Ronan’s POVThe training grounds were nearly empty when I arrived. Just the dull thud of fists meeting sandbags and the occasional shout from warriors sparring in the distance. The cold wind bit at my skin, but I welcomed the sting. It kept me grounded. Focused.I needed to be focused.My brothers didn’t know I’d come here alone. Elias was probably off somewhere brooding like always. Kiernan… well, he had his own reasons for hiding things. But me? I had no excuse.I tightened the wraps around my knuckles and threw a punch at the practice dummy. Again. And again. Harder each time until the sound of flesh meeting leather drowned out the thoughts in my head.Ivy.Her name had burrowed deep under my skin since the moment our bond had awakened—and I’d rejected it.Foolish.The moment I looked into those eyes of hers, soft hazel that turned silver when she was angry or afraid, something inside me cracked. But I did what I was trained to do. I crushed it. Shut her out. Denied what the moon g
Ivy’s POVThe morning came slowly, dragging a pale gray light through the thick clouds outside the window. I hadn’t slept. My body was tired, but my mind had stayed wide awake, thoughts turning over again and again. Everything felt too loud inside my head—Ronan’s words, Kiernan’s silence, Selena’s lies.I sat curled on the edge of the bed, knees pulled to my chest, a blanket wrapped tightly around me. The air was cold, and the fire in the hearth had died sometime during the night. Still, I didn’t move to relight it. I just watched the flames that weren’t there.I didn’t know what time it was when the door opened softly. Kiernan stepped in without saying a word. He looked like he had been up all night too. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was messier than usual.He walked over and placed something on the small table. A bowl of soup. Warm bread. A cup of tea."You should eat," he said, voice quiet.I nodded, though I didn’t move.Kiernan walked to the window, arms crossed as he star
IVY'S POVThe morning light crept through the thin curtains like a quiet whisper. I sat up slowly, my muscles sore from another night of restless sleep. Kiernan hadn’t said much since the meeting with the Alpha. He stayed close though—always nearby, always watching. It was strange having someone care, even a little. I wasn’t used to it.The events of the last few days swirled in my mind like a storm. Selena poisoned. A forged letter. A trap meant for me. The pack still watched me like I was dangerous, like I might snap any second. But now they whispered behind their hands instead of shouting in my face. That was progress, I guessed.I sat by the window with a piece of bread in my hands, chewing slowly. I wasn’t hungry. Food tasted like ash when you didn’t know who wanted you dead.Kiernan sat in the corner, arms crossed, eyes trained on the door. He hadn’t slept either. I could see the tired lines under his eyes."You don’t have to babysit me all day," I said quietly.He didn’t move.
Selena's POVThe first thing I felt was cold.It crept under my skin like icy fingers, stiffening my limbs, wrapping around my lungs. I opened my eyes slowly. My body was weak, heavy like stone. Every breath hurt. Every blink sent a throb through my head. But I was alive. That meant my plan hadn’t gone completely wrong.The ceiling above me was unfamiliar. Wooden beams, old and cracked. Not the luxurious ceiling of my father’s home or the healer’s hut in the center of the pack grounds. This was a side room, one of the less important healing chambers. Hidden, quiet, empty.I moved slightly and regretted it. My side ached, and my mouth tasted of metal and dirt. Poison, I realized. The bellroot worked faster than expected.I had used only a small dose. Just enough to scare them. Just enough to make me look like the victim. Just enough to make Ivy look guilty.Ivy.Her name flared inside my mind like fire. I hated her more than anyone. Her presence, her voice, her soft eyes that fooled ev
Selena's pov.I studied her for a moment. She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t look at me with fear or awe. She seemed almost... curious. That could be useful."Yes," I said, my voice soft but firm. "Tell me about the Alpha’s mate. Ivy."The maid hesitated. Her eyes flickered nervously, but she answered.“She’s... quiet. Very quiet. Keeps to herself, mostly. The others in the pack don’t know much about her. Only what they’ve been told.” She paused, as if considering how much to say. “Some say she has a... connection with the Moon Goddess. Like she’s touched by her somehow. That’s why she’s so... special.”I grimaced, the bitter taste of jealousy rising in my throat. The Moon Goddess had nothing to do with it. Ivy was nothing but a weak, pitiful Omega playing at being the Alpha’s mate."Do you know how she got here? How she met the Alpha?"The maid looked uncomfortable. "No one knows for sure, my lady. There are rumors. Some say she was found... wandering the forest. Alone. Others sa
Ivy’s POVThe morning light filtered weakly through the heavy curtains, casting long shadows on the stone walls of Kiernan’s chambers. I hadn’t slept. Not really. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the letter again. I saw Selena’s smirk behind the lie. I saw the look in the Alpha’s eyes as he read it out loud. Calm. Calculated.But not cruel. That was what haunted me most. The Alpha wasn’t cruel. That meant this wasn’t about hate. It was about order. Truth. Power.I sat up slowly, my body stiff from sleeping in the same position for too long. The bandage on my wrist itched, and I tried not to scratch it. Kiernan was still asleep, slouched in the armchair near the fireplace, arms crossed, boots still on. He hadn’t left the room once.It was strange, having someone like him protect me. Kiernan wasn’t gentle. He wasn’t warm. But he was present. And right now, that meant more than kindness ever could.I rose quietly, not wanting to wake him. I padded toward the bathroom, washed my face in
