BRANDON
I hate Ivy with every fibre of my being. I hate that lousy human being with everything in me. She should be nothing more than a slave, a servant at my beck and call. Humans shouldn't be more than that. Their kind was just inferior but Ivy? No one has caused me greater headache than her. My academic prowess has never been challenged until her. Most humans cower when I speak to them but Ivy always speak back. No one has disrespected me more as an Alpha Prince. No one has made me that infuriated. No one has spent that much time in my head. No one... My movements grew more frantic. I could feel my body spasming. My breathing was ragged and my up and down movement of my hand was so fast it was uncontrollable. In my mind, she was on her knees, hands tied behind her, my dick pumping in and out of her mouth. In my mind, she was talking back to me. She was just on her knees, eyes dripping with tears from the intensity at which I was fucking her mouth. Now, her mom was married to my Dad. She was carrying his baby. A mere human in the royal household. I hated humans and having one as a stepmother wasn't something I wanted to condone. But my greatest problem wasn't that, it was sharing a roof with Evelyn. Her sight infuriates me and makes me want to do things I shouldn't even think of doing. Seeing her in school, her talking back to me, her arguing with me in classes... I've always wanted to touch her. To punish her into compliance. I couldn't because I'd never be able to get enough of her. And I'd be damned to let her know how much I crave her... I'd be damned to let her know the kind of control her body has over me. In my mind, I was close and her mouth was heaven. It was bliss to fuck her mouth, to watch her gag and choke around my dick. To watch her eyes roll to the back of her eyes from how intense it was. Nothing infuriates me more than the sight of her and her little boyfriend. With the way they were always following each other around. I hated the fact that he was touching her in ways I craved the most. That he was privy to that one thing I wanted but I couldn't have because it was now more forbidden. We were officially stepsiblings. I pumped faster. I was sooo close I could see my precum in her mouth. Punishing her... Trying to make her life a living hell. They were all to remind myself of the fact that she shouldn't have that much control over me. That she was nothing more than a mere human whom, until the peace treaty that was signed a century ago, were slaves to wolves. They were slaves, cum sluts and pets that existed solely for the pleasure of wolves. That was why it was enjoyable to watch her run for her life on the field earlier. It gave me a sickening satisfaction. That was how our relationship should be. That was how our relationship would be going forward. That was until I got a glimpse of her bare breast... The first time I was ever upclose to seeing it like that. The pale skin of it... The roundness... The firmness. I could tell it would fit perfectly in my palm. That it'd feel good to squeeze it. My undoing was the glimpse of nipple. The aerola... The perkiness of it. It was like chocolate dripping on a vanilla cake. My mouth watered just from that glimpse and I wanted nothing more than to close my mouth around it and suck. My dick hardened with a pace like never before. I walked back into the house with that painful erection and I barely made it into the bathroom before my hand was rubbing it, pumping it, trying to get a release. Just like I had gotten releases over and over again because of her. Because of the erection she gave me from being in that little PE skirt, from each time she ran her mouth in front of me, from each time I got a glimpse of her unbelievably long and sexy legs, from everything she breathed in my direction. Which was every single day. I was jerking off to the thoughts of her almost every single day because of a lousy human whose place was beneath my table where she should be feeding on srabs and my left over. In my mind, Ivy was on her knees, worshiping my cock like she should. Her head was bobbling up and down. The little sounds she was making were my undoing. Her gags and moans... The way she licked the crown of my cock like it was the sweetest candy. I was shaking, my groans were too loud... too loud. I came with a shudder. She didn't stop sucking. She did not allow even a drop of cum to leave her mouth. It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. I came fast and hard on the bathroom floor. I came with a loud groan and as I emptied my seed, a wave of disgust hit me. I had done it again. Touch myself to the touch of the one human I hated the most. I hated how much control she has over me. How much I craved her like she was air. I hated... I punched the wall so hard it cracked. Damn Evelyn Hughes for making me want her like this. This was going to be the last time this would happen. The only thing that'd happen going forward was me making her life a living hell if she refuse to get a whore of a mother out of my house. I turned the shower on and while it washed away the evidence of my filthy desire, the only name on my mind was Evelyn Hughes.IVY.The school’s library has been my only source of solace these days. In between adjusting to my new life in the palace, Bran making good on his promise of making my life a living hell if I didn't make my mom leave, and avoiding Demi, the library was the only place where I could lose myself in a book and be okay.The library was just a few steps away when a hand grabbed me and before I could process what was going on, I was being yanked into a semi-dark empty classroom and shoved forcefully to the floor. Pain spread through every single part of my body at the force at which I hit the floor. It was so intense that I couldn't help but wince in pain. I tried to stand. “Stay down,” a cold, familiar voice ordered.I froze, my heart slamming against my ribs as I slowly looked up. My stomach dropped.Demi.Of course, it was Demi. No one else would do this to me in school, not even Brandon. His dark eyes bore down on me, glinting with a sharp, cruel edge. His lips curled into a smirk, bu
