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
Ivy's POVAt the mention of a waterfall, Spencer and I exchange a mischievous smile. I quickly finish grilling the last few hamburgers and place the freshly grilled meat on a plate, then add another plate on top so they don’t cool or dry out. The possibility of swimming excited me–I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in the water, but I’m wearing my bikini underneath my dress now and I’m more than ready.And, of course, I’ll take any chance I get to see Spencer’s abs. Spencer places his hand on the small of my back as we walk in the direction of Delilah’s voice. As we pass through a dense cluster of trees, though, I can easily overhear a heated argument. “If you’re not willing to be my mate, then there’s no point in keeping the mate bond!” Sylvia snaps angrily. Even though her primary emotion seems to be frustration, there’s an underlying tremulousness to her voice too, something delicate. Once again, she’s baring her soul to Beta Wilson. And once again, she’s hoping he’ll be
Spencer's POV“You don’t have any ground to stand on, Your Highness.”Elder Jet spits out the words Your Highness, sneering as they pass his lips. He looks around at his forces, the assembled rebel werewolves, and seems proud of the group he’s created. I look around at them, too. What I see makes my heart sink. None of the rebels look particularly convinced by anything Alpha Leo is saying. In fact, as his words wash over him, their expressions contort and twist into anger. I can see it on their faces—they no longer think he’s one of them. They’ve seen him switch sides, and rather than follow in his footsteps, they're prepared to resent him for it. ‘Stand down,’ I tell Alpha Leo. ‘I’ll handle it from here.’‘They’ll be killed!’ Alpha Leo protests. He doesn’t look at me, but I can see the pain in his eyes. I feel for him. They’re his people, and he’s the one who sent them into Elder Jet’s arms. Alpha Leo let them get led astray, and now they’ll have to pay for it with their lives. I
Spencer's POV“You’re the traitor, Elder Jet.” Alpha Leo is staring Elder Jet down with a vicious, furious glare. There’s betrayal in his eyes, too, and I realize just how painful this must be for him. I remember what I know about him. That his father died when he was quite young. That Elder Jet took him in, stepped up. Elder Jet became his father, in a sense. Alpha Leo has quite possibly been more poisoned than anyone else. And he was able to break out of it. It must feel like the world is crashing down around him. I can’t sympathize, but it’s always good to pay attention to the emotional state of those closest to me. To cue into their patterns and behaviours. To be able to tell if they’re going to snap. Alpha Leo curls his hands into tight fists as his gaze remains locked on Elder Jet like a fuse. His mouth opens and closes several times, and just as I’m about to step in and pull him away from Elder Jet myself, he finally begins to speak. “I recognize quite a lot of you,” Al
Spencer's POV“Elder Jet!”My roar cuts across the battlefield like a hurricane. I don’t even realize that I’m doing it, but my Lycan Aura rolls off of me in droves, sending every single werewolf except for Elder Jet to their knees. I narrow my eyes at him. Elder Jet remains standing, smiling smugly. A ripple of unease shoots through me. He should be on his knees by now, unable to resist the power of my Lycan Aura, but it doesn’t seem to be working on him. I set my jaw and march towards him. There’s iron in my posture and ice in my veins. I don’t care what sort of blasphemous witch’s magic Elder Jet is using to fortify him—the rest of his forces are now out of commission, and in a fight between him and I, I’d be the obvious winner. “Where’s Ivy?” I snarl at Elder Jet. Elder Jet lets out a wicked chuckle. “Oh, she’s not far,” he replies. “But if you want to see her alive ever again, you’ll kindly refrain from killing me.”The anger washes over me in a sudden, white-hot burst. It ta
Spencer's POVAs we enter what will hopefully be the final stretches of combat, my search for Ivy only becomes more desperate. There are only so many places to look–all the buildings in the barracks have been thoroughly sealed off, and I trust Wilson to have inspected each and every one of them carefully. If Ivy was stashed away in any of them, Wilson would have found her by now. The watchtower, as far as I know, is still under our influence. All that’s left now is the training area, the wide grassy sprawl with bleachers all around the perimeter. It’s a flat, open expanse, and by now I think I’ve searched the whole thing over at least three times. Still, I continue to walk around restlessly, I’m scanning eagerly for Ivy with every step. Now that the stress of the battle has simmered to a background concern, she’s consumed me once again. I need her. Like oxygen, like food, like water.She’s a fundamental and visceral need. But as I’m once again looking over the grassy expanse, the
