Ivy's POV“You look beautiful.”I look up at Spencer with a grateful smile, fiddling with the long, flowing sleeve of my red dress. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” I say, admiring Spencer’s elegant black suit. His pocket square matches my dress exactly. “Unfortunately, considering it’s my family, this banquet is going to be dreadful no matter how dashing we look,” Spencer says with a long sigh. I laugh. “Oh, I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Let’s go.”Spencer reaches for my hand and squeezes it tightly as he leads me out of the room and into the hallway. Together, we walked to a wing of the palace that I’ve never seen before. We stop in front of a large set of double doors, a guard standing on either side. When they see Spencer, they both bow deeply before simultaneously drawing the doors open. Spencer looks at me reassuringly as we walk into the banquet hall. My sleek silver heels click on the marble floor with every step as Spencer and I approach our seats hand in hand. The Lyca
Ivy's POV“From here on out, Delilah will be Prince Spencer’s fiancée.”I feel like I’m in shock, the words replaying in my mind over and over again. I can hear a faint ringing in my ears, can feel the start of a headache splitting the base of my skull. Spencer’s fiancée?How is this possible? Judging by the stunned, angry expression on Spencer’s face, he’s every bit as shocked as I am.“Spencer can’t marry Delilah!” Princess Sylvia blurts out, looking at the queen with an expression of surprise that mirrors my own. “Ivy is Spencer’s mate, and the two of them share a special bond that can never be broken.”At Sylvia’s reminder of the Blood Oath Ceremony, I feel somewhat reassured. She’s right–Spencer and I share something that no one else could ever share with him. No one can take that from us.But even still, I’m terrified of losing him. The Lycan Queen glares daggers at me from across the room. “A she-wolf without a wolf has no right to become the Prince’s Luna,” she declares. Th
Spencer's POVAt the sound of Delilah’s words, I can’t help but wonder if maybe, like me, she’s only here because of the arrangements her parents made for her.After all, marriage alliances between powerful pack figures certainly aren’t uncommon, and Alpha’s daughters are the most sought-after girls in the world. Delilah’s youth, as well as her pack’s strength, put her in an ideal position to be used in the most optimal and high-strength alliances. An Alpha’s daughter is considered lucky if she gets a say in who she’s married off to, so it certainly wouldn’t come as a shock to me if Delilah is just as unwilling a participant in this whole scheme as I am. I look at Delilah’s wide, shining eyes. She wants to be friends with me and Ivy? I figure friendship is much more in Ivy’s wheelhouse than mine, but nevertheless, it’s a harmless enough request. I nod at her, granting her request. “We should leave now,” I tell Ivy quickly, grabbing her arm. Just as the two of us are about to leave
Spencer's POV“You need to reject your mate.” I look over at my mother in irritation, crossing my arms over my chest. We’ve only just swept out of the banquet hall and into a small private meeting room, but my mother is certainly not one to beat around the bush, and I can see from the steely look in her eye that she's absolutely made up her mind. She hates Ivy, and there’s nothing I can do to get around that fact. As much as I hate it, I might as well let go of the notion of my family opening up to accept her. For as long as Ivy remains in this palace, I know my mother will do everything she can to make her life a living hell. “You know I’m not going to reject her, Mother,” I say impatiently, already turning to leave. This is a waste of time, and I want to be with Ivy now. I don’t need to entertain her cruelty any longer, and I have no interest in seeing how many other people she can rope into her schemes. “Wait!” She cries out, grabbing my arm. I turn around and look down at m
Ivy's POVA day after the disastrous banquet, as I’m decompressing in my room, I suddenly hear a knock on my door. I set down the book I was reading and rush over to my door in a hurry, wondering who it could be. Spencer’s off training for now, and I know he’ll be busy for a while longer. I’m not sure who I’m expecting, but when I open the door to find Delilah Devereaux–Alpha Maverick’s daughter–standing in the doorway, I’m caught off guard. “Um, hello?” I say uncertainly. “Can I help you…” Delilah smiles politely, hands clasped neatly in front of her. “I’ll be in the area for a short while longer,” she says, voice sweet and lilting like bells. “And I was wondering if, during my stay here, the two of us could be friends?”“Oh!” I reply, slightly taken aback. It’s not Delilah’s fault–since arriving at the palace, no one here has made an effort to befriend me. More often than not, I’ve been met with upfront cruelty, especially at the hands of other women here. So Delilah’s offer is
