Chapter 30

Dominic's POV

After Elena walked out, I couldn't stand being in the apartment alone. Her scent still lingered in the air, that drove my wolf wild. I grabbed my keys and slammed the door behind me. If she could walk away, so could I.

The Silver Fang was crowded as usual, but the bartender immediately cleared a space for me. One advantage of being heir to the Silver Moon pack—service was never an issue.

"Whiskey. Neat." I didn't bother with pleasantries. "Leave the bottle."

Three drinks in, the familiar scent of artificial perfume and calculated desire hit me before I heard her voice.

"Drowning your sorrows?" Olivia slid onto the stool beside me, her dress riding up her thighs as she crossed her legs. "Or celebrating your freedom?"

I didn't look at her. "Not interested."

"In talking? Or in other activities?" She leaned closer, her hand settling on my forearm. "Because I can think of several ways to improve your mood that don't require much conversation."

My wolf growled in displeasure, clawing at my chest. The reaction made no sense; I had no mate bond with Elena, no reason for my wolf to object to another woman's touch. Yet every time Olivia's skin made contact with mine, my wolf recoiled as if burned.

"I said, not interested." I removed her hand from my arm and downed another whiskey.

Olivia wasn't deterred. "You weren't uninterested earlier tonight at the club. In fact, you seemed quite happy to have me pressed against you while Elena watched."

That caught my attention. "That was business."

"And this is pleasure." Her smile was predatory as she signaled the bartender. "Let me buy you a drink, at least. For old times' sake."

"We don't have old times."

"Not yet." She accepted a glass of red wine. "But I'm very good at creating memorable moments."

I finished my drink and stood. This wasn't worth the headache. "Goodnight, Olivia."

"Leaving so soon?" She pouted. "At least let me walk you to your car. The night air might clear your head."

Outside, the cool air hit my face, dulling the edge of the alcohol but not the restless energy churning inside me.

Olivia kept pace beside me, chattering about people and events I couldn't care less about. I was about to cut her off when a familiar scent drifted on the night breeze. *Elena*. She was close by.

My eyes scanned the sidewalk until I spotted her in the shadows of a building, watching us. Her expression was hidden in darkness, but her posture was rigid, tense.

A plan formed instantly in my mind. Let her see what she walked away from. Let her feel the same jealousy that had been eating away at me since she'd ended our arrangement.

I led Olivia to my car, deliberately opening the passenger door where Elena would have a clear view.

"Are you sure you don't want to come up?" Olivia asked, her voice deliberately louder than necessary. "I make an excellent nightcap."

"I think we've had enough excitement for one evening," I replied, making no effort to lower my voice.

Olivia laughed, the sound calculated to seduce. "The night is still young... and so are we."

She climbed into the passenger seat, and I followed her gaze to where Elena stood half-hidden. So Olivia had spotted her too. I should have known.

"You're full of surprises," Olivia murmured, shifting closer. "I didn't expect you to be so... hands-on."

"I'm full of many things," I replied, purposely dropping my voice to that register I knew affected Elena.

Olivia moaned softly—a sound so obviously fake it would have been laughable in any other circumstance. But this wasn't about Olivia. It was about the woman watching from the shadows, the woman whose heartbeat I could hear accelerating even from this distance.

I reached toward Olivia, hooking my fingers under the thin strap of her dress and slowly drawing it down her shoulder. Every cell in my body protested the action, my wolf howling in rage, but I kept my expression neutral, my eyes flicking toward Elena's hiding spot with a deliberate challenge.

She emerged from the shadows like an avenging angel, her silver-gray hair catching the streetlight, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Are you seriously doing this?" She stormed toward the car, fists clenched at her sides. "Right here on a public street?"

Olivia's surprised expression confirmed she hadn't actually seen Elena until now. I pushed her away slightly and stepped out of the car.

"Elena," I said coolly. "Out for a midnight stroll?"

"Cut the crap, Dominic." Her voice was sharp enough to cut steel. "This pathetic display isn't fooling anyone."

Her boldness shocked me. Most humans instinctively backed down in the face of my anger. Not Elena. She stood her ground, chin lifted, eyes flashing with defiance.

"Car sex? Really?" she continued, her gaze flicking dismissively over Olivia. "That's beneath even you. And in the middle of downtown? I thought you were more discrete than that."

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Elena's POV

I'd meant to walk away. I really had. But something in Dominic's challenging gaze as he deliberately drew down Olivia's dress strap made me snap. Before I knew what I was doing, I was marching toward them, anger burning through my veins.

"Are you seriously doing this?" I demanded. "Right here on a public street?"

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise, but Dominic looked as though he'd been expecting me. That realization only fueled my rage.

Olivia recovered her composure, smirking as she adjusted her dress strap. "Don't be jealous, Elena. It's not a good look on you."

"Jealous? Of what, exactly?" I laughed, the sound bitter even to my own ears. "A man who plays cruel games and a woman desperate enough to be his pawn? No, thank you."

I didn't wait for his response. I walked away, shoulders straight, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me falter.

The house was quiet when I arrived home, but a feeling of wrongness hit me the moment I stepped through the door. Something was off. I hurried to my father's room, pushing the door open to find him struggling to breathe, his face flushed with fever.

"Dad!" I rushed to his side, pressing a hand to his forehead. He was burning up.

I called for Elaine, then Chloe, my voice echoing through the empty house. No response. They had left him alone in this condition. Fury unlike anything I'd ever experienced coursed through me as I called an ambulance, then gathered my father's medications and identification.

As we waited for help to arrive, I held his hand, making a silent promise. No more. No more being the victim, the doormat, the one who always gave in. I was done letting people walk all over me—whether it was Dominic with his cruel games or Elaine and Chloe with their neglect.

My father squeezed my hand weakly, his eyes finding mine with surprising clarity. "Strong," he whispered. "Like your mother."

In that moment, something crystallized inside me. I would be strong—for him, for myself. I would care for my father properly, stand up to my stepfamily's abuse, and never again let myself be manipulated by Dominic or anyone else.