Chris' POV
It was early in the evening as I made my way towards the training grounds with Ivy by my side. I had planned to punish the two little shits in front of the whole pack. I'd sent a link throughout the entire pack in the morning itself asking them all to come to the training grounds at five in the evening. I only assembled the entire pack when it was a matter of prime importance so they knew that whatever was going to go down today evening was something serious.
And that was exactly the kind of message that I wanted to send to everyone. That it was serious. That anyone who tried to hurt my mate wouldn't be spared.
I had tried to make my people believe that Ivy was with us, on our side by conducting the Luna ceremony earlier than I would've liked. I had thought that they would all have to respect her as the Luna. But that clearly hadn't happened. Some, if not all, of my pack members thoug
Ivy's POVChris slammed his lips against mine in a brutal kiss amidst our argument. I had half a mind to push him away and continue our little spat but my mind went into overdrive at his relentless onslaught. His kisses were anyway like a drug to me, they sure made my head all whoozy. He deepened the kiss, his tongue duelling with mine. And I gave as good as I got, kissing him back just as passionately.When we pulled back after a few minutes which felt like much longer to me, I was completely breathless. I was happy to note that Chris seemed a little bit breathless too. And oh, so hot with his disheveled hair, glistening, swollen ruby red lips and that hazy lust filled look in his stormy grey eyes.But God, I was still mad at him for killing that man. "What of that man's family?" I finally asked."I've already told Ryan to take care of them and make sure they're well provided for
Chris' POVI swore seven ways to hell as Ivy froze on top of me at the sound of the knock on the door before getting off of me completely.Fucking hell.Whoever was on the other side of the door was going to be so dead.I ran a hand through my hair in frustration before fixing my clothes a little and sliding off the bed.I wretched open the gate, ready to give a piece of my mind to whoever it was who had disturbed us. But I froze midway when I saw that it was Martha with a maid by her side. The maid held a food cart with her.Martha smiled at me. "Given the day you've both had, I thought dinner in bed would be good. Besides, Ivy needs to rest, she had looked about ready to fall back in the hall downstairs."Instantly, I frowned, looking at my mate over my shoulder. She hadn't seemed all that tired to me, at least not giv
Chris' POV"So, I have a surprise for you," I told Ivy as she exited from the bathroom, freshly showered and ready for the day ahead.She shot me a surprised smile. "You do?"I simply nodded at her before I mind linked the maids I had waiting outside to come in.The two women came in rolling a clothing rack which held the most exotic of gowns between the two of them. At Ivy's delighted gasp, I smiled a little to myself. Ivy had gotten increasingly busy the closer the ball came, so much so that she had nearly forgotten to get dresses for herself. So I had taken it upon myself to bring the best of the best gowns for her with a little help from her friends Gia and Harper."You may both leave," I ordered the maids who bowed before leaving.I watched as Ivy fingered the first one, a baby pink ball gown which glittered as if th
Ivy's POV I could feel my heart beat drumming in my ears as I made my way downstairs with Chris by my side. The men who were supposed to bring the body I had to identify were here. There were four buffed up looking guys standing around the body covered in white from head to toe and they all bowed their heads respectfully in greeted as soon as they saw Chris and I. Suddenly, an image of my father in the ambulance flashed in front of my mind's eye and I whimpered involuntarily. Instantly, Chris was wrapping his fingers around mine and squeezing. "It's alright, love. I'm right here for you no matter what happens." I nodded slowly. Chris somehow always knew the perfect thing to say. He knew I didn't need empty consolations of everything would be alright, or I'll be fine. He simply told me he'd always be here to support me. And somehow, that was just enough. &nbs
Chris' POV The others were already seated by the time Ivy and I made our way downstairs. Five Alphas and their beautiful mates all stood up with expressions that could mostly be passed off as slightly friendly, if not entirely welcome. There were a few other smaller packs who would be arriving tomorrow and weren't here yet. I would introduce Ivy to them at the Ball itself tomorrow night. I managed to pull my lips into a smile of my own as we walked towards the large table. Ever since Ivy came into my life, smiling didn't feel as hard as it used to. With the same smile plastered on my lips, I lead my beautiful mate to the table, pulling a seat out for her. "Greetings, everyone. Please, take your seats," I said to the others before taking a seat myself at the head of the table. Once everyone was seated, I began the introductions. "Allow me to introduce to you al