Selena's POVThe first thing I felt was pain.It spread through my chest like fire, burning every inch of me. My throat was tight, and my limbs wouldn't move. I tried to open my eyes, but the light stabbed through my skull like knives. I groaned softly, barely able to breathe.Then I heard voices. Distant. Muffled. Like I was underwater."She's waking up."That voice—I recognized it. Cold. Sharp. Magnus.I blinked, forcing my eyes open. The room was dim, lit by the soft glow of candlelight. Shadows danced on the walls, and the air smelled of herbs and something stronger—something darker. I wasn’t in the packhouse. I wasn’t in the infirmary either.I was somewhere else."Where..." My voice cracked, barely a whisper. My lips were dry and cracked.Magnus stepped into view, his expression unreadable. "You're safe. For now."I tried to sit up, but my body screamed in protest. My arms felt like lead, and my stomach twisted with nausea. I remembered the tea. The faint bitterness. Then nothin
Ivy's POVFew Days ago.The moon hung low over the Blackwood estate, casting long shadows across the cold stone walls. I stood by the window in Kiernan’s chambers, arms folded tight around myself. My reflection in the glass looked nothing like the girl I used to be—wide-eyed and hopeful. That girl was gone. In her place was someone harder, quieter. Someone waiting for the storm to break.It had been two days since I’d last seen the Alpha. Two days of silence. No updates. No word from Selena’s side. Just hushed whispers in the halls and cautious glances from passing servants.I wasn’t stupid. I knew what they thought.Ivy Gray, the poisoner.Ivy Gray, the weak omega who snapped.But I wasn’t weak. Not anymore.Kiernan had been watching me from his desk. He always watched. Quiet and still, like a predator. But I could tell his mind never rested. He didn’t trust easily. Maybe he didn’t trust me at all. But he hadn’t let me out of his sight, just like the Alpha ordered. I was safer here,
Ronan’s POVThere was a time when I didn't care about the politics of the pack. I didn't care about diplomacy. My instincts, my loyalty, and my fight kept me grounded. I didn't need anything else.But that was before Magnus came.Before Ivy’s life hung in the balance, and before I saw the fear in her eyes—the kind of fear you don't forget. I had seen it in the faces of enemies, but never in hers. That shattered something in me. And it scared me more than I wanted to admit.Now, I couldn't shake the thought that everything was changing. And with every passing day, it was becoming clearer: this wasn’t just a battle for survival—it was a fight for the future. A future I couldn’t ignore, not with Ivy at the center of it.So, here I was—standing in front of the Alpha, my brother Kiernan, and Elias, all of them watching me with hard eyes. The pack was depending on me, even if they didn’t say it out loud. They knew I wasn’t the one to speak diplomacy, but I was the one who would go, the one
Elias’s POVI hated the silence.It had been quiet since we got back from the Hollow. Too quiet. Ivy wasn’t talking. Selena barely looked anyone in the eye. Kiernan kept pacing like a caged wolf, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how close we came to losing everything.One more minute, one more step into that ritual circle, and Ivy could’ve been gone. Taken by Magnus. Or worse—changed by him.The image of her face when we found her—confused, pale, trembling—burned behind my eyes. I had seen her angry. Sad. Determined. But that was something else. That was broken.And I let it happen.I had stood back for too long, keeping peace while others doubted her. Pretending we still had time. Pretending things weren’t as bad as they seemed. But I couldn’t pretend anymore.Ivy was at the center of all of this. Magnus wasn’t just trying to destroy the pack—he wanted her. For something bigger. Something darker.I found Ivy in the old greenhouse behind the manor. She liked it there. Said the plant
Kiernan’s POVThe woods had always been quiet at dawn, but that morning, they felt dead. Not calm. Not peaceful. Just still—like something was holding its breath beneath the surface.Like the forest itself was waiting for the worst to come.I kept a firm grip on Ivy’s shoulder as I guided her back from the Hollow. Her skin was clammy. Her eyes were distant. Selena trailed behind us, silent and ashamed, but I barely looked at her. All my focus was on Ivy.She looked like someone who had walked through hell.Elias was already ahead, scanning the path for danger. His jaw was tight. I knew he was worried, but Elias always handled things with quiet concern. I didn’t. My worry came with fire.I wanted to kill Magnus.Not arrest. Not contain. Kill.Because whatever he’d done to Ivy—whatever he’d made her see—it had left a crack in her. One I wasn’t sure could be repaired.And the worst part?He wasn’t finished.When we finally made it back to Blackwood territory, the guards at the perimet
