s not the point," he said. His voice was too measured. Too careful. "The point is you don’t touch what’s mine."
"What’s yours?" Vanessa let out a short laugh. "She was never yours. You had your chance. You blew it."
She stood up. Straightened her dress. Walked out without looking back. Her heels clicked against the hardwood, each step sharp and final.
Alpha Zack sat there. Alone.
The question echoed in his head.
[Why did you let someone else take her?]
--
Next morning.
When Elara woke up, Alpha Dominic was already gone. Off to the office.
She did not blame him. He had been starving for days.
Last night, he had been a completely different person.
She came downstairs and immediately caught Elizabeth’s knowing look. Her cheeks warmed.
"Grandma. Why are you looking at me like that?"
Elizabeth smiled. She had noticed the tension between the two of them all week. "Nothing, dear. Did you two work things out?"
"Yeah. We did."
Elizabeth nodded, satisfied. "Good. That is good. It was nothing serious. That boy has been walking on eggshells around you for days. Barely said a word."
"Grandma, it was not that dramatic."
Elizabeth had been watching Alpha Dominic closely. She trusted him now. Completely.
"Elara." She paused. "Are you still not thinking about having a pup?"
She could tell. It was not Alpha Dominic who was holding back. It was her granddaughter.
Elara hesitated. "Maybe after the new year, Grandma."
"Alright. That is fine. You two have not been mated long. It is good to take your time."
Elara thought about it. If the father was going to be Alpha Dominic Wolfe...
Maybe having a pup would not be so bad after all.
--
Quinn Reed had been waiting for Alpha Dominic to call.
He didn’t.
She told herself she wasn’t going to chase it. But by evening, she picked up the phone anyway. Professional. Casual. Like it didn’t matter.
"Hey, Dominic. You free for dinner?"
Beat of silence.
"Can’t today." His voice was easy. Unbothered. "My mate’s got the day planned. Maybe some other time—when she’s free. We’ll grab dinner, all three of us."
Quinn’s jaw tightened. But she kept her voice light. "Look at you. All booked up now."
Across the room, Alpha Dominic glanced at Elara on the couch. She was pretending to read, but he could tell she was listening.
"Yeah. Well. Things change when you find your person."
Quinn picked up on the shift in his tone. The finality of it.
"Right." Her voice cooled. "I’ll let you go, then."
"Sure. Take care."
He hung up. Didn’t say goodbye first.
He tossed his phone on the coffee table and walked over to Elara. She looked up, one eyebrow raised.
"Quinn?"
"Wanted lunch. I told her no."
"That’s it?"
"That’s it." He sat down next to her. "What? You want me to make a bigger deal out of it?"
"I want you to not make a big deal out of it. That’s the point."
He studied her for a second. Then the corner of his mouth lifted. "You were listening."
"I was reading."
"You were reading the same page for ten minutes."
She shut the book. "Okay. Maybe I was listening. So what?"
"So nothing." He leaned back. "Just saying. You’re cute when you pretend not to care."
"I’m not pretending."
"Good. Then you won’t mind what I say next."
She narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"I want to take you somewhere. For Christmas Eve. Northern lights."
She blinked. "What about my grandmother?"
"She’ll stay at the estate. Hunter and Orion will be there. She’ll have company."
Elara thought about it. Elizabeth did love kids. And the house had been quiet lately.
"Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She paused. "But if you’re doing this just to prove a point—"
"I’m doing it because I want to." His voice dropped. "With you. Alone."
She held his gaze. Then she nodded.
"Okay. Then let’s go."