Ivy's POV Chris had been busy with his meetings all day long, and so had the rest of his council members, which left us girls alone. Misha, Luna Sheryl, Luna Kaitlyn and Luna Seline had all joined me and my small party of friends. We had spent the day lounging about in the pool, simply having fun. While Misha and Luna Sheryl seemed to blend in with our small group almost effortlessly, chatting away happily with Harper and Gia about make up and dresses, the same couldn't be said for the other two. Luna Kaitlyn was much too shy to speak much and Luna Seline, well, she was a completely different story altogether. At the dinner last night, she had seemed at least a little bit friendly, if not downright hostile. Today, though, with the veil of forced politeness gone, she had been anything but friendly, choosing to lounge on one of the chair than bother speaking with anyone. I briefly wondered
Chris' POV When I'd brought the dresses Ivy's friends had suggested, I hadn't really been able to imagine how beautiful she would look in them. But now that she was actually wearing one with her make up done to perfection, I almost didn't want anyone else to see her like this. She looked so pure, so perfect, so innocent, that I had half a mind to lock her up in my room and never let her go, at least not while she looked the way she did- the kind of girl that would draw you towards them with just one look. "Goddess, have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" I couldn't help but mutter as I guided Ivy down the staircase with her hand clasped firmly in mine. Her bell like laugh greeted me in response. Goddess, even her laughter seemed so perfect tonight. "Only about ten times. And I'm not even exaggerating." She wasn't. Ever since I'd walked in on her sitting on the be
Ivy's POV I watched with clenched hands as Chris extricated the blonde barbie's hands off of his arms. I couldn't hear what they were talking about given the distance between us and the murmurs of other conversations around me. I tried to ignore them and focus on the people around me but my eyes kept straying towards them. When the woman suddenly threw her head back, cackled like a hyena, and placed her arm on Chris' biceps again, I felt a zing of jealousy course through me. Before I knew what I was doing, I had excused myself from the group I had been chatting with and was already making my way towards Chris. "Oh, hello, love," Chris greeted me with a small smile when I reached them, noticing with some satisfaction that the blonde barbie removed her hand instantly at my arrival. Good. I gave Chris a sugary sweet smile of my own in reply. "Hello, love." "So this is my lovely ma
Ivy's POVMy limbs felt heavy and so did my head. So much so, that something as simple as opening my eyes felt nearly impossible. But I knew I had to try.Ever so slowly, I pried my eyes open, blinking lazily as my vision focused, landing on a figure sitting beside me with their head down.It took me a moment to realise that it was Chris. Oh, Chris.Putting in all the strength I had left and then some, I squeezed his hand which was holding mine, making him jolt up at once. He looked disoriented for a moment before his eyes fell upon me and widened. "You're up," he whispered, seemingly shocked. "Yes," I croaked out, my throat horse.Almost immediately springing into action, he brought a glass of water and lifted my head up a little to help me drink it. The cool water slid down my parched throat and instantly, I felt better. "Goddess, I've been worried sick about you," Chris murmured, pushing my hair behind my ears tenderly as he looked down at me with so much love shining in his stor
Chris' POV It had been nearly an hour since Ivy had lost consciousness. She had on an oxygen mask now since she had been having trouble breathing earlier. Dr Winfield had explained that this was how her body was reacting to the antidote but he would only be able to tell more about what was happening once he had run some tests. He had taken some blood samples and was doing just that. As I paced near the foot of her bed, praying to every deity known to save my mate, Ivy's friends and Martha came rushing in through the door, probably having heard the news of her being infected. They all looked as disheveled and worried as I felt. "What is going on? How is she doing?" Gia asked, all of them taking in her sick form lying on the bed with watery eyes. I explained what had happened in short, quick sentences, not wanting to relive the memory again. The sight of her mother injecting the venom into her was still as clear as day in my mind and thinking about it made my blood boil like no o
Chris' POVI watched as the darts came towards me from either side before coming in contact with the invisible protective shield I'd had the witches put over me and falling down.I smirked to myself. I hadn't come unprepared, that was for sure. These darts could be thrown from a distance which was one of the reasons why all my other soldiers I'd brought in with me were not in plain sight. Only the witches were. Because the venom obviously couldn't affect them. And they would also be able to protect Ivy better should the need arise. After Ivy's warning over the phone, I'd gone straight to Elder Nigel and gotten the entire truth out of him. Then, I'd killed him in cold blood for that was what the bastard deserved after what he had done. None of this would've been happening if not for him.My goal for now was to convince Ivy's mother not to kill any more members of our species or I'd have no choice but to kill her. I didn't particularly want to kill my mate's mother but I wouldn't hesita
