Chapter 319
Dominic’s POV
That rogue had a knife pressed to my mate’s throat.
My wolf wanted blood.
The rogue’s ultimatum had been clear: save one or the other, but not both. Take Ellie home with me at the expense of Vivian’s life. Save Vivian’s life at the expense of giving up Ellie.
Right now, my wolf didn’t care about that. He wanted me to lunge at that fucker and rip his throat out. Anything it took to get that knife away from my mate’s flesh. In that moment, Vivian didn’t matter, even though I knew she should. My wolf only understood that Ellie was in danger, and that everyone who was responsible needed to die.
But I couldn’t do that. Not yet.
With the little control I had managed to regain, I forced the shift. It hurt like hell, especially after my wolf had been in control for so long, but I needed to think. I needed to be human for this and not have my mind clouded my primal instincts.
The rogue with the eyepatch laughed.
“There he is,” he said. “The mighty Alpha in all his glory.”
I ignored him. My eyes went to Ellie first. She was staring at me, her face pale and streaked with dirt. There was a thin line of blood on her throat where the knife had nicked her skin. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn’t crying. She looked angry more than anything.
Then I looked at Vivian. She was tied to a chair, sobbing and screaming and mumbling incoherent words behind her gag. The rogue holding the knife to her throat looked bored, like this was just another day for him.
“Clock’s ticking, Alpha,” Eyepatch said. He pressed the blade harder against Ellie’s throat, and I saw her wince. “Make your choice, before we have to make it for you.”
My mind was racing. If I chose Ellie, they would kill Vivian immediately. They had made that very clear. The moment I pointed at her, that rogue would draw the knife across Vivian’s jugular and end all of this.
But if I chose Vivian, Ellie would still be alive. At least for now. Or at least, they weren’t going to kill her right away. That gave me time. Time to get Vivian to safety, time to gather my warriors, time to come back and finish this without anyone I cared about dying.
It was risky, but right now, it felt like the only option that gave me a chance to save them both.
I hated it. I hated every second of this. I hated that I was even standing here, weighing one life against another like they were pieces on a chessboard.
But I didn’t have a choice.
“Fine,” I said. My voice came out rough and raw. “I’ll take Vivian.”
Ellie’s face crumpled, and my heart shattered.
She thought I was choosing Vivian over her. She thought I was abandoning her.
I reached for the mate bond to tell her my plan, but I couldn’t. The mate bond was still closed off, still cold and unreachable. I tried to push through it, tried to send her even a single word, but there was nothing. I didn’t know if her wolf was in hiding or if she had slammed up her mental defenses. Something about the look of betrayal in her eyes told me it was the latter.
The rogue with the eyepatch grinned. “Smart choice, Alpha.”
Still holding the knife to Ellie’s throat, he nodded, and the rogue holding Vivian cut her free and shoved her toward me. She
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+30 Bonus
collapsed onto the ground, sobbing and shaking, and I crouched down to help her up.
“Dominic,” she gasped, clutching at my arms. “Dominic, thank you. Thank you.”
I didn’t respond. My eyes were still on Ellie.
They were dragging her toward the door now. She wasn’t fighting anymore. She just let them pull her along, her head down, her hair falling over her face.
She looked defeated.
And it was my fault.
I wished I could explain, but I couldn’t. If I said my plans out loud, it would only ruin everything. I sent one last thrum of reassurance through the bond, a promise that I would save her, but it slammed into a titanium wall.
P
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