Elias' POVThe hallway outside the Alpha's council room was suffocating. The silence wasn't peaceful; it was heavy, like a storm pressing down on our shoulders. Ivy stood to my right, her fingers twisted together in a nervous grip. Kiernan leaned against the wall beside her, arms crossed, his face unreadable like always. Me? I couldn’t stop pacing. Every second that ticked by made my skin crawl."You're going to wear a hole in the floor," Kiernan muttered."Better that than standing still while this whole thing hangs in the balance," I shot back.Kiernan raised an eyebrow but said nothing else. Ivy didn’t look at either of us. Her eyes were locked on the wooden doors in front of us, her expression tight, shoulders drawn in. She looked like she was trying not to shake.I couldn't blame her."This will work," I said, mostly to fill the silence. "We have the evidence. Once Ronan sees it, he won’t have a choice."Kiernan hummed in agreement. "He’ll listen. He always does."Ivy still said
Selena's POVThe secret chamber within the Blackwood estate was where I had come to hide. To gather the strength to continue my plan. Magnus stood beside me, his figure shrouded in the shadows, his ancient presence barely a whisper against the thick silence of the room.He hadn’t spoken for what felt like hours, and that unnerving quiet stretched out between us. I could feel his eyes on me, the disapproval in his gaze seeping through the air like a bitter draft."You were too careless," Magnus’s voice cut through the stillness like a knife, sharp and unforgiving.I didn’t respond immediately. Instead, I let my fingers trail over the surface of the ritual dagger at my side, the cool metal grounding me, though it did little to settle the storm of frustration brewing inside me.I had worked so hard, so carefully, weaving my plans together, only to have them unravel like fragile threads in the hands of those damn triplets."Elias, Kiernan… They’re the reason everything has fallen apart,"
Ivy’s POVAfter the meeting with the Alpha, I was no longer locked in Kiernan’s chambers.I was allowed to walk around the west wing of the estate, as long as I stayed away from Selena’s side and never left without a guard.It wasn’t freedom. Not really. It just meant the cage had gotten a little bigger.I walked slowly down the hallway, keeping my eyes low even though I could feel people watching. Servants moved around me like I was a ghost. Some glanced at me with pity. Others didn’t even look at all.I didn’t blame them. They’d heard the rumors.Ivy Gray,the poisoner.Ivy Gray,the liar.Even with proof in hand, I was still the girl who almost brought shame to the Blackwood name.I stopped by a window and looked out over the gardens. They were quiet too. Even the flowers seemed to be holding their breath.A low voice pulled me from my thoughts. “You shouldn’t be alone.”I turned. Kiernan stood behind me, arms folded, his expression calm as always.But I saw the tension in his eye
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
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
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
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
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
Selena’s POVMy mouth still tastes like ash.It’s been days—maybe longer. Time means nothing when you’re locked in a cold room with no windows and your own thoughts clawing at your skin. I sleep when the pain makes me, wake when the nightmares do. They blur together now. Dream, reality, memory—they all taste the same.Bitter.I thought I had more time. I thought I’d planned everything. The poison was only supposed to weaken me, just enough to look like a victim. Just enough to make them hesitate. Make them doubt Ivy long enough for me to twist the blade.But I pushed it too far.Magnus warned me. He always warns me, in his slow, heavy way. Words like chains, soft and cold around the neck. I thought I was ready for it. Thought I could play sick, play weak, and still stay in control.I was wrong.Now my skin is pale, my limbs tremble when I stand, and my vision swims more often than not. I try to eat, but everything tastes wrong. I try to speak, but my voice is cracked like old glass. T
Elias’s POVI’ve always been the other one.Not Ronan, the Alpha’s favorite. Not Kiernan, the stoic shadow with all the answers. Me? I was the one who slipped through the cracks. The one people laughed with but never looked to. I kept things light. I joked. I acted like nothing ever touched me.Truth is, everything touches me. And when it does, it goes deep.Like Ivy Gray.The first time I saw her, I thought she was just another mess waiting to happen. A stranger with haunted eyes and secrets that didn’t belong in our territory. I watched her with suspicion, with doubt. Hell, I probably said things I shouldn’t have, made her feel smaller than she already did.I didn’t see her. Not really.But I do now.And I hate myself for not seeing her sooner.She walks through the court like someone who’s been through war and still chooses to keep fighting. She doesn’t flinch at the way people look at her. Doesn’t bend under the weight of their judgment. There’s a fire in her now—burning hotter ea
Ivy's pov.I’ve learned how to disappear even when I’m standing in the middle of the room.It’s a skill that comes from years of practice—keeping my shoulders still, my face blank, my voice quiet.I’ve watched others laugh and fit in while I sat silently in the background, pretending I didn’t care.Pretending I wasn’t aching to belong. But now, that silence feels heavier. Not because I want to be noticed, but because I already am. And not in the good way.The moment I step out of my room and into the long hallway, I feel the weight of it pressing down on me. The whispers don’t stop when I walk by—they get louder. The glances aren’t quick anymore—they’re lingering, judging. I know what they’re all thinking.She doesn’t belong.I grip the strap of my bag tighter and keep walking, chin up, shoulders square. If they’re going to look at me like I’m a threat, then maybe I should start acting like one.But now everything has changed. Though there are still some whispers but at least I was no
