CHAPTER 17

MIA POV.
Dominic's voice cut through the tension like a knife as he addressed my estranged father, taking his attention off of me and onto Dominic himself. "I'm glad we've had a chance to reconnect, old friend." he said, his tone smooth as silk. I almost wanted to snort sarcastically as he made it sound as though the reunion was a great success, but I bit my tongue. "And speaking of new beginnings, I'm thrilled to announce the engagement of our children, Mia and Tony."
My father's eyes snapped to the diamond ring on my finger, before his eyes met mine. "Engagement?" he repeated, his voice laced with skepticism as he turned to face Dominic again. "Is this arrangement still necessary. They hardly know each other." He states and for a moment my chest is filled with a little bit of hope that my father will do something that I could benefit from by calling off this stupid engagement. Dominic’s expression was stoic. "Actually, the two have known each other for some time now and have been dating.” Dominic said and I felt like kicking him. Dominic had conveniently forgotten to add about our breakup. I caught Tony’s expression. It seems that he too was not happy with his father.
Suddenly, I came to the realization of what Dominic was doing. His words, his actions, the entire scene unfolding before me - it was all a carefully crafted plan by him to manipulate my father into accepting me by organizing this publicly and to bring me into Dominic's grasp and ensure his grip on power. I felt a cold creeping up my spine as I realized the extent Dominic would go for power, and it angered me.
My father watched me intently for a moment, his eyes searching for something before I finally spoke. "I see," he said, his tone still doubtful. "Is this what you want, Mia?" my father askes and I was about to open my mouth to speak when Dominic intervened.
"Of course, she's certain," he said, his voice firm. "The union between our families will strengthen our pack bonds and secure future blood lines.” He spoke confidently. My father's expression remained unconvinced, but he said nothing more. The silence that followed was oppressive, heavy with unspoken questions and doubts.
"Very well," my father said, his voice firm as he addressed Dominic. "I accept this union. It will indeed strengthen our alliances.” He said and he turned back to me. “I believe congratulations are in order.” He congratulated me and that little hope from before died away. Why didn’t I say anything? I chastised myself.
"Remember, Mia, you represent the Crescent Moon pack now. Don't disappoint me." He said almost as a command or warning, I wasn’t sure, but almost immediately his face softened with emotion as he looked at me again. "I'm so sorry you never got to know your mother like I did. She really was an amazing woman." He said before leaving me standing there with a mixture of emotions with tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.
He left. His female partner glared at me for a moment before she too left, following the alpha out with his guards following closely behind. The room seemed to exhale as the tension dissipated, but inside I was anything but calm in this whole situation.
It felt like a long time before the guests started to depart, but I was relieved once the party finally came to an end.
As the last guest departed, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. Dominic's voice broke through the turmoil of my thoughts. I realized that everyone had already left, and it was just Dominic and I with some omega’s starting to clean up after the party. I noticed that Tony had also disappeared, not that I cared. "It’s time for you to get some rest. Tomorrow, arrangements will start for the wedding." He said and I had to take a breath to calm myself. Anxiety was clawing at my stomach about the impending wedding that I had to go through.
With a nod of my head and not a word to Dominic, I left and hurried to my room. eager to get away from this place and to put distance between me and this arrogant man that had taken hold of my life. I sat on the bed, my eyes fixed on the diamond ring that sparkled on my finger like a beacon of obligation. I had quickly changed out of my party dress, and discarded it on the floor, but I couldn't bring myself to remove the ring.
It was a beautiful piece, expertly crafted to catch draw attention. I turned my hand, watching as the diamond refracted the dim light of my room. It was a constant reminder of the role I was expected to play, the life I was being forced into. But still, I couldn't bring myself to remove it. Meeting my father had been a turning point, but not in the way I had hoped. In truth I didn’t know what to expect. I had thought that finally knowing the truth about my past would bring me peace of mind, but my questions still remained unanswered. I was merely a pawn in their game, but it couldn’t all be about power, could it? I wondered as I thought back to the emotion in my estranged father’s eyes when he spoke of my mother. It unnerved me. I had grown accustomed to Dominic's calculating cruelty to manipulate and control those around him, but at least I knew what to expect. My father's display of emotion, however, had caught me off guard compared to the stories I have heard of Alpha Ryker. My father. It felt so strange to think of him as my father, my real father. This was something that I had to get used too, I guess. I thought to myself as I got up to get into bed.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the other side of my door. I froze as a momentary panic settled over me before I realized that it would be nearly impossible for an intruder to get into this mansion. Snapping myself out of it, I hurry towards my bedroom door with my heart racing in anticipation of what I would find. Whatever I expected, it wasn’t the sight of Dominic on the floor of the hallway. He was just starting to get up on his knees when he clutched at his head, his face contorted in pain, his eyes screwed shut. A loud groan escaped his lips, his body trembling.
For a moment, I just stood there, frozen in shock as I was trying to process what I was seeing. This was Dominic, arrogant, manipulative, cruel and always in control, and yet, at this moment, he seemed so... human. Without thinking, I rushed over to him.