Chapter 150
Dominic POV
The guard reaches for me.
He doesn’t even get the chance to say anything.
I move.
I don’t shove him intentionally.
I don’t even think.
I just keep going.
The doors swing open violently behind me, nearly knocking him off balance.
I don’t stop.
I can’t.
I don’t even know what I’m planning to do.
I’m not a healer.
I don’t have a magical solution.
I can’t fix this.
But standing outside?
Waiting?
Letting strangers decide whether Ellie lives or dies while I sit helplessly on the other side of a door?
I can’t.
I won’t.
Something inside me is pulling.
A bond.
An instinct.
A need so deep it feels like a rope tied around my heart.
I follow her scent.
Weak.
Faint.
But still there.
And then I push through the doors.
Hard enough that they slam against the walls.
The room is in chaos.
Healers rushing.
Voices overlapping.
Machines screaming.
And then I see her.
Ellie.
On the bed.
Wrong.
That is the only thought my mind can form.
Wrong.
She looks wrong.
Her skin is too pale.
Her lips are slightly parted.
Her chest barely moves.
The monitors surrounding her flash with numbers I don’t understand, alarms piercing through everything.
Hands are everywhere.
Healers are everywhere.
And then I hear it.
“We’re losing her.”
The words destroy me.
“No.”
The sound barely leaves my mouth.
Not a command.
Not a threat.
Just a broken breath.
“No.”
“Move!”
Someone shouts.
“Move!”
I don’t know when I will start moving.
One second, I’m frozen.
Next, I’m pushing through the room.
Hands grab my arms.
Voices rise.
“Get him out!”
“Sir, you can’t be in here!”
I don’t hear them.
I can’t.
Because she’s there.
And she’s slipping away.
I reach her.
I don’t even remember crossing the room.
I just know that suddenly she’s in my arms.
I pull her against me carefully.
Like she’s made of glass.
She’s too light.
That’s the first thing I notice.
She’s far too light.
Her head falls against my chest.
Her body doesn’t respond.
Panic claws up my throat.
“Ellie…”
My voice breaks.
I press my forehead against hers.
She’s warm.
Still warm.
Thank the gods.
“Hey.”
My hands shake as I hold her.
“Hey, look at me.”
Nothing.
No sarcastic comment.
No glare.
No argument.
Nothing.
And somehow that’s worse.
“You don’t get to do this.”
My voice cracks.
“You don’t get to spend weeks yelling at me and then just leave everything quiet.”
The alarms continue screaming.
The sound feels personal.
Like they’re accusing me.
Like they’re telling me I’m too late.
“Yell at me.”
My voice rises.
“Come on.”
I tighten my hold.
“Tell me you hate me.”
My throat burns.
“I haven’t heard it enough.”
A broken laugh escapes me.
“I haven’t heard you enough.”
I press my face against her hair.
“Say something.”
Her scent fills my lungs.
Rose.
And something that is only for Ellie.
“Anything.”
My voice lowers.
“You’re not allowed to give up.”
My fingers curl around her.
“You promised.”
A pause.
“We weren’t done.”
My chest aches.
“Wake up.”
The words tear out of me.
“Ellie, wake up!”
I turn toward the healers.
Desperation takes over.
“What do I do?”
No one answers.
I look between them.
“She’s supposed to stabilize when I touch her.”
My voice shakes.
“That was the deal.”
I look around wildly.
“Where is the head healer?”
My voice turns sharper.
“Get him here.”
“Now.”
Someone reaches for my shoulder.
I react instantly.
A low growl tears from my chest.
“Don’t touch her.”
The room freezes.
“Get your hands off me.”
The wolf underneath my skin is barely restrained.
They hesitate.
I don’t care.
My attention returns to Ellie.
My forehead presses against hers again.
I can feel it.
The bond.
Broken.
Fraying.
Desperate.
Like it’s reaching for me.
Begging.
I don’t know what else to do.
I don’t know if this will work.
I don’t know if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life.
But I can’t lose her.
So I act.
I kiss her.
It isn’t soft.
It isn’t romantic.
It’s desperation.
It’s every apology I never said.
Every feeling I buried.
Every time I convinced myself distance was protection.
Every time I let pride win.
Mine.
The thought hits me like both a confession and a prayer.
Mine.
Not as a possession.
Not as a claim.
As a promise.
I don’t care if she forgives me.
I don’t care if she accepts me.
If this gives her one more second…
One more breath…
It’s worth it.
“Come back.”
My voice shakes against her lips.
“Please.”
I close my eyes.
“I claim this bond.”
The words come from somewhere deeper than thought.
“This connection.”
“This fate.”
“Whatever this is…”
My hand tightens around hers.
“I’ll do better.”
A tear slips down my face before I can stop it.
“I swear.”
“I’ll stand between you and everyone who tries to hurt you.”
My voice breaks.
“I won’t let them hurt you again.”
A pause.
“And I won’t hurt you again.”
For one horrible second—
Nothing happens.
The alarms continue.
My chest tightens.
The world narrows.
And then—
Ellie gasps.
Her body jerks against mine.
Air tears into her lungs like she’s been dragged back from the edge.
The monitors change.
The alarms shift.
Voices explode around us.
“She’s breathing!”
“Heart rate stabilizing!”
“She’s responding!”
I freeze.
I can’t process it.
Then a sound escapes me.
Half laugh.
Half sob.
Relief crashes over me so violently my entire body shakes.
She’s alive.
She’s alive.
I press my forehead against hers again.
My hands tremble.
“I’ve got you.”
The words come out again and again.
“I’ve got you.”
Even as the healers try to take her from me.
“Hey.”
I hold on.
“Hey, I’ve got you.”
A shaky breath leaves me.
“Gods, you’re such an idiot.”
Her lips move.
Barely.
Her voice is almost nothing.
“…Dom?”
My heart stops.
Because she knows me.
Because she’s here.
And I still can’t let go.
I don’t know if I ever will.