Chapter 59

Dominic

“Sounds perfect, can’t wait.”

I read back Mira’s last text, a smile curling at the edge of my lip.

After last time, I now made sure to confirm with Mira when we could have dinner together. We did not force it every night, especially as we resumed more normal lives. But we both decided it was important not just for appearances but also for us as partners.

We needed to stay connected and apprised of each other’s lives and activities. Neither of us wanted to be caught unaware of what the other was going through.

That did not mean we didn’t have secrets from one another, though I could not think of many things I would not share with her if she asked me.

I could not think of anything I would not do for her if she asked me.

I brushed off those deeper thoughts of my devotion to Mira, convincing myself that all Alphas should treat their Mate this way.

The pot on the stove bubbled over as I went through these mental hoops. I grabbed a wooden spoon and stirred, refocusing on the task at hand.

By no means am I a gifted chef, but I take pride in my ability to provide a warm and comforting meal when in need. My mother had instilled that in me: always know when to give someone soup.

I chuckled out loud as I remembered days long ago, following my mother around the kitchen as she danced with her ingredients.

It wasn’t until she was gone that I realized how fortunate I had been to have parents like mine. An Alpha father who was kind and creative; a Luna mother who was strong and soft.

I could only hope that one day I might have a family like that.

My phone rang, and I walked over imagining it might be Mira. Had my thoughts summoned her?

I checked the caller id: it was Lucian.

With a scowl, I ignored the call and put my phone down. Whatever he wanted, it could wait.

As I walked back to the stove I received a message from Lucian.

“Hey, can we talk? It’s important.”

He didn’t dictate what was or was not important. I left my phone, unanswered, on the table.

Mira arrived just as I was setting the table. I had my Beta make a run to the greenhouse for me, and she had a surprised smile as she saw the vase.

“Dahlias,” she said, honey in her voice. “My favorites. How did you know?”

“I didn’t, I just had a feeling,” I responded with all honesty. “They were my mothers favorite too.”

Her face changed when I said that, and she almost dropped her bag as it slid off her shoulder.

“Smells good,” she said as she went to put her things down. “I didn't know how much I needed soup tonight.”

“Never a night for soup, as I always say.”

“Do you always say that?” she asked, skeptically.

“No, I don’t think I ever have.”

There was an awkward moment of silence, and then we both broke into laughter.

We sat for dinner, updating each other on our lives. As much as I enjoyed being around her, when we spent some time apart I got to be entertained by her retelling of her daily adventures. I got to see the world through Mira’s eyes.

Those eyes that were catching candlelight like fireflies in a jar.

“What is it?” she asked out of nowhere.

“What?”

I must've zoned out, staring at her without fully listening.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m not, I’m just…I’m listening,” I said, holding up my hands in defense.

“Okay, weirdo,” she said playfully, returning to her food.

Her phone started vibrating in her bag across the room. We both paused for a moment, then went back to dinner.

“Ugh it’s dinner time!” she said in mock outrage. “They can leave a message.”

Not a moment went by but her phone was ringing again, and again we tried to ignore it. It was the third time that drove Mira to rise from her seat and address the issue.

“I’ll just turn it off,” she said, retrieving the device.

As she picked it up and read the name, she paused like she was going to pick up the call. She bit her lower lip then pressed ignore. She sent a quick message then turned her phone off completely.

“There,” she said, returning to her seat.

“Who was it?”

She froze with her spoon mid-air, then tried to act like it hadn’t happened.

“Oh it was nothing,” she said, enjoying her soup.

“But you needed to text them?”

“Yes, just to say I couldn’t talk,” Mira said.

“Oh, right,” I said, watching her.

She was acting strange, keeping her head focused on her food and not making eye contact. I waited to see what she would do.

Noticing my eyes on her, she sighed and put down her spoon. I tried to keep my face neutral, not accusatory or stern.

“Sorry,” she said, “I don’t mean to be secretive or anything. It was Lucian calling.”

Him.

My nostrils flared slightly at his name, but I stayed calm.

“I see,” I spoke slowly. “And what did he want?”

“Well, I don’t know,” she answered, matching my slow pace, “because I didn’t answer. I will just call him later, or tomorrow.”

“Right.”

She tilted her head, seeming tired.

“Are you really upset about this?”

“I’m not upset,” I defended.

“Really? Because your eyebrows are doing that thing they do when you are upset.”

She scrunched her own eyebrows together, and I realized I had been doing the same thing.

“No they— don’t worry about my eyebrows!” I said in frustration. “I just find it strange that another man, and Lucian at that, is calling my fiancé this late in the evening. It’s…improper.”

“Improper? What year is it?” She added a sharp laugh after she spoke. “It’s nothing ‘improper’ as I’ve told you, we are just friends. Aren’t I allowed to have male friends?”

“Of course you can–”

“But not Lucian, because he might not still be your step-brother?”

“Because he thinks he can charm his into things that he shouldn’t” I practically bellowed at her.

“Did you assume I was going to fall in love with Lucian just because he was first with me?” She had raised her voice, but was more outraged than angry. “I could never love a man like him!”

“Good!” I shouted, matching her energy.

There was silence to follow, and after a moment our eyes met. I could tell we were thinking the same thing.

She had brought up the subject of love, of being in love, a subject we had been tiptoeing around since we first came up with our contract agreement.

Love was not meant for us. It was not a part of the plan.

But life doesn’t always follow a plan, as I had been finding out.

And now we sat facing each other, with flowers and candlelight, wondering if we could fall in love.

She blushed first, and looked away.

We finished dinner, returning to a normal rhythm as we cleaned up and got ready for bed. Mira was under the sheets first, and with a quick good night she turned to face away.

As I crawled beside her, I knew I would not get to sleep for a long time. My mind was racing, my heart was pounding, and my body was painfully aware of how close his own body was.

I turned on my side to face away from her, but behind my eyelids I still envisioned her.

It was either two minutes or two hours later and I was still awake. I felt a hand on my back, between my shoulder blades, resting firmly just over my heart.

My blood surged as her hand pressed into my skin, and I felt her tremble slightly as she felt it too.

I turned over and only saw her eyes, two points of light in the dark.

Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her