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
Ivy's POVAfter spending an excruciating amount of time carefully washing my body, Spencer carries me out of the bathroom and tosses me onto the bed.The moment my back hits the blankets, Spencer is on me. He pins me to the bed and starts to kiss me passionately. His tongue slips into my mouth, and my heart starts to race, but then I remember everything that happened earlier. My eyes snap open, and I press my palms firmly against his strong chest, doing my best to push him away. Spencer breaks the kiss to let out a low chuckle. He catches my delicate wrists in one hand and easily pins them both together, quickly subduing me. I let out a frustrated huff and glare up at him as I draw my leg back and attempt to kick him. With his free hand, though, Spencer manages to grab my ankle and hold me down. “Asshole!” I breathe out, looking up into Spencer’s eyes.The crackling desire I see there clearly mirrors my own. Spencer’s large, warm hand, slightly calloused from years of handling wea
Spencer’s POV“Tell me everything you know about this plague.” The command is sharp and electric, crackling with urgency. At Alpha Fierro’s mention of this strange plague taking lives–not to mention its unfortunate coinciding with the Blood Moon–I can’t help but feel nauseous thinking about what could happen to Ivy. There’s been no confirmation that she’s sick with any sort of plague, of course, and there haven’t been any reported cases of illness from those who have come into contact with her so far. But all of that could change at any given moment, and when it comes to Ivy’s life–or the lives of anyone in my kingdom, for that matter–I have no intention of taking it lightly. Alpha Fierro hesitates for a moment. “I’ve been having my Beta send me reports tracking the symptoms he’s seen from some of the infected pack members we’ve got under observation,” he says. “But my Beta is–well.” He stops speaking abruptly, gaze momentarily taken over by sadness. “He’s deteriorating rapidly, to
Spencer’s POVAs I tear my way through the hospital and back towards the place, a million thoughts are racing through my mind. “Where’s he been staying since I turned him away?” I ask Beta Wilson, moving as quickly as I can. The day of my wedding, he’d somehow managed to fistfight his way past all my staff and slip past the wedding chaos to my penthouse. He’d knocked on my door like a madman before pleading with me to take his meeting–the only reason I even did was because I hold a fair amount of respect for the Sunclash pack. But the man had been blabbering on and on about some sort of curse rained down from hell that had overtaken his punishment, and he’d seemed all but mad, and I’d had a million other things on my mind since. “He’s been staying in a hotel within the kingdom for the past week,” Beta Wilson replies. “I’ve done my best to reach out to him over the past couple days, but he’s remained adamant that he only wanted to speak with you. At first I thought it best not to le
Spencer’s POV“No matter what happens to me, swear you’ll always take care of Tala.” Something in the solemnity of Ivy’s words jolts me right back to reality. Immediately, I realize just how unstable I’m acting–threatening the very doctors and nurses who are trying to save Ivy couldn’t be a more impractical use of my time, and it’s certainly not the kind of support Ivy needs right now. What’s happening to her would be terrifying enough even without all the uncertainty–my own overreaction certainly isn’t something she needs to be worrying about right now. Above all else, she needs to know I’m there for her. “Oh, Ivy, of course I’ll always take care of Tala,” I tell her gently. “You don’t need to worry about that at all. She’s my daughter, and I love her. I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she never has a care in the world. Jason, too–I want him to be my son as well. I know I haven’t always been as reliable as you’ve needed me to be in the past, but I’ll always be he
Ivy’s POV“That is unacceptable!” At the roar of Spencer’s voice, the ferocity of his tone and the growl rumbling in his throat, the nurses and Doctor Danbury both back away in fear as they look up at him with wide, horrified eyes. I’m not even the designated target of Spencer’s ire–hell, I’m the person he’s doing everything possible to protect–but I still feel an instinctive shiver of panic run through me at the sound of such evident threat and disapproval. I can feel Spencer’s Lycan Aura, only more powerful now that he’s king, just on the precipice of being unleashed. It crackles through the air red hot and electric as he continues skewering the doctor and the nurses with his severe gaze. “Spencer,” I try to say, reaching out and grabbing his hand. Another cough hits me, though, and I’m hacking and wheezing as I try to speak. “Spencer, please, it’s not their fault–” “Their job is to heal!” Spencer protests. He turns to look at me, and much to my surprise, I can see the tears spr