IVY.The ride to school was suffocating.I sat stiffly in the back seat of the sleek black car, arms crossed, fingers digging into my skin as I stared out the window. The morning sky was overcast, and gray clouds stretched endlessly, mirroring the burden in my chest.I had barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, Demi’s voice echoed in my head.Five thousand dollars. By the end of the week.I had no idea how I was supposed to come up with that kind of money. My savings barely scratched a thousand dollars, and there was no way I could ask my mom for such a ridiculous amount without a believable reason.And then there was Brandon.Sitting beside me, radiating his usual quiet arrogance, his presence was an iron weight pressing against my ribs. He hadn't said a word to me all morning, but he didn’t have to. His threats from the past week were more than enough.He had been dropping threats of having a repeat of what happened with the hounds if I didn't find a way to get my mum out of the
IVYThere was no way out of this. No loophole, no clever excuse that would get me out of Demi’s grip. I had to go through with it. I inhaled sharply, gripping my tray as I got up from the table and made my way to Brandon's table.The second we neared the table, Brandon's gaze snapped up, and his sharp golden-brown eyes locked onto me, narrowing instantly, and his expression twisting into something downright hostile. His lips curled, just slightly, like the mere sight of me had soured his entire meal.Well, fantastic.I briefly considered turning around and going back to my table. But I couldn’t.So, with every ounce of forced calmness I could muster, I slid into the empty seat across from Brandon, setting my tray down like I belonged there.Demi, on the other hand, plopped down beside me without a care in the world, stretching his arms out like this was the highlight of his day.Ass.“Hi,” I said quickly, zeroing in on the only person at this table who wasn’t looking at me like I was
8BRANDONI had been told what the mate bond was supposed to feel like.Over the years, I’d heard the stories—how it was instant, undeniable. How it would settle deep in my bones, consuming me with a need so intense it would be impossible to ignore.But that wasn’t how it felt with Amari.Sure, she was stunning, confident, and graceful. Exactly the kind of girl an Alpha Prince was expected to be with. And when I looked at her, there was attraction, definitely. But there was also something missing.Something I couldn’t quite place. Something that made what I felt for her quite shallow. I had brought it up with my father once, and he dismissed it immediately, saying I was overthinking it, and that the connection would deepen with time. That I just had to give it a chance.Even now, with Amari pressed against me in the empty locker room, her lips moving insistently against mine, something inside me just wasn’t clicking.The kiss was undeniably hot, all teeth and tongue. Amari was one of
BRANDON.Being with Amari in that locker room was enough to drown out everything else. Every thought, every lingering frustration, every name that wasn’t hers.And damn, did she know exactly what she was doing.For the rest of the school day, I let myself be pulled into her perfect smile, the effortless charm, and the attention I was getting from her being by my side.That is, until closing time.Amari and I parted ways with a kiss, and I made my way to the car. I slid into the backseat, barely sparing the driver a glance. Draping my arm lazily over the headrest, my eyes scanned the lot out of habit.Then I saw her.Ivy.She was walking across the lot, towards the car, head lowered slightly, arms folded tightly around her books. But that wasn’t what made my jaw tighten.It was who she was with.Demi.The same annoyance from earlier, the one I had shoved to the back of my mind, came rushing back like wildfire. For some reason, I hated seeing them together. Hated the way Demi walked too
Ivy’s POVMondays were for biology. And sometimes, biology meant dealing with this.“Wrong,” Brandon scoffed from behind me, his deep, authoritative voice slicing through the classroom like a blade. “That answer makes no sense.”I exhaled sharply, gripping my pen tighter before slowly setting it down. Here we go.“It makes perfect sense, actually,” I said, my tone clipped.Brandon turned his head, leveling me with that infuriating smirk of his—the one that screamed I’m smarter than you, and we both know it.“If you enjoy being wrong, then sure.”My jaw tightened. I swear, it was physically painful how much I wanted to turn around and wipe that smug look off his face.“Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Meaning they generate energy. Muscle cells require more energy, which is why they contain more mitochondria than, let’s say, skin cells. That’s basic biology.”Brandon leaned back in his chair, stretching like this entire conversation w
