Ivy's POVJust as Spencer’s claws are about to brush against me, he pulls away abruptly. I start to breathe out a sigh of relief when Spencer withdraws his claws, but before I can process everything that’s just happened, Spencer starts to roar at me angrily. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?” He snarls at me, shifting back into his human form. His eyes are dark and heavy with rage, and this time it’s directed at me. “What the fuck, Ivy? What’s wrong with you? If I hadn’t pulled back in time, I could have killed you!”“Spencer, she didn’t know–” Sylvia begins, walking towards him quickly and staring up at him in concern. “It’s not her fault!”“Stay out of this, Sylvia,” Spencer growls lowly. I stare up at him with wide eyes, stunned silent. Whatever words I was going to speak shrivel up and die on my tongue in the face of his anger. This is the first time I’ve ever been scolded so harshly by Spencer. Is this how he talks to the people he’s upset with? I don’t like that
Ivy's POVBefore I get the chance to pull away, Spencer scoops me up into his arms and starts to carry me away from the training grounds. Fear and panic rush through me. I can hear my heartbeat, a frantic drum. I’ve never been this scared of Spencer before. Who is this man?“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I scream at Spencer as he carries me away. I flail my hands against his firm chest, but it’s no use. He holds me tight. “These are my training hours, Spencer, you can’t just–” “I can do whatever I please,” Spencer growls lowly, eyes still ablaze with that wretched anger. “Spencer, put her down!” Sylvia exclaims, rushing towards us. Gamma Everly follows a couple paces behind her. “She doesn’t want to be carried away!” “Prince Spencer, we still have a bit more training to do–” Gamma Everly adds. Without so much as a word of response, Spencer unleashes his powerful Lycan Aura. Gamma Everly and Sylvia fall to the ground at once, unable to even raise their heads. I look
Ivy's POVSpencer pulls his hand away at once. When he looks at me, for once, there’s genuine hurt in his eyes–or concern, at least. Doubt. Hesitation. Some indicator that all isn’t well, that we have things we need to talk about. I’ve got his attention, at least. “How could you ask me that, Ivy?” Spencer asks, shaking his head at me. He’s clearly upset. “Without a doubt, I love you. I’ve been good enough to you already–I’ve changed so much for you, in ways you could never understand. Before I met you, before I had you as my mate, I never used to care about being kind to anyone. I didn’t care what people thought of me. I never would have brought a child back from the battlefield. Of course I love you. How can you not see that?”I shake my head in frustration. He’s still not seeing me. He still doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say. It almost feels pointless to try and argue with him, like I’m talking to a brick wall, but I can’t just give up on him completely, can I?“Spencer–”
Ivy's POV“Spencer, let me the fuck go.” I’m almost surprised by the sound of my voice. I barely recognize it–I don’t usually sound so cold, so harsh, so gravely serious.But Spencer’s arms around my body feel like iron chains, and the heat of him is stifling. I hate his closeness right now. His touch. He doesn’t release me.I sink my fingernails into Spencer’s skin. “Spencer!” I say louder, writhing and squirming in his hold. I hate how comfortable he is restraining me without my permission. What makes him feel like he gets to be this entitled to my body all the time? “If I let you go, tell me you won’t leave,” Spencer says in a tone far too commanding for this situation. “You don’t control me,” I tell him. “But fine. I’ll hear you out for now.”Reluctantly, Spencer lets me go. I sit on the edge of the bed and stare at him as he looks away, seemingly in an effort to formulate his thoughts. “I don’t understand why you’re willing to argue with me so fiercely over Colin,” Spencer
Spencer's POVWatching Ivy walk away, I suddenly feel myself struck by the full force of one of the most painful moments of my life. I stare at the sheets where she’d once laid. My hands burn where I touched her–I should have