Chapter 218
Dominic’s POV
Why was it so easy for Vivian to step into that role when Ellie refused to?
The thought lingered longer than I wanted it to.
My gaze drifted toward the drawer in my desk—the one holding the contract that had caused so much damage between us. Before I could stop myself, I reached for it and pulled it out.
The familiar weight of the papers settled in my hands.
I flipped through the pages until I reached the clause that had angered Ellie the most.
I read it again.
Then again.
This time, I forced myself to look at it the way she had.
And...
She wasn't wrong.
The wording was harsh.
From her perspective, it sounded like I had tied her freedom to her health. Like I had created a loophole that allowed me to keep her trapped in our marriage, no matter what she wanted.
Like I had taken away her choice.
My fingers tightened around the paper.
Maybe that was exactly what I had been trying to do.
Not because I wanted to hurt her.
Because I was afraid.
Afraid that she would leave.
Afraid that after everything I had lost, after finally finding my mate, she would decide I wasn't enough.
So I had tried to protect myself.
But maybe, in doing so, I had only given her another reason to run.
I stared down at the contract, my jaw tight.
One motion.
That was all it would take.
I could tear it apart.
I could end this.
If Ellie truly wanted freedom, then maybe I needed to give it to her instead of forcing her to stay.
Even if the thought terrified me.
My fingers moved to the edges of the paper.
I was about to pull.
Then I felt it.
A sudden, sharp ache in my chest.
The mate bond.
It flared violently, like someone had grabbed that invisible thread connecting us and pulled with everything they had.
Ellie.
My head snapped up.
The pain wasn't mine.
It was hers.
I dropped the contract onto the desk and stood so quickly my chair scraped against the floor.
Then her voice came.
Faint.
Weak.
Barely more than a whisper through the bond.
"Help."
My blood ran cold.
"Ellie?"
Nothing.
The connection vanished.
I reached for her again, but there was no response.
She had shut me out.
I didn't think.
I moved.
I left the office and flew down the stairs, taking them two at a time.
Marcus was in the drawing room when I found him.
"Where is Ellie?"
The urgency in my voice made him look up.
He frowned.
"I don't know. I assumed she was at the academy."
I turned toward the front windows.
Her car.
Still parked outside.
My stomach dropped.
She hadn't left.
Which meant she was somewhere on the grounds.
I searched everywhere.
Her room was empty.
The kitchen was empty.
The solarium was empty.
Every hallway, every common area, every place she could be.
Nothing.
No Ellie.
No sign of her.
Finally, one thought came to mind.
The barracks.
Maybe she had gone there to train.
Maybe she'd gotten hurt.
I pushed through the doors, only to find two warriors sitting at the round table, casually playing cards.
"Have you seen Ellie?"
Both men immediately straightened.
One of them nodded.
"Yes, Luna was here earlier."
My shoulders loosened slightly.
Then he continued.
"She went out to hunt the boar."
I froze.
"The boar?"
The two warriors exchanged confused looks.
"Yes. The one that's been roaming the forest."
"The one that's been attacking everything in its path?" I asked.
They both nodded.
At the same time.
A curse left my mouth.
I turned immediately toward the exit.
I could deal with the warriors later.
Right now, Ellie was out there alone.
She had no idea what she was doing.
That boar had avoided our hunters for days. It was aggressive, dangerous, and far stronger than an ordinary animal.
And Ellie had gone after it.
In the middle of a storm.
The fact that she had used the mate bond to call for help meant one thing.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
I ran.
I didn't care that the rain soaked through my clothes within seconds.
I didn't care that mud splashed across my boots.
All I cared about was finding her.
The moment I reached the forest, I caught her scent.
But underneath it...
Blood.
My heart stopped.
"Ellie?"
I pushed deeper between the trees.
"Ellie!"
My voice echoed through the forest.
No answer.
I reached for the bond again.
Nothing.
She was still blocking me.
Fear crawled up my spine.
I prepared to shift, ready to search every inch of the forest if I had to.
Then—
A branch snapped.
I turned sharply.
There was a dragging sound.
Something heavy is moving across the ground.
I stepped forward.
And then I saw her.
Ellie.
Walking toward me.
Calm.
Completely composed.
Covered in blood.
For one horrifying second, I thought she was injured beyond recognition.
Then I noticed the way she moved.
Steady.
Strong.
Unharmed.
And behind her...
A massive boar carcass is dragging across the forest floor.
I just stared.
Because the woman standing in front of me wasn't a victim.
She was a survivor.
And somehow...
She had taken down the very beast that had terrified my warriors for days.