Ivy’s POVThe lie came easier than I thought it would. Maybe because I had done it before.I’d walked into my mum's room, fed her some nonsense about last-minute school supplies, and just like that, she handed me two thousand dollars without question. No interrogation, no suspicion. Just a casual be more responsible next time advice.Maybe I should have asked for the full five thousand. But that would’ve raised red flags, and questions, and I couldn’t afford any of those right now. Two thousand was enough to get me closer, and not enough to fix everything.But enough to keep the panic at bay a little bit. For now.I was inside my room, on my bed, with my breath escaping in a shaky exhale.The money sat in my hands, crisp bills that felt heavier than they should.I had managed to scrape together a thousand from selling one of my old novels. Add this two thousand from my mom, and that made three.Still short by two grand.I stared at the cash, my fingers curling around it as dread poole
Ivy's POVI couldn’t believe how low my life had sunk. Disrespect wasn’t even the right word for what I was feeling. It was worse—humiliating, degrading, like every ounce of control had been stripped from me.Demi leaned back, arms spread across the booth, grinning as his friends howled with laughter. He was completely unbothered by the filth pouring from his mouth, completely unaffected by the way he was reducing me to a punchline.A trophy. Something to be discussed, picked apart, and passed around for amusement.I had to get out of there.Swallowing my disgust, I forced a tight smile and leaned in close to him. “Demi, can I talk to you for a minute?”He glanced at me lazily, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement. “Oh? My shy little girlfriend has something to say?”His friends chuckled, and I felt my nails digging into my palms.“Just a minute,” I repeated, keeping my voice light.Demi exhaled heavily, like I was inconveniencing him, but stood anyway. “Fine. We’ll be back,
93.Ivy's POV Brandon had been gone for two days. Not that I was keeping track, or that I cared.I wasn’t noticing how quiet the house felt without him. I wasn’t catching myself glancing at the door of my room every night, half-expecting to hear his footsteps. I wasn’t wondering where he had gone or why he had left without saying anything. It wasn’t any of my business.I kept telling myself that. Over and over again.But by the second night, the silence was gnawing at me.I finally gave in while helping Mom clean up after dinner. She washed the dishes and I dried, with the warm scent of dish soap filling the air. I tried to keep my voice casual, like I wasn’t fishing for information.“Mum, where’s Brandon?”She hummed as she rinsed a plate. “Oh, he went on a weekend getaway with Amari.”My fingers clenched around the dish towel. “Oh.”Just like that, my mood shifted.Mom didn’t notice. She kept talking, smiling as if it was the sweetest thing in the world. “It’s nice that they’re spe
92.Brandon's POV Amari spun around the second I stepped inside, her face instantly paling.She looked startled, like a kid caught sneaking out past curfew, like she had been in the middle of something she didn’t want me to see. Her hands twitched at her sides, fingers curling slightly as she took a small step back.“W-what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice unsteady. Her wide eyes flicked from me to the hallway, like she was already calculating an escape route.Before I could answer, her father turned to me, wearing a warm, practiced smile. Completely unfazed.“Brandon,” he said with an approving nod. “Amari told me you two went on a weekend getaway. That’s good. It’s nice to see you both spending quality time together.”I didn’t respond.I was too focused on her. The way she wouldn’t meet my eyes. The way her shoulders were drawn tight, her stance stiff like she was waiting for something, dreading something.Her father didn’t seem to notice the tension radiating from her. Or
Chapter 91My mind was a tangled mess, thoughts twisting in every possible direction, colliding and unraveling all at once.The witch’s death wasn’t some freak accident. Someone had killed her, ripped her heart out before she could finish the ritual. That wasn’t just a coincidence. That was deliberate. That meant there was something to find, something someone didn’t want me knowing.If the mate bond was real, there would be no reason to stop me from checking it. No reason to go as far as murder just to keep me from questioning it.Which meant there was something off about it.I exhaled through my nose, gripping the wheel a little tighter. This should have unsettled me, should have made me feel worse than I already did. But beneath the frustration, beneath the questions and the chaos, there was something else.Relief.Because if this mate bond wasn’t real, if it had been manipulated, then I wouldn’t have to be bound to Amari. I could sever it completely. I could be free of it.The thou
