Ivy's POVOnce Spencer and I return to his room, he pushes me onto the loveseat playfully, grinning down at me. “Why didn’t you punish the maids and soldiers more severely?” He asks curiously, tilting his head down at me. I hesitate for a moment, struggling to explain. “I did give them a punishment.” Spencer raises an eyebrow. “You told them they have to do their usual job with the kid until the kid actually forgives them. That counts as punishment?” I laugh, letting my body relax against the soft cushions of the loveseat. “You don’t have to hurt or kill someone to make the punishment count,” I reply, sprawling out. “When I was young, I used to be one hell of a troublemaker. I mean, I was awful.”“Somehow, I can believe it,” Spencer replies with a grin. I snap my teeth at him playfully before continuing. “Oh, I was insufferable. I was definitely a nuisance to the whole pack. I’d prank all the pack members, interrupt their work, break all their things… honestly, it’s a small wonde
Ivy's POVThe next day, after wrapping up my training session with Sylvia and Gamma Everly, I go to visit Jason at the pack hospital. As I approach the room, I hear commotion coming down the hallways. My heart starts to race, and I quicken my footsteps. I get closer and closer to Jason’s room and the noise only gets louder. Is it Jason? Is everything okay? Did I make a mistake by instructing the palace staff to take care of him? Moon Goddess, if something else is happening now, it’d be all my fault–Are the maids and soldiers abusing him again? I was merciful when I issued my punishment the first time. If I open that door to find out the palace staff have laid even a finger on him–I throw open the door, panting and looking around wildly to see what’s going on. Muchb to my relief, no one seems to be attacking anyone. But I spot Jason huddling in the corner with wide, terrified eyes. He’s tucked behind a wooden chair, gripping the legs tightly as he glares warily at the maids and sol
Ivy's POVDelilah steps into the room cautiously, seeming confused by the situation in front of her. She still looks like she’s in recovery–her skin is pale, and there are still bruises all along her body–but she seems to be getting better every day. Delilah is now completely off the IV drip, and she can eat solid food again. As she moves, her pain seems to be minimal. Even the bruises on her skin have faded from a vicious purple to a much more mild yellow. I grip both of Jason’s shoulders as I turn him around lightly so he’s facing Delilah. Cautiously, Jason waves with half a smile on his face. Delilah tilts her head as she looks at the boy, clearly still not quite sure what to make of everything. “This is Jason,” I introduce with a proud smile. “I’m going to be adopting him. Delilah’s eyes widen as she takes in Jason’s scrawny, beaten form. She rushes towards me and leans down to whisper in my ear. “She’s not Spencer’s illegitimate son, is she?” She asks in surprise. I let out
Ivy's POVBy the time Delilah and I arrive at Sylvia’s place, Spencer is there, too. At the sight of him, my stomach twists. There’s a somber air to the room, and his expression is grave. His presence means that Sylvia doesn’t just want to chat with me–something important has happened. And lately, there haven’t been very many good important instances. “Hey, everyone,” I say cautiously as I step into the room. Delilah closes it behind us. “Um, what’s going on?”Sylvia gestures towards Spencer. “Spencer has unearthed some intel on the werewolves who’d kidnapped you. Both of them, we’ve found, had mysterious symbols carved into their backs. We were able to trace these symbols to a rogue group that stands for freedom.”“Their definition of ‘freedom,’” Spencer cuts in with a dismissive huff. Sylvia rolls her eyes. “Right. A rogue group that claims to stand for freedom.” “So the two who kidnapped me were rogues,” I summarize. “That’s what it looks like, yeah,” Sylvia replies with a sh
Ivy's POV“The most likely scenario is that the enemy wants to use me to threaten you.” I look up at Spencer sadly as I state the blunt, painful truth. I hate that I’m such a liability to him–to the entire Lycan Royal Family. I hate that I’ve been a burden to him since we met. I don’t want to be this weak, struggling girl anymore. I’m in training now, but if someone attacks me again, will I be able to defend myself against them?Or will I just get kidnapped again?I don’t want to find out. I hope I never have to. “It’s too easy for them to use me against you, so no wonder I’m a target over and over again,” I say dejectedly, looking away. “I know,” Spencer replies. “But this attack feels different, somehow, based on what you’ve told me. I haven’t received any sort of threat, for starters.”“And if they wanted to use me against you, they’d want you to know they had me,” I agree. Spencer looks at me as though I’m a puzzle he’s trying to decipher. “But then why take you without telli
Ivy's POV“I’m definitely not hiding something!”As everyone’s confused expressions shift to me, I flush bright red, realizing just how strange my blurted words sound. “Sorry,” I clarify with a quick, awkward smile. “Um. What I’m trying to say is that I have no idea how any of that happened–if I knew, I’d tell you, but I really don’t.” I pause, thinking back to everything. “Mostly, what I remember is feeling incredibly anxious and worried about everyone’s safety. And then it was like time just stopped. Everything froze.”My words echo solemnly around the room. My eyes flutter shut as I recall the two instances of my strange power taking effect. The first time, with Spencer, had been a nightmare. I still remember how horrified I was to see him slaughtering all of those warriors in cold blood. He looked unlike I’d ever seen him before. It was scary. I was terrified–that was the most scared I’ve ever been. I’d never admit it to Spencer, but sometimes I still think about how his hands f
Ivy's POVAs Spencer glares furiously at Delilah, I can feel the angry tension crackling in the air. The hairs on my arms stand on edge. Delilah looks meek and hurt, and I know Spencer’s never one to relent. So in a quick attempt to lighten the mood, I flash a smile and place my hand gently on Spencer’s wrist. “Delilah is just trying to help,” I assure him, trying to ignore the twinge of disappointment at his immediate dismissal of the idea. I mean, it does sound scary initially, but Delilah has a point about manufactured danger. If all I need is an adrenaline kick, I wouldn’t even have to actually risk death. Lots of things could get me into that fight or flight mode–more training, perhaps, or skydiving, or bungee jumping…It’s hard to think of options off the top of my head, but that doesn’t mean the whole concept is fraught. We could’ve come up with some good plans. Spencer could have at least asked me what I thought. There’s no denying now that he’s been off lately. Somethin
Ivy's POVAs everyone else heads straight to the restaurant, I head to the hospital alone to pick my Jason. My mind is still reeling from everything that happened–Sylvia’s mention of my powers, Delilah’s suggestion to test them, and Spencer’s immediate shutdown. It’s a lot to take in, all at once. Do I really have powers?It seems impossible to believe, but the evidence is right there. I sigh, walking quickly along the narrow path away from the palace. I know the route to the hospital well–it’s a regular part of my routine, between all my visits with Delilah and Jason. And I’ve spent a fair bit of time there, too, of course. I take my usual shortcut, weaving between a patch of shrubs and stepping into a cluttered, narrow alley that heads straight for the hospital. As always, the air feels uncannily still, and the cramped walls on either side make me feel strangely claustrophobic. But I’ve walked this route loads of times before, and nothing has ever happened. As I continue my