Spencer's POV“Attack from behind!” My command ripples sharply through my troops. Before Elder jet’s forces even get the chance to pull away from the reserve forces and focus their attention where it’s really needed, The rest of the world slips away as I launch myself into the mass of rebel werewolves. My claws slash wildly, finding purchase in every direction. The thick smell of blood is quick to overtake the air as the battle begins in full force. Of course, as I push through the battlefield, I’m trying to take out as many of the rogue werewolves as possible. But beneath it all, there’s a single goal raging in my heart like a wildfire. I have to find Ivy. I don’t know what the odds are that Elder Jet or anyone else would have brought her here. But for all my trying, I can’t sense her. I can’t mind link her. Our mate bond, which was only ever strengthened by the Blood Oath Ceremony, has been guiding me on like a lighthouse ever since I met Ivy. To have it dimmed so suddenly has
Spencer's POVAs the entire Lycan Army begins to tiptoe through the forest, I’m convinced that almost every warrior among us is a spy. It’s not a rational series of fears, I know. But after everything that’s happened, it’s hard to abandon them. Every misstep a soldier makes, every stepped-upon branch or heavy-footed tread on dead leaves, every clank of armour upon armour–with every sound, I’m certain beyond logic that it’s just another attempt to clue our enemies into our location. ‘We’re almost back at the barracks,’ Gamma Everly tells me over the mind link, giving me a furtive glance. I raise an eyebrow and examine our surroundings. True to her word, she’s done an excellent job of taking us around the woods in a way that we normally wouldn’t go, so that any of the traitors in our midst wouldn’t be able to determine our final location. As I look over the treeline, however, I begin to recognize familiar dips and ridges, and a faint flickering torchlight just beyond our view. There
Spencer's POVJust as Gamma Everly are about to return to the troops to lead them onward, Wilson’s voice crackles through my mind. I freeze in place as his words echo through my head, an almost imperceptible tinge of panic to them. ‘Prince Spencer, Elder Jet’s forces are heading towards the barracks,’ Wilson warns. ‘They’re advancing rapidly. We’ve got the reserve forces stationed here, but he…’ For the first time in my life, I can hear a tremor in Wilson’s voice. ‘He’s bringing his entire army, and it’s massive.’ ‘We’ll be back soon, Wilson,’ I assure him quickly. ‘How far away is Elder Jet and the rest of them?’ ‘They’re still only visible from the watchtower, but I think they’ll be in our line of sight soon,’ Wilson replies. ‘We’re willing to do whatever it takes to defend the palace, but what if…’ ‘What if it’s not enough?’ ‘Exactly,’ Wilson says softly. I grab Gamma Everly’s arm. “We need to go back to the barracks now,” I hiss at her quietly. “Get everyone moving, but don’
Spencer's POV“Keep this to yourselves.” The words spring from my mouth like a gunshot as I look between all the warriors who’d followed me into this small segment of the woods. I fix each of them with a harsh, steely glare, sharp as a knife, until they all nod once. At this point, I have no idea who I can trust. It seems as though virtually everyone I’ve encountered by now has let me down. But the trembling of the three warriors is enough for me to believe that they won’t be able to do anything too bad for the time being. Before any of the warriors can question my order or ask any questions, I quickly turn on my heal and make my way out of the clearing without sparing the bodies so much as a second glance. This area isn’t important–I can tell by the blood tracks on the ground that the bodies were dragged here. This wasn’t where the warriors were slaughtered. I’m a bit worried by how easily they seem to have been slaughtered–the depths of their wounds points to quick, brutal kills
Spencer's POV“We need to return to the palace!” My thunderous command tears through the ranks of soldiers, and in mere instants, the entire army has begun marching all the way back in the direction of the palace. Gamma Everly and Alpha Leo bring up the head, but I linger near the back, frantically getting in touch with Wilson. ‘Are you at the palace?’ I ask him. His response is quick. ‘Sylvia and I are stationed at the front doors, Your Highness. We’ve also got all the guards ready to defend the palace as soon as it’s necessary.’‘Well done, Wilson,’ I say. ‘I’ve got another task at hand for you, though. The rogue werewolves have just attempted to lead the entire Lycan Army out into the middle of the woods–likely to leave the barracks, and thus an entrance to the palace, undefended. Fortunately we’ve still got reserve soldiers stationed there. I need you to head to the barracks, investigate the scene, and mobilize the reserve soldiers as needed. Can you do that?’ ‘Of course, Prin