Chapter 138
Ellie POV
Dominic arrives ten minutes later.
I know it's him before I even see him.
Not because someone announces him.
Because Dominic does not arrive quietly.
His footsteps echo down the hallway, rushed and uneven. There's a burst of movement, a few startled voices, and the unmistakable sound of someone shifting forms too quickly.
A rush of air.
A sharp gasp.
Then—
He appears in the doorway.
A complete mess.
His hair is wild, his breathing heavy, and he's dressed in nothing but a loose T-shirt and sweatpants, as he ran out of bed the second he heard.
His eyes scan the room.
Searching.
Panicked.
Then they find me.
Something shifts.
Not in the room.
Inside me.
Like my body recognizes something before my mind can understand it.
Like some hidden part of me just woke up.
"Um..."
He takes a breath, trying to steady himself.
"You called?"
His voice is rough.
Then his gaze locks onto mine.
"Is Ellie—"
He stops.
Because I'm right there.
"What's going on?"
His voice lowers.
Controlled.
Calm.
But there's a crack beneath it.
A tiny bit of fear.
And somehow, that hurts more than the pain.
The chief healer gestures toward him.
"Stand there. For now."
Dominic frowns.
Clearly not used to being told what to do.
But he listens.
He moves to the other side of the bed.
Too far.
Immediately, I notice.
Because the pain is still there.
Still clawing through me.
Still pressing behind my eyes.
Still running down my spine like something inside me is slowly breaking apart.
I bite down hard on my lip.
I refuse to make a sound.
Dominic notices anyway.
His jaw tightens.
"She's hurting."
His voice is sharp.
"Do something."
The chief healer remains calm.
"We are."
His eyes flick toward him.
"Just stay where you are."
Dominic looks like he wants to argue.
He almost does.
Then he stops.
Because another wave of pain hits me.
And instinct takes over.
He steps closer.
Only one step.
But the difference is immediate.
The pressure lessens.
Not completely.
But enough.
My shoulders relax.
My breathing slows.
The ache behind my eyes dulls.
I suck in a breath.
Everyone notices.
The chief healer's expression changes.
Not surprise.
Confirmation.
"Closer."
Dominic hesitates.
His eyes move to mine.
For once, he doesn't decide for me.
He waits.
Asks without words.
I don't trust my voice.
So I nod.
He approaches.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The closer he gets, the lighter I feel.
Like my body has been carrying a weight it was never meant to hold.
It's the same feeling as before.
At school.
When he helped me.
When the pain disappeared just because he was near.
The healer watches closely.
"Take her hand."
Dominic looks down.
Then back at me.
Uncertainty crosses his face.
Dominic.
Uncertain.
It's almost stranger than anything else happening.
Slowly, he reaches for me.
His fingers wrap around mine.
And the world goes quiet.
Completely quiet.
The pain vanishes.
Not fades.
Not easy.
Vanishes.
So suddenly that my body doesn't know what to do with the absence of it.
My headache disappears.
My chest loosens.
My muscles relax.
I gasp.
Because after days of suffering...
I can breathe.
I stare at him.
At our joined hands.
"It..."
My voice shakes.
"It was you?"
The room freezes.
"But..."
I can't finish.
Because I don't understand.
My mother makes a broken sound beside me.
One of the healers mutters something under their breath.
My stepfather goes completely still.
His face loses all color.
Dominic doesn't move.
He's staring at our hands.
Like they're something powerful.
Something dangerous.
The chief healer steps forward.
His expression turns serious.
"Ah."
A pause.
"Just as I suspected."
He studies us.
"Been a long time since I've seen one of these."
My stomach tightens.
"A rejected fated mate bond."
The words hit harder than I expected.
Rejected.
Fated mate.
Bond.
No.
No, absolutely not.
"When a bond like this is rejected for too long," he continues, "it doesn't simply disappear."
His voice remains clinical.
"But it begins turning inward."
My fingers tighten around Dominic's without meaning to.
"The body begins to deteriorate. Pain. Weakness. Exhaustion. Eventually, strain on the organs."
My stomach drops.
"Only three things can stabilize it."
The healer raises one finger.
"Mate comfort."
Another.
"Proximity."
A third.
"And finally..."
His gaze moves between us.
"Accepting and marking the bond."
Silence.
Complete silence.
My face burns.
There is no way.
Absolutely no way.
"You're joking."
I force out a laugh.
A weak one.
But the healer only gives me a knowing look.
He's not joking.
I glance down at our hands.
Like maybe they've betrayed me without permission.
Dominic's fingers tighten slightly.
Just enough for me to notice.
I look up.
He looks...
Destroyed.
Not angry.
Not upset.
Just stunned.
Like the entire world shifted beneath him, and he hasn't figured out how to stand again.
My heart pounds.
Because this is impossible.
I rejected him.
I fought this.
I spent so long convincing myself that walking away was the right thing.
That I could choose.
That I could escape.
But apparently...
My body had a different opinion.
Rejecting Dominic didn't free me.
It only delayed the consequences.
And now the answer to my sickness is standing beside my bed, holding my hand.
The one person I was determined not to need.
And somehow...
My body already chose him.