Ivy’s POV My legs were shaking, and every step felt like I was walking through mud. I didn’t know how I was still standing. The visions still swirled in my head, like ghosts refusing to leave.Selena walked a few feet behind me, her face pale, her eyes locked on the ground. Neither of us spoke. There was nothing left to say.She had betrayed me. That truth was sharp and bitter. But it wasn’t the only one that haunted me.Magnus’s words echoed in my mind over and over again.“Your mother served me. She chose me.”No. No, she didn’t. She couldn’t have.But I had seen the vision—clear and terrifying. My mother, standing beside Magnus, her face calm and cold. And then… something darker. A burst of power. A light inside her chest. Something he wanted. Something he said I carried now.What did he mean?I didn’t know who I was anymore.The moment I broke free of that ritual, I thought I would collapse. But something inside me pushed forward. Maybe instinct. Maybe anger. Maybe fear.Kiernan
Selena’s POV I stood at the edge of the woods, staring into the shadows where the Hollow waited. My hands trembled, not from the cold, but from what I was about to do. Again.How had it come to this?I used to know who I was. I used to believe in revenge—sweet, righteous, and mine. Ivy had everything I lost, everything I was denied. For so long, I hated her for it. But now... now I wasn’t sure.I had watched her closely these past days. At first, it was just to make sure the plan worked—to make sure Magnus’s lies were planted deep inside her mind. But something changed. The more I watched her fall apart, the more I saw myself in her. Not the same life. Not the same pain. But the same chains. Different shapes, same prison.She was breaking, and I could see it in the way she walked. Her shoulders hunched just slightly, her eyes always tired, searching for something she couldn’t name. I should’ve felt satisfaction. I should’ve enjoyed watching her crumble. But I didn’t.Instead, I felt
Ivy's pov.I had never been a stranger to nightmares. They had been with me for as long as I could remember—those fragmented, fleeting moments of terror that always left me breathless upon waking. But recently, it was different. The nightmares felt more like memories, memories that weren’t my own. They were so vivid, so real, that I began to question whether I was the one dreaming them, or if the past was simply trying to claw its way back to the surface.I had already come to accept that something was off. I couldn’t ignore the strange, flickering images in my mind, the unsettling feelings that seemed to follow me like shadows, lingering on the edge of my vision. At first, it was just a brief flash—my mother, standing beside Magnus, the dark elder who had helped Selena escape her exile. His cold, calculating eyes locked on mine, as if he were waiting for something. But it wasn’t just a fleeting thought. It happened again and again—too many times for it to be a coincidence. The face o
Magnus’s POVThe night air was thick with the scent of decay and magic. I stood at the edge of the burnt clearing, my robes dragging over charred grass and blackened soil. The smoke from the northern ridge still rose in lazy curls, a warning to the Blackwood pack. A promise of what was to come.Fools. They thought they could stop what had already begun.Selena had done her part. Played her role like the desperate girl she was—hungry for vengeance, easy to manipulate. But her use was wearing thin. She had started asking too many questions, hesitating in ways she never had before.Weakness.I had no room for it.With a flick of my hand, I summoned the shadows. They slithered forward like loyal dogs, coiling at my feet. They whispered to me, voices layered and cold, telling me what I already knew.Ivy Gray still lived.Not only lived—but fought.She should have broken by now. The poison. The lies. The isolation. Any lesser omega would have crumbled. But she was no lesser anything.She wa
Ronan’s POVThe cold wind rushed through the trees as I stood at the edge of the forest. The moon hung high above, fat and pale, but the night was too still. Too quiet. I didn’t trust quiet nights anymore. Not in this place. Not with everything falling apart inside the Blackwood estate.I rolled my shoulders and listened.No howling. No rustling. Just silence.I turned and walked back toward the estate, boots crunching over dead leaves. My wolf stirred under my skin, tense and restless. He felt it too—something was wrong.I’d been keeping my distance from the others lately. Kiernan was busy shadowing Ivy, and Elias was always disappearing at odd hours, chasing shadows. And me? I watched. I listened. And I waited.Selena had been too quiet lately.That wasn’t like her.She always made noise—whether it was with her voice, her glare, or her games. But now she was playing the long game. The kind that didn’t make noise until it was too late.And Ivy—she was changing.I noticed it when I pa
Selena's POVDarkness suited me.Not because I liked the shadows or the silence, but because the world forgot to look too closely when it was afraid. And they were afraid. The Blackwood estate, the council, even the Alpha himself—they whispered, they watched, but none of them truly saw me. Not yet.I sat in the forgotten chapel deep beneath the estate. Moss clung to the old stone, and the altar was cracked down the middle. Candles lit the room in a soft, golden glow, their flames too steady for a place so cursed.Magnus stood across from me, his hands folded behind his back. He never sat. Never rested. His eyes glowed faintly red, like dying embers. The power inside him made the air buzz."She remembers," I said quietly. My voice echoed off the chapel walls.Magnus didn’t flinch. “Fragments. Nothing clear. Your spell worked. For now.”I ran a hand through my tangled hair. “It’s not enough. She saw something. I felt it. When she touched the charm.”“She is beginning to wake,” Magnus s