Spencer’s POVThe more time Ivy and I spend in the hospital, the more the days begin to blur. When Ivy is deemed stable enough to move out of the delivery room, we’re quickly moved to a much nicer room in the hospital, and it’s a brief respite from the monotony that’s overtaken our days. I’m able to move most of my work from the palace to the hospital, though I do go back every so often to transfer files or spend some time with Tala. “It’s just a postpartum fever,” Doctor Danbury assured us initially, looking over her files with a wrinkled brow. “Queen Ivy, I know you’re feeling sensations right now unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before, but I promise it’s all a fairly natural–albeit unpleasant–aspect of the postpartum healing process. We’ve got you constantly monitored now. Just do your best to keep eating and drinking. The best you can do is build back your strength.” “Yes, Doctor,” Ivy said demurely. But as we exchanged dissatisfied glances, I could tell neither one of
Ivy’s POVAs I watch the former Lycan Queen hold my daughter, a strange sensation suddenly overtakes me. I let out a sharp gasp, grasping for Spencer’s hand immediately. I try to cling to it, but my grip is already beginning to slacken. Tiny black and white specks flash across my face like static. I can hear a faint ringing in my ears, a piercingly shrill whistle that feels like an ever-growing pressure just behind my eyes. Goosebumps ripple across my skin, and all the residual pain I’ve felt from childbirth suddenly seems to intensify. But more than anything else, I feel like I’m on fire. It’s as though hot coals have been set ablaze just underneath my skin, like I’m crisping up and sweltering in the overwhelming heat. I groan, doubling over in pain as the heat persists. “Ivy?” Spencer asks urgently, immediately doing his best to prop me up. I keep slackening against his grasp, though. “Ivy, what’s wrong?” I do my best to form words, but it’s as though my tongue is suddenly inca
Spencer’s POVAs I look down at my daughter, a love unlike anything I’ve ever felt before flows through me. It’s not different in its magnitude, but rather in its softness, its sweetness. The overwhelming sense of protectiveness that overtakes me. My young daughter, my beautiful Tala. I want to take care of her day in and day out. To provide for everything she may need. To be there for her as long as I possibly can. Her soft, squishy cheeks, her pudgy fists grasping at nothing, the wisps of curly hair still plastered to her head…“Could I hold her, please?” I ask Ivy quietly. She beams up at me. “Of course!” I take a seat beside her in the hospital bed, careful not to jostle her or Tala too much as I do. The moment I’m seated comfortably, Ivy slowly places the little bundle of joy into my arms, and my heart feels like it’s about to overflow with all the love I’m feeling. “Oh,” I whisper softly, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I smile gently at Tala, brushing one finger ag
Spencer’s POV“So is the baby okay?” I ask the question frantically, watching both Ivy and the infant in fear that something could go wrong at any instant. The image laid out before me is peaceful–Ivy is cradling our child in both arms, rocking her back and forth and humming and whispering sweet nothings against her baby curls. Most of the blood has been wiped from the infant’s pudgy body, and she’s sleeping now, all curled up in her fuzzy pink blanket. But I can’t shake the lingering feeling that something is terribly, horribly wrong. Doctor Danbury shrugs. “Honestly, if I didn’t know she was about twenty-eight weeks early, I wouldn’t have known,” she replies. “Her vitals are healthy, her breathing is good, she’s an appropriate weight and size… this was pretty much the ideal scenario for childbirth, save for the fact that it happened directly after your wedding. I can’t promise anything going forward, but right now, you have a perfectly healthy baby girl.” “But how did this… happ
Ivy’s POV“I can’t do this!” The exclamation tears through the room in a shrill burst of agony and desperation, but all the nurses just look at one another like it’s something they’ve heard a million times before from other birthing mothers. My body feels like it’s falling apart as a pain unlike any other continues to flow through me in waves. I scream over and over again, grabbing at the bedsheets and Spencer’s hands and the soft fluff of the mattress and just about anything at all I could theoretically use to find purchase. I feel like I'm floating through the universe in a sea of endless pain, and if I don’t find something to tether me quickly, I’ll find myself adrift for good. “You’re doing great,” Doctor Danbury assures me. Though she’s firmly focused on whatever’s happening between my legs, she makes a gesture towards me with one hand, and a nurse immediately comes to my bedside with a stack of dampened towels. “Just keep pushing, just keep breathing, and I promise all of thi