Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198 The Last Run

“Doctor! Get a doctor!”

Elowen’s voice broke as she cried out. Only Mira answered and ran.

Everyone else stood frozen, watching her collapse in grief.

Elowen sat beside Ember. She wanted to gather her into her arms, but the wound was too severe. She was afraid of hurting her further.

Tears fell without end. “Ember, don’t be scared. I… I…

She wanted to say, “I’ll save you.” But she knew. It was too late.

Ember, however, seemed strangely calm.

She nudged herself closer and gently rested her head against Elowen’s leg, gazing at her as though trying to carve her image into memory.

Ember did not understand the rules of the world or the complicated ways of people. It only knew one simple truth. From the very first moment it saw that small girl, it liked her, and that feeling never changed.

It had always had a temper and did not like anyone climbing onto its back. Most people were met with pinned ears and sharp resistance.

But its girl was different. Its girl could ride it. The girl’s friends could too.

It loved the afternoons when they shared crisp carrots, standing nose to nose in the sunlight. It loved even more the open grass beneath its hooves, the rush of wind as they raced forward together and always finished first.

Then one day, the girl stopped coming.

The little mare did not understand why.

Was it a game?

The girl loved games.

If it was a game, it was willing to wait and play along.

It believed the girl would find it again, would swing into the saddle and guide it into the wind once more. The breeze would lift the girl’s hair and run through its mane, and they would fly across the field together.

That had always been its happiest moment.

So it waited.

It waited through changing seasons and long quiet days, keeping itself strong and well. Its coat remained bright, its legs steady and powerful.

It refused every rider who tried to mount it. That place belonged to the girl alone.

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Chapter 198 The Last Run

It kept waiting.

And at last, it saw the girl again.

The girl had grown, taller and older. Fortunately, it had grown as well. Its body was larger and stronger now. capable of carrying the girl farther than before.

But now everything hurt.

It had no strength left, and no sound would come no matter how hard it tried. It felt as though its body was failing, as though it was close to dying.

It was a pity they would not run together one more time.

Still, seeing the girl again was already enough.

It had often heard people speak of another life, something they mentioned with both regret and hope. If such a thing truly existed, it wished for only one thing.

In another life, it wanted to be the girl’s horse again.

And to run beside her, always finishing first.

Elowen felt a sudden weight collapse into her arms. It was Ember. Its entire head dropped forward, hanging limply against her.

It was dead.

In that instant, a surge of grief crashed over her so completely that she could not even cry. The force of it hollowed her out, leaving her breathless and numb all at once.

She remained on the ground, holding Ember’s lifeless body, gasping for air in uneven breaths, yet no sound came from her throat no matter how hard she tried.

“Elowen!”

Alaric strode toward her, fury blazing, holding up his injured fingers. “Do you have any idea what you just did? You’d better-”

Before he could finish, thunderous hoofbeats rolled in from the distance.

“His Majesty has returned!” someone shouted.

“And the Duke of Duskmoor!”

Alaric froze. The realization hit him cold. He looked around in dawning horror, suddenly aware of how outrageous his actions had been.

He was finished. A rush of wind cut past him.

Cassian was there. No one had seen how he arrived so quickly.

He stood tall and rigid, his expression dark and cold. The sheer force of his presence made Alaric’s legs feel

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Chapter 198 The Last Run

weighted, impossible to move.

“Ella…”

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