90.Brandon's POV Amari didn’t say a word for the rest of the drive.She just sat there, arms crossed, staring out the window. Her expression was unreadable, but the way her fingers gripped her sleeves told me enough. She was holding something in, whether it was anxiety, anger, or fear, I wasn’t sure.By the time we reached Hex Hollow, the town was draped in mist, making the narrow roads seem endless. It was smaller than I expected. The trees by the road side weren’t normal. Their trunks twisted like they were in pain, and their bark were covered in strange carvings.What the hell is this place?The witch’s house sat at the very edge of the area, partially hidden behind some trees. It was old, the wood had darkened with age, and the windows concealed by heavy, dust-coated curtains. The place had a presence, something subtle but undeniable, like the house itself was watching us.I knocked once.The door creaked open just enough for a woman to peer out from the shadows. Her face was s
Brandon's POV I didn’t even have to think twice.The moment I stepped out of my father’s office, my decision was already made. I was going to Hex Hollow. No second-guessing, no hesitation. It didn’t matter how far it was or how much of a pain in the ass the trip would be. I needed answers.For days, I had been reading up on manipulated mate bonds, digging through every scrap of information I could find. The more I read, the more the pieces started falling into place.Black magic had been bound centuries ago, forbidden and sealed away. But that didn’t mean it was completely inaccessible. There were still ways to tap into it. And the ones who could were those who had given themselves over completely, souls already claimed, corrupted beyond saving.Those people were the only ones capable of forging a mate bond.And my gut told me that was exactly what had happened to me.The day I decided to leave came faster than I expected. I had smoothly lied to Amari that we were going on a weekend
Brandon's POV I found my father in his study. The heavy scent of old books, leather, and his colonge filled the air, a smell I had long associated with him. The fireplace crackled softly in the background, casting flickering shadows along the walls. He barely looked up when I stepped inside, his eyes scanning the documents on his desk with focus, the soft scratch of his pen filling the silence.I shut the door behind me. “Dad.”His pen paused mid-signature, then he set it down carefully beside the paper, finally lifting his gaze to meet mine. “Brandon.” He gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”I walked further into the room and sank into the chair, leaning forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees. “I need to talk to you about something.”His expression remained unreadable, but he leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers over his chest. “About?”“The mate bond.”For a brief second, something flickered in his gaze, mild amusement, maybe, but
87Brandon's POV.The entire day was shit.It felt like something had burrowed under my skin, clawing at me from the inside, refusing to let go. No matter what I did, training, schoolwork, anything, I couldn’t shake the feeling off.Ivy’s words kept playing in my head, over and over, like a damn broken record.She had said it so firmly, so convincingly, like she actually believed it. Like she could just walk away from this and pretend none of it had ever happened.It pissed me off more than it should have.I tried to focus. Tried to let it go. But my punches in the gym were off, my movements were sluggish. School was even worse. I barely heard a word any of my teachers said, staring blankly at my notes only to realize I hadn’t written a single thing down. Every little thing irritated me, the scraping of chairs, and the way the clock seemed to drag on endlessly.And, of course, Amari noticed.She had been watching me all day, her gaze sharp and calculating, waiting for the right momen
Ivy's POV.Dinner was quiet, the only sounds filling the space were the soft clinking of cutlery against porcelain plates. It was just the three of us. Brandon, my mother, and me. I pushed a piece of chicken around my plate, watching as the sauce smeared across the white ceramic. Then something clicked in my mind, a memory from yesterday that I hadn’t fully processed until now. Setting my fork down, I glanced up at my mother. “Hey, Mom,” I said, keeping my tone light, casual. “Were you at the carnival yesterday?”She froze.For a split second, I saw it, the way her expression flickered, a flash of something almost like panic before she smoothed it over, replacing it with her usual warm, easy smile. It happened so fast that I might have imagined it."The carnival?" She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head as she reached for her glass of water. "No, sweetheart, of course not. Why would I be there?"I frowned, studying her face carefully. There was nothing there now, no trace of th
85.Ivy's POV Aaron was everything a girl could want in a boyfriend. Sweet, thoughtful, always making sure I was comfortable. He listened when I talked, remembered the little things, and never hesitated to go out of his way for me.I should have felt something more for him. I wanted to. I was trying to.But no matter how hard I willed myself to feel even a fraction of what Brandon made me feel, it just wasn’t there.And that wasn’t fair.When Aaron showed up that afternoon, all smiles and excitement, asking if I wanted to go to the carnival, I didn’t have the heart to say no. I hadn’t told my mom I was going out, because it was a last-minute thing, and she wouldn’t mind. Besides, I needed the distraction.And for a while, it worked.The carnival was loud, bright, full of life. The scent of fried food filled the air, mixing with the sugary sweetness of cotton candy. Kids laughed as they ran past, their faces lit up with excitement. Everything was colorful, and buzzing with energy.Aar