I’m holding my breath now, not wanting to become consumed by the scent that threatens to lower my guard. Those walls I’d built up around my heart were only put in place becauseof him, even if they served me when I had to be strong against a pack that hated my guts.
Rolling my eyes, I cling to that strength now that I’m so close to Dominic. It’s nearly impossible to be this close and not remember what happened before he left for black ops.
“What favor could you possibly want from me?” I ask with a deep frown.
Dominic takes a deep breath, defeatedly removing his hand from beside my face and turning to give me his back, his shoulders slouched.
“I need your help to win the trials, Cecelia. If you don’t participate, I lose my place as a contender,” he sighs, disheartened. “I’ve already spoken to Alpha Sirius, and there’s no going back from this decision. It’s either you take part with me, or I lose any chance of becoming the alpha.”
It’s impossible to ignore the desperation in his voice, and the weight of the silence that follows carries that same desperation.
“Dominic…” I begin, biting my tongue to stop myself from saying something I might regret later. I shouldn’t be showing him any compassion after what he did to hurt me. He turns at my silence, his expression grim and helpless—something I’ve never seen on his face before.
“Please, Cecelia. You must help me. It’s my only chance to prove the strength of the Rivera family. I’ve been training my whole life for this moment. I can’t let it slip through my fingers. I’m the only hope for my family to reclaim their rightful place in the Lunaris Pack.”
His eyes soften and gloss over with moisture that makes it nearly impossible not to feel a slight flicker of sympathy forhis plight. I’ve never seen Dominic Rivera in such a vulnerable predicament, and it shifts something inside me. Perhaps it’s because I understand what it’s like to have your family fall from grace.
I could easily refuse to be his partner and forfeit Dominic’s chances of becoming the alpha. It would be the revenge I’ve always fantasized about taking, and now I have the upper hand to claim victory over him for what he did to break me.
But there’s something that prevents me from going ahead and disappointing him by ruining his plans, like a tiny voice in my head that guides me.
I raise a brow and stare up into his eyes with determination. “What is in it for me? I was willing to run away, so I have nothing to lose.”
Dominic nods slowly. “You can have anything you want, Cecelia. If I win with your help and become alpha, you can have anything you want.”
There’s a level of sincerity in Dominic’s tone that makes me believe him. Slowly, I begin nodding as I decide that there’s only one thing I truly want.
If I’m going to spend my days in Nightmist amongst the Lunaris Pack, there’s only one thing that will make my living conditions easier. I take a deep breath, and that inner intuition nods that it agrees with my choices.
“If I help you become alpha, there is something I want that only the alpha can give me,” I say in a measured tone.
A fleeting frown passes through Dominic’s face. “What do you want, Cecelia?”
Unfolding my arms, I take a step forward and stare into his eyes to make sure that he catches every word I say. “I want a clean slate for the Morales family name. I want my father’s name cleared. When you become the alpha, you’ll be able to do this, right? You can clear his name of the crime he was accused of.”
Dominic’s frown is fixed on his face now, but he offers out a hand. “It’s a deal. If you help me win, I’ll clear Hugo Morales’s name in front of all of Lunaris.”
Nodding measuredly, I place my hand in Dominic’s, faintly aware that the touch is electric, but I choose to ignore it. It feels like I’m making a deal with the devil, and I’m not about to let my guard down.
I don’t fully trust Dominic, but I will hold him to his word if he wins the trials. If he doesn’t keep his end of the deal, I’ll do everything I can to make his life miserable. I just have to be on my guard now, remain wary, and not allow my body to respond to him in any way.
I might be wearing the T-shirt again, but I won’t be stripped of my dignity this time. It’s my armor now, to remind me that he doesn’t have a hold on me anymore.
Chapter 8 - Dominic
Peeping through the crack in the door that leads into the only bedroom in the log cabin, I hold my breath while watching Cecelia sleep.
After all the trouble we went through last night, I’m just glad she’s still here and hasn’t tried to make another run for it.
I can’t afford to skip the trials and lose my only shot at becoming the alpha.
Sighing, I quietly tiptoe away and stretch out my bones from sleeping on the couch last night as I head to the kitchen, something pulling me toward making breakfast for Cecelia as an act of kindness that might calm her down. I’d never seen her so feisty before, so it came as a surprise when she lashed out at me last night.
What stung the most was when she yelled that she hated me. What was I expecting, anyway? Of course, she hates me for rejecting her after I’d made love to her in the woods. She was a virgin then, and naturally expected me to take her as my mate.
She has no idea that I have no plans on ever fulfilling a mate bond. I don’t see the point, and I know the pack wouldn’t take me seriously as their leader if I became the alpha and had the omega as my mate.
Besides, Cecelia hates me. All my plans to speak to her in a calm way to address our past grievances flew out the window when she tried fleeing Nightmist. I can only hope that she sees I’m a changed man who will never make her feel used again. It’s just that I’m torn between doing what’s right for the pack and doing what’s right for my inner wolf.