Ivy's POVI disconnected the call when mother shouted at me. Or should I even call her that? Because this monster clearly wasn't my mother. The sweet, compassionate woman I'd known as my mother all my life was no more now. In her place stood a woman so blind with anger that she was ready to kill an entire species because of it.Though, I was glad I had warned Chris about what was going to happen. I hoped to God he had understood some, if not all of it, then enough to not come see me in an hour like I'd asked him to.When I didn't say anything to mom, she held her hand out. "Give me the phone now so I can send the address to the Alpha. We will end him first so that his entire pack is in disarray. They'll be easier to take down without anyone to guide them. We'll work on taking down the other packs afterwards. This one should go down first for the main culprits belong to this pack," my mom said, t
Chris' POV"You all may go. We'll continue looking tomorrow," I said, sighing a little before letting my small team go. It was pretty late at night anyway and they'd all been hard at work all day long. They deserved the rest.It had been five very long, painful days and there was still no sign of Ivy. It was as frustrating as it was saddening. I wasn't about to give up, not any time soon but I really hoped I'd be able to find her soon. There was only so much time I could spend without her before I went crazy.Just as I got up from my seat in the office, a soldier posted at the pack borders mind linked me. 'Alpha, it's Elder Nigel, we believe he has been injected with the venom.'Shit.'Bring him to the palace right away,' I instructed before I mind linked Dr Winfield, cursing myself internally as I did so.'Elder Nigel has been
Ivy's POV"I'm here to get you out.""Mom?" I gasped. I'd know that voice even in my dreams. How did she even find us?"Yes, dear, just a second though while I take care of this imbecile," I heard her voice reply but I couldn't see her just yet.Then, within seconds something whizzed past my head before embedding itself into Elder Nigel's midriff. It took me a moment to realise the rather familiar looking dart injection. It was the same one I'd seen with which the venom had been injected into the victims, only this one could be used as a dart and could hence be injected from a distance.I gasped as Elder Nigel fell to the floor at once, both shocked and terrified over what was happening."Oh, my boy, my beautiful, beautiful boy," I heard my mom all but coo behind me.Evan. So she had known that Evan w
Ivy's POVIt had been five days since I'd been brought here. I knew because that was how many times those good for nothing goons had taken Evan with them to his bed to sleep. So far, they had injected me twice more, which meant that whatever drug they had come up with stayed active for forty eight hours at the most. And I'd been fed a total of four times since I'd been here.But none of these things had been as frustrating as the fact that their master hadn't been here to see me once ever since I'd arrived. Worse still was that he had trained his minions well. They never said more than what was strictly necessary no matter how much I shouted at or insulted them."Ivy?" Evan called out to me.It had been at least a day since I'd been injected so I could at least speak now. "Yes, Evan?""Where is your mate? You said that he would come get us. But it has be
Chris' POV It had been three days since Ivy had gone missing but there was still no sign of her. After having thought long and hard about that warning, I had stopped searching for her openly, calling back all the people who I'd ordered to do various different things in an effort to find her. Then, I'd set up a small team consisting of me, Beta Ryan, Mateo, Julian and two of my most trusted warriors, Trent and Dave. These were the only people I trusted enough to say that they were without a doubt on my side and wouldn't betray me. I'd told them to keep looking for Ivy, only a lot more secretly than we had been doing before. The other Alphas had offered to help but I'd declined their help, telling them to go back and look after their packs instead. They all might not have liked Ivy too much but they knew what it was like to loose your mate, even if it was temporarily and had been more than willin
Ivy's POV Whatever they had injected me with seemed pretty strong this time around. A few hours in, I could speak almost normally but I couldn't do any magic or move even a single muscle. It was as frustrating as it was scary. I didn't know what these people, whoever they were, had planned for me. They could end me once and for all for all I knew. Given the state I was in, I wouldn't be able to do anything. Or they could keep me imprisoned in here forever like Evan. Neither possibility seemed particularly appealing to me. I sighed to myself, feeling completely useless. This drug, whatever they had given me didn't seem like it was going to wear off any time soon. And no one had come in after that one time even though I'd shouted myself hoarse at least three times already. I wondered what Chris would be doing. Probably going crazy trying to find me. And Fred, was he dead already? I'd been here at