Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Ivy’s Point of View

The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water.

Luna Helena only had one son. Dominic.

If I became infertile, there would be no children from Dominic’s bloodline. No heirs to continue Luna Helena’s legacy. No grandchildren for her to dote on.

The silvervine root wasn’t just about preventing pregnancy. It was about ending a family line entirely.

*Someone wants to make sure Dominic’s branch dies with him.*

Even if I healed Dominic, even if he woke up and reclaimed his position, what good would it do if I couldn’t bear his children? The heir title would eventually pass to Bastian’s line anyway. Just delayed by a generation.

It was a long game. A patient scheme.

And I had almost fallen for it.

I pushed away my breakfast plate, my appetite gone.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Luna Helena looked concerned. "You’ve barely eaten."

"Just tired." I forced a smile. "The bond-breaking ceremony took more out of me than I realized."

"You should rest more. Don’t push yourself too hard."

*If only she knew what I was really doing at night.*

I excused myself and returned to my residence with new urgency.

"Ash," I called the moment I walked through the door. "I need to speak with all of you."

The guards assembled quickly. Nell joined them, sensing the seriousness in my tone.

"From now on, I want extra security around this residence," I said. "No one enters the kitchen without supervision. All food deliveries are to be inspected. Nothing gets to my plate without being checked first."

"Has something happened, Young Madam?" Stone asked.

"Someone is tampering with the Alpha family’s meals." I didn’t elaborate further. "I want every precaution taken. Understood?"

"Understood."

Over the next few days, I focused on Dominic’s recovery.

The nightly treatments continued. Each session drained me completely, but the progress was undeniable. More clots dissolved. More bone fragments shifted. The color slowly returned to his cheeks.

But he was still unconscious. Still trapped in that endless sleep.

I needed to do more. Push harder.

And I needed people to see him.

"I want a wheelchair," I told Nell one morning. "Something comfortable. With good wheels."

She looked confused. "A wheelchair, Young Madam?"

"For Dominic." I glanced at his sleeping form. "He’s been confined to that bed for six months. It’s not good for his body or his spirit."

"But he’s unconscious..."

"His body still needs movement. Fresh air. Sunlight." I met her eyes. "And the pack needs to remember that their heir is still alive."

Nell nodded slowly. "I’ll find one."

By afternoon, a sturdy wooden wheelchair sat beside Dominic’s bed. It had been crafted for a noble who had broken his leg years ago. Well-made. Comfortable. Perfect.

Ash and Stone carefully lifted Dominic from the bed and settled him into the chair. His head lolled to one side. His arms hung limply. But he was upright. Dressed in proper clothes. Looking almost like himself.

"Let’s go for a walk," I said.

We made quite a procession. Me pushing the wheelchair. Four guards flanking us. Nell following behind with blankets and water.

The moment we stepped outside, the staring began.

Servants stopped in their tracks. Guards turned to gape. Nobles passing through the grounds froze mid-stride.

No one had seen Dominic outside his room in half a year. Most had probably assumed he was already dead, just waiting for his heart to stop beating.

But here he was. Out in the sunlight. Being wheeled through the gardens like any other recovering patient.

Whispers spread like wildfire.

*"Is that the heir?"*

*"He’s alive!"*

*"I thought he was on death’s door..."*

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