Ivy's POVOnce Delilah has left the palace and Spencer has returned to his training, I walk through the winding palace halls to invite Princess Sylvia to the picnic. I knock on the door, rocking back on my heels as I wait for the princess to let me in. When the door finally opens, Princess Sylvia looks surprised to see me. “Ivy!” She exclaims. “Um, is there something you need…?”“Hi, Princess Sylvia. Spencer, Delilah, and I were going to throw a picnic,” I explain. “I was wondering if you’d like to join us?” “Delilah–oh, that Alpha’s daughter?” The princess seems utterly shocked by the invitation. She hesitates for a moment, staring at me with wide eyes. I wait patiently for her answer. Her surprise makes sense, I suppose–after all, virtually every one of our interactions have involved her bullying me in some way, shape, or form. She’d even gone so far as to accidentally get us dragged into the enemy’s trap. I can tell Princess Sylvia doesn’t dislike me anymore, after everything w
Ivy's POVThat evening, just after Beta Wilson was wrapping up his patrol, I ran into him in the garden. Bathed in the pale moonlight, he looks like the calm, stoic figure of contemplation. The announcement of Sylvia’s pending engagement caught us all by surprise–I wouldn’t be surprised if ever since he heard the news, Beta Wilson has been downright tormented.And I’m almost positive that that’s why things have been so strained between him and sylvia. “Beta Wilson!” I greet kindly, jogging along the terrace-lined cobblestone path to where he’s standing. I look up at him with a cheerful smile. “I was hoping I’d see you tonight. I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a picnic at some point this week?”Beta Wilson hesitates, seeming confused by the invitation.“Sylvia will be there,” I add brightly.His eyes narrow. “No,” he refuses right away. I tilt my head, realizing that Beta Wilson has been purposely steering clear of Sylvia’s path. Not even any awkwardness or tension or a
Ivy's POV“Do we have everything we need?” I ask, setting the last couple items into the picnic basket. The day of the picnic has finally arrived, and I, for one, am excited. Sylvia, Delilah, and I are all dressed in breezy sundresses that flutter in the wind, while Spencer looks more casual than I’ve ever seen him in shorts and a polo shirt. We’ve loaded the picnic basket with chips, fruit, and meat, and we’ve also all brought our swimsuits for if the water is nice enough to swim. Luckily, the weather seems to be on our side, and the world seems to buzz with excitement. Despite the air of delighted summer fun that I can feel settling over the whole event, Sylvia seems especially downtrodden. I can understand why. While it’s easy enough for me or Spencer or Delilah to ignore Beta Wilson’s absence, no doubt Sylvia is feeling it with every fiber of her being. “This is the last thing,” Delilah replies, handing me a container of perfectly-sliced watermelon. “Amazing!”I place the cont
Spencer’s POV“The Lycan Kingdom will come to your aid at once.” Clearly, the ease with which I offer my support comes as something of a shock to Alpha Fierro. His eyes widen, and his face breaks into an expression of gratitude. His posture already seems straighter, like a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders. “Really?” Alpha Fierro breathes out. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Truly, I’d nearly given up hope on receiving any sort of aid at all–I’d almost started believing the rumours…” My eyes narrow. “The rumours?” I repeat coldly.” Alpha Fierro blanches. “Well, I–of course, I never really believed them. But I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your vast reach of influence that some werewolves have been saying things about the Lycan Royal Family that have been rather… out of line. Ever since Elder Jet and his rebellion, things have been different. But I–that’s not important! What I’m trying to say to you right now is thank you, Your Majesty. From the bottom of my heart.” I remain si
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