Ivy's Pov.The moment his eyes met mine across the court, I knew he was watching again. He always did. Quietly. From the shadows. I used to think it was annoying—paranoid, even—but now, it feels different. It feels like something deeper is hiding behind those guarded stares. Something even he doesn’t want to admit.I pretended not to notice him and kept moving, trying to stay focused on the task in front of me. There were still bruises on my wrists from yesterday’s training session with Victor. He didn’t hold back—not that I wanted him to. I needed the pain. It reminded me I was still here, still fighting. Still proving myself.This pack didn’t want me here.Not really.To them, I was still the outsider. The daughter of a man they all hated. The bloodline they feared might ruin everything. They didn’t say it outright. Most of them didn’t need to. Their glares, their whispered conversations, the way they stepped aside like my skin carried a disease—it all said enough.And yet, I wasn’t
Ivy's diary.(Kieran stumbled on it after going to check up on Ivy but she wasn't in her room.)I’ve learned to walk through Blackwood territory like I belong. Head held high, shoulders straight, heart hidden. That’s what they don’t tell you about survival—it’s not about being the strongest. It’s about pretending you’re not scared when everyone is watching.I could feel their eyes today more than usual. Their stares weren’t just curious. They were sharp, slicing, filled with questions no one dared ask out loud. And still, I walked the court as if their judgment didn’t matter. As if I didn’t hear the whispers.Selena stood near the edge of the gathering, her arms folded tight, her mouth drawn in a thin line. She hadn’t spoken to me since the last confrontation. I knew what she thought of me. That I was a threat, a distraction. That I didn’t belong here.Maybe she was right.But I didn’t care.Because now, more than ever, I needed to prove something—not just to them, but to myself.I pa
Kieran’s pov.I’ve always been the quiet one. The one who stays in the shadows, watching, listening, never drawing attention to myself. The Blackwood pack has always been my duty, my life, my purpose. My loyalty is without question. I was trained to follow orders, never to deviate, never to break ranks. My place was clear: protector, strategist, enforcer. I did my job, and I did it well. The rules were simple, and I stuck to them.But lately, those rules feel… different. They feel like chains, constricting around me, tighter with each passing day. It’s Ivy. Ivy Gray.At first, she was just another suspect, another name to watch. A threat, perhaps, or a pawn in a game much larger than any of us understood. My job was to protect the pack from her. To make sure she didn’t become a liability. But somewhere along the way, things shifted. I don’t even know when it happened, but it did.I no longer see her as just a charge. No longer just someone to guard with my eyes, to monitor and report.
June's POV.I never asked for any of this.Not the nightmares. Not the fear. And definitely not the war.I was happy staying in the background—patching up bruises, brewing teas, and reminding stubborn warriors to rest after battle. I was the healer. The quiet one. The one people barely noticed.But everything changed the night I saw it.The thing with red eyes.It wasn’t a wolf.It wasn’t a man.It was something else. Something twisted. Ancient. And it looked right at me like it knew me.Like it had been waiting.I wake to the sound of crows calling outside my window. My chest is tight. My throat dry. Another nightmare.Always the same.The woods. The wind. The glowing eyes in the shadows.I sit up slowly, pressing a shaking hand to my heart. It’s still pounding. Still racing like it did the moment I collapsed.That night, I ran until my legs gave out. I remember the pain in my ribs, the earth beneath my palms. Then nothing.Until Elias found me.He stayed by my side until I woke.Did
Alpha Blackwood's POV.Everything is changing.Faster than I ever imagined.The wind smells different. The ground feels less steady beneath my boots. Wolves whisper behind closed doors. And when I walk through the heart of Blackwood, I feel eyes on me—not just with respect. With doubt.They’re wondering if I still deserve this crown.I never asked to be Alpha for glory. I was born into it. Trained for it. Raised to put duty above all else. The pack was my purpose. My law. My family.But now, even that feels like it’s slipping through my fingers.I stand at the window of my office, watching the training fields below. Young wolves spar with dull blades and tired eyes. Their rhythm is off. Their trust shaken.We’ve lost something.Not just strength. Unity.I thought I had time to fix things. I thought tradition would hold us steady. But Magnus has returned, and the old rules no longer work. I feel it in every council meeting, every message from the border, every plea from the families wh
Magnus Pov.The air has changed.I feel it in my bones, in the stones beneath my feet, in the thin shimmer of magic that clings to the corners of the world like mist. Power is stirring again. Not wild or violent, yet.But close. So close. Like the slow rise of a tide before it swallows the shore.Ivy is remembering.And that is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.I sit in silence, deep in the heart of my sanctuary. The Hollow was once feared, now forgotten by most. But it remembers me. The trees bend for me.The shadows part at my command. This place is mine—woven with old spells, layered in whispers, haunted by memory.Here, I am king again.They think me a monster. A betrayer. A curse.But what they do not understand is that I was once their savior. I offered them balance. I offered power. They refused it. And then they feared it.She feared it most of all.I close my eyes and her face comes to me. Seraphina Gray.Ivy’s mother. The last omega who dared to stand against me an