Chapter 323
Dominic’s POV
I was dressed and armed within five minutes.
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My Beta had gathered thirty warriors from the pack, all of them armed and ready to move. Some were still pulling on their boots or adjusting their weapons, but they were here and ready to move, and right now, that was all that mattered.
I strapped a knife to my belt and checked the blade.
“Alpha,” one of the warriors called out. “We’re ready when you are.”
I nodded and turned toward the door. I needed to move fast. Every second I wasted was another second Ellie was with those rogues, another second she thought I’d abandoned her.
“Dominic…” Vivian’s voice made me pause in the hallway. It was weak and tired, still raspy from screaming.
I sighed, moving over to the sitting room door. The healers were still there, working around her. Her hands had been bandaged, and now they were massaging her legs while she sat propped up on the sofa with a cup of tea sitting on the coffee table and Mara fanning her face.
When her eyes fluttered open and she saw me standing there, she waved the healers away with a weak, trembling hand. The healers looked almost relieved and quickly gathered their things, throwing me looks as they hurried out of the room. I stepped out of the way to give them space.
“I’m leaving,” I said, watching as Vivian struggled to sit up. Mara had to help her by propping the pillows up behind her back.
Vivian stuck out her lower lip. “You’rre leaving me?” she whispered.
My wolf bristled at the indignation in her tone, but I soothed him for now. We needed to conserve our energy for the journey and the fight that was sure to come. I wanted to rip those rogues’ throats out with my teeth, and I needed to keep my strength up to
do that.
“Yes,” I said slowly. “I have to track down Ellie before it’s too late.” I nodded to Mara. “Take care of Vivian. If all goes well, I should be back by sunset.”
I turned to leave, but Vivian suddenly called out, “Wait.”
I stopped for a moment.
“You can’t go,” she said. She stood and hobbled over to me, then reached out and grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into my skin. “You can’t leave me here alone. I’m scared. What if the rogues come back?”
I glanced down at the point of contact, then back up at her face. Her cheek was bruised and her eyes were still red and puffy from crying, but otherwise, she was uninjured. The healers had said she was lucky. The rogues only roughed her up when they easily could have killed her before I arrived.
Gently but firmly, I pulled my arm free. “They’re not coming back. They have what they want. And even if they did, you’re safe here. I’ve got warriors on duty at all the pack entrances, and the house is secure.”
“But what if they find a way to come after me?” she croaked. “What if they come for me again? I can’t be alone right now. I need you.” Grabbing my arm again, she pulled me closer a step. “Just stay. Just for tonight. You can go after Ellie in the morning. She’ll be fine. They said they needed her alive, right? So she’s not in danger.”
I stared at her. “Are you serious right now?”
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“No.” I pulled my arm away for the last time and headed for the door, done with this conversation. “I’m going. Now.”
Lighte
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“Why?” Vivian called after me. “Why does she matter so much to you?”
I stopped walking and stood there for a moment, jaw ticking. I couldn’t believe she was doing this right now. Ellie was her sister. And here Vivian was, asking me why this was so important. As if saving her sister’s life had ever been unimportant to her.
“Because she’s my mate,” I said. I looked at her over my shoulder. “And I would never let her go. Not for anything. Not for anyone. Not for you.”
Vivian’s face paled. She looked like I’d just slapped her, and suddenly, her knees buckled. She collapsed right there in the hallway, still clutching the doorframe, tears now streaking down her face once more.
“Please don’t go!” she cried. “M-My legs! I can’t feel my legs!”
I turned away.
“Dominic! I need you!”
Vivian’s cries faded behind me as I walked out the door and down the steps to where the warriors were waiting. My Beta shot me a look as the wood muffled her shouts.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “Theatrics. Let’s move.”
The warriors fell into formation behind me, and we took off into the forest.
Vivian’s POV
The moment Dominic was gone, I sniffled, wiping my eyes with my hand. I pulled myself to my feet and stood there for a few seconds, trembling, as I watched the warriors disappear through the window.
I could hardly breathe as I watched them go, and it had nothing to do with the knife that had been pressed to my throat a little too theatrically by that rogue earlier.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Dominic was supposed to stay. He was supposed to comfort me, to hold me, to tell me everything was going to be okay. He was supposed to forget about Ellie and focus on me.
But he didn’t.
He’d chosen her. Again.
Even after everything I’d been through tonight, even after I’d been kidnapped and tied up and threatened, he still chose her.
I stumbled back into the sitting room and collapsed onto the couch. Mara looked at me as I sat.
“Do you need anything else?” she asked.
“Not right now.” I waved my hand. “No point in it now, I guess.”
Mara nodded, gathering the untouched sea set, and left.
The healers said that my injuries weren’t life-threatening. Just some cuts and bruises. Nothing serious, because that was precisely what we planned. I told the rogues to rough me up and nothing more. No lasting injuries. Especially not to my face.
They had held up their end of the bargain. The box of jewelry I had handed over on top of my promise to give them Ellie had
made sure of that.
But how was I going to be able to hold up my end when I had promised them that Dominic wouldn’t come after them, and yet I
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couldn’t seem to stop him from doing just that?
If he tracked them down and saved her, then everything we had worked for would be ruined. The dress, the note, the wrong location. The careful planning to ensure everything looked like one big tragedy, forcing Dominic to choose me over her.
It was all going to shit.
If he found her, then things would be even worse than they already were. She wouldn’t just be the mate he couldn’t stop thinking about. She would be the woman who he had saved like a hero. She would be the survivor who had come home against all odds, all thanks to him. It was the kind of love story that always ended with a kiss and a promise.
I couldn’t let that happen, obviously. But there was nothing I could do now. If I went after him, then everyone would know I was involved.
No. All I could do now was wait and hope that he didn’t catch them in time.
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