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
Ivy's POVThe werewolf that had attacked me collapses onto the road with a thud. He lets out a weak whimper, blood pooling from the wound just below his jaw, before the light fades from his eyes and his expression becomes glassy. My breathing becomes shallow. I’ve seen so much death now, but even still, it rattles it. As I slowly recover from the panic of being attacked, I suddenly realize I have something new to worry about–or rather, someone. I clamor to my feet quickly, taking a few steps back as I stare in shock at the young man in front of me. His hair is long and black, tied back loosely. He’s tall and lean and dressed in an all-black tracksuit that would look strange and pretentious on anyone else, but somehow it makes him look casual, yet sharp. His pale blue eyes glint with mirth. I can see the evidence of his brief battle on him–the tracksuit has a couple torn patches, and there’s a shallow claw wound along his forearm. His handsome face is smudged with a few droplets of
Ivy's POVColin? The mysterious stranger is Prince Colin? I look up at the man in shock. Now that I know who he is, I can see a clear resemblance between Spencer and Colin–something in the corners of their eyes, in the slopes of their noses, in their chiseled, pronounced cheekbones. But where Spencer is broad and muscular, a walking testament to pure physical strength, Prince Colin is lean and angular. There seems to be something almost slippery about him–a wiry, cunning air. I wince as Spencer delivers the fourth punch. On the ground, Prince Colin groans in pain. For as long as I’ve been hearing about the Lycan Royal Family, I’ve known that Spencer has a younger brother at the werewolf military academy. But out of all the ways I could have met him, I never thought I’d meet him like this. And Spencer and Colin don’t exactly seem to get along. As Prince Colin spits a mouthful of blood onto the ground, Spencer prepares for a fifth punch, but quickly decides against it. Instead, he
Ivy's POVAt Princess Sylvia’s question, Jason glances up at me nervously, clearly in search of reassurance. I suppress a smile at his endearing anxiety and give him an encouraging look and a thumbs-up. He looks less apprehensive meeting new people now, at least. That’s a good sign. It’ll be hard to undo some of the damage the warriors have done, but Jason seems strong. I’m sure he’ll be able to bounce back well. Jason nods up at Sylvia nervously, gaze shifting back and forth. I wouldn’t usually think of Sylvia as the warmest person, but to my pleasant surprise, she offers Jason a warm smile. “Well, nice to meet you, Jason. My name is Sylvia.”She extends her hand towards him, an open invitation to shake, but Jason just stares at her palm uncertainly. Sylvia brushes past it easily, grin widening. “I’m Spencer’s sister,” she continues. “So, if you’d like, you can call me your aunt.” “Aunt Sylvia,” Jason whispers, as though getting a feel for the shape of the woods. Everyone at