Chapter 55
Eva’s POV
I stepped out of my room to get something in the kitchen when I noticed something. A small folded note on the kitchen counter, right next to a fresh cup of coffee, my coffee, the way I liked it. Lemon and a little honey.
The note read:
“Clear your afternoon. Dress comfortably. You’ll need sneakers. – D.”
That was it. No explanation. No clue where we were going.
I squinted at the message like it might grow more details if I stared long enough. But Dominic didn’t do details. He did surprises. Occasionally dramatic ones.
After finishing my coffee and brushing my hair into a low ponytail, I threw on leggings, a black hoodie, and my most comfortable sneakers. The guards were already waiting by the elevator.
“He said to take you straight to him,” one of them informed me.
I nodded, grabbed a granola bar, and followed.
\---
We drove for about twenty minutes through the city, and then further—toward the edge of the urban district where the tall buildings slowly gave way to smaller houses, open fields, and eventually a thick line of trees.
Forests.
When the car stopped, I looked out the window and blinked.
“A trail?”
“Private,” the guard said. “It’s part of the Alpha reserve. Only high-rank members have access.”
I stepped out of the car, adjusting my hoodie and looking around. The trees were tall and ancient, their trunks thick with moss. Birds chirped above, and the scent of pine and earth wrapped around me like a warm blanket.
“Eva.”
I turned.
Dominic stood a few feet away, dressed almost exactly like me—dark hoodie, athletic pants, boots instead of sneakers. His hair was slightly messy, like he’d been here a while. He held a long walking stick and had a leather satchel slung over his shoulder.
“Are we hiking?” I asked.
He nodded. “Something like that.”
“You made me clear my schedule to take a walk in the woods?”
“I made you clear your schedule,” he said, handing me a bottle of water, “because you haven’t taken a break from thinking in weeks. And because I needed the air.”
I narrowed my eyes but took the water. “Is this a secret werewolf ritual?”
“No,” he said with a smirk. “It’s just a walk.”
\---
The trail wound through dense forest. The sun broke through in patches, casting golden light over fallen leaves and narrow streams. We walked in silence for the first fifteen minutes, our footsteps soft against the dirt path.
It was peaceful. Calming.
After a while, I noticed how Dominic’s posture relaxed, his shoulders no longer tense like they always were in meetings or when his father called. Here, he looked… human. And young. Not the powerful Alpha heir. Just Dominic.
“You used to come here a lot?” I asked.
He nodded. “With my uncle. He was one of the former Beta leaders. Taught me how to track deer. Told me the names of all the trees.” He glanced around. “This was the only place my father didn’t follow.”
I looked at him. “So, this is your escape?”
“Something like that,” he said. “You needed one too.”
We kept walking. A gentle wind stirred the trees above us. It was cool under the canopy, the earthy scent grounding me more than any spa ever could.
“Your father would lose it if he knew we were out here instead of picking invitation fonts,” I said.
He snorted. “Exactly why we’re here.”
Eventually, we reached a small wooden clearing, where a large flat rock overlooked a dip in the land—a shallow valley filled with ferns and wildflowers.
He dropped his bag and sat on the edge of the rock, stretching his legs.
I sat beside him and leaned back on my palms. “So what now?”
“We eat,” he said, pulling out a wrapped bundle. “I brought sandwiches.”
My brows lifted. “You made sandwiches?”
“Well,” he said with mock pride, “I assembled them. That counts.”
He handed me one. Tuna and cheese, with soft bread. Simple. Thoughtful. Somehow, that made it taste better.
We ate in silence, watching the birds fly low over the field.
It wasn’t just peaceful. It was quiet in my head too. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t thinking about the fake wedding or my father’s health or whether people were judging me for pretending to be the Luna of a man I barely knew six months ago.
I was just… sitting. Breathing.
With him.
\---
After lunch, we lay back on the rock. The sky above was soft and blue with lazy clouds drifting by. He rested with his arms folded behind his head. I laid beside him with my eyes closed. Everything except the dinner was happening and it has just been like my slice of life but it only made me more nervous.
We headed back before the sun dipped too low.
The walk was slower this time, quieter in a softer way. The kind of quiet that came from shared company, not the lack of sound.
When we reached the edge of the woods, I looked back once—at the tall trees, the sliver of sun cutting through the green, the path that felt like it belonged to another world entirely.
“Thank you,” I said as the guards opened the car door.
Dominic looked at me. “For what?”
"Everything." I whispered.