Ivy's POVJust as I’m about to tell the queen what happened, Princess Sylvia suddenly runs down the hall towards us.I can see several bandages and stitched-up wounds across her skin, along with bruises, scraps, and minor cuts. She’s dressed in a simple, elegant slip–no doubt it would be too much strain to dress her in the usual elaborate royal attire. Her skin still looks unnaturally pale, and she’s moving with something of a limp.But Princess Sylvia is alive, and I’m grateful for that. “Wait!” She exclaims, doubling over and panting. She rests her hands on her knees. “I told you, Mother, you’ve got it wrong!”“Sylvia, be careful! Your injuries!” The Lycan Queen gasps, helping her stand up straight. There’s a motherly concern in her eyes as she looks her daughter over, but when her gaze returns to me, any warmth that was there quickly freezes away. Princess Sylvia waves her off. “Ivy didn’t do anything to hurt me. It was the rebels who have been trying to take down the Lycan Royal
Ivy's POVI struggle and thrash as the warriors drag me to the dungeon, but they’re holding me so tightly I can feel them starting to bruise my skin. It’s no use. Even at full strength, I’m still weak and wolfless. I’ll never be able to fend for myself again. One warrior holds my wrists together tightly while the other unlocks one of the cells. The sound of iron bars dragging along the stone floor makes me cringe, a terrible sound that scrapes at the inside of my skull. The moment the cell door is opened, the warrior holding me pushes me inside roughly. “You can’t do this–” I protest angrily, but the warriors slam the cell doors shut and leave. I huff, grabbing the bars of the cell and rattling them in frustration. It’s not fair. I’m the Lycan Crown Prince’s mate–one would assume that would grant me at least an ounce of respect in this palace, but I’m still being hauled around like trash. “So you’re a traitor now, too?”I whirl around, surprised to see Alpha Leo leaning against t
Spencer's POVI arrive at the Lycan King’s office ready to tell my father about everything that happened in battle. While the mission was supposed to be a quiet extraction, no doubt he knows by now that not everything went according to plan. We suffered great casualties on the battlefield thanks to Elder Jet and his horrible red potions, and ended up having to kill more rebels than we would have liked. Further, news of Alpha Jameson’s death at the hands of Gamma Everly will no doubt spread quickly, which doesn’t bode well. The fallout of this battle, much to my disappointment, hasn’t done much to help with the Lycan Royal Family’s image, and the last thing we need is to seem like an enemy to the werewolves. It wasn’t our fault, though. Up against the enemy we were facing, we used the strength we needed, and if anyone understands the nuances and complications of battle, it’ll be my father. “Spencer,” he greets me cooly as I open the door. He shuffles a stack of papers on his desk
Spencer's POVJust as I’m leaving the Lycan King’s office, I bump into Sylvia around the corner.“Spencer!” She exclaims when she sees me, rushing forward and grabbing my arm. Her eyes are wide with concern, and she’s clearly worried about something. Although I’d heard from Ivy and the Lycan King that Sylvia has been injured–and the evidence of her attack is clearly visible on her skin–I’ve always been fairly indifferent towards my siblings. To me, they’re just other names on the family tree, other people who live in the palace. Nothing more, nothing less. I can’t even remember the last time I thought about my younger brother Colin. I’ve never disliked my siblings, but I can’t say I’ve cared for them, either. We usually avoid each other unless strictly necessary. So seeing Sylvia blocking my path like this is puzzling to me. What could she possibly want? For the first time, I take note of Sylvia’s pale, bruised face and her wide-open eyes. There seems to be a stress hovering aroun
Spencer's POVWhen I approach the dungeon’s entrance, the guard’s eyes widen in fear the moment they see me. “Prince Spencer!” One of the guards says politely, lowering his head and greeting me anxiously. “What–um, what is the reason for your visit?”I skewer the guard with an icy cold glare that sends him shaking. “Is Ivy inside?” I ask in a voice heavy with anger. The guards exchange nervous glances, stumbling back a step. “She is, yes,” the other guard mumbles. I stride past them confidently when I feel a hesitant tap on my shoulder. I turn around, staring daggers at the guard who tapped me. “I–I’m so sorry, Your Highness,” the guard stutters out, “But Miss Ivy was imprisoned under the Lycan Queen’s orders…” I stare silently at the guard as he continues to speak, until finally the words die in his throat. He averts his gaze and steps backward, clearly shaking in his boots. My gaze flicks from guard to guard wordlessly, daring either of them to try and stop me again. But ne
Ivy's POVWhen I hear Spencer’s voice calling me down the hallway, for a moment I think it’s just my imagination.But suddenly, a wave of unease sweeping over me, I turn my head to see Spencer and Sylvia standing just a couple paces away from my cell. Sylvia is hovering a couple steps behind Spencer, shrinking back against the wall. For some reason, the moment she sees me, her eyes widen in horror and fear. “Spencer!” I call out excitedly, beaming at the sight of him. When I lock eyes with him, though, I realize there isn’t a trace of love in his eyes–all I can see is pure anger. My heart plummets.His gaze, sharp as an arrow, is locked onto me and Alpha Leo. I quickly realize that, with the way I’m standing next to Alpha Leo, along with the angle Spencer is standing at, from his perspective it must look like I’m pressed up against Alpha Leo’s chest.And his shirt is barely more than threads. At this point, he’s almost entirely shirtless. A chill sweeps over me as I take in the wa
Ivy's POVAs Spencer carries me out of the dungeon and through the palace halls, I can see Sylvia following behind me anxiously. From my position slung over Spencer’s shoulder, the world is mostly upside-down and blurry, but I’m still able to make out the familiar frame of Spencer’s door. He twists it open without a second thought and is just about to head in when Princess Sylvia grabs his arm.“Wait!” She exclaims frantically. “Spencer, what are you going to do to Ivy?”“That’s none of your business,” Spencer replies coldly. “Leave now.” “But–”Spencer cuts her off quickly, turning to the guards. “Don’t let anyone in,” he commands sharply. My heart starts to race. Princess Sylvia’s question rattles around my brain–what is he going to do to me?What could he do to me? “Spencer, you can’t hurt her! She–”I can’t hear the end of Princess Sylvia’s sentence before Spencer slams the door shut. He walks over to the bed quickly and tosses me down onto the cushiony blanketsI land with a
Ivy's POVAs Spencer continues to caress and kiss me gently, I push him away suddenly. “Wait,” I say breathlessly. I can feel the dungeon lingering on my skin–the feeling of dirt and grime, the smell of sweat and hopelessness. “I want to take a shower first.”Spencer frowns, but he doesn’t say no. Instead, he quickly sweeps his arms underneath me and lifts me from the bed. Wordlessly, he carries me to the bathroom. The feeling of being lifted up sends an instinctive jolt through my body, considering how angry he was when he carried me to his room mere minutes ago, but I try to convince myself everything is fine. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck, worried about falling. I can feel Spencer’s heart fluttering in his ribcage. His heartbeat is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. When we walk into the bathroom, I think for a moment that he’s going to set me down. But keeping his arm wrapped around my waist, he slips my dress off. I gasp as Spencer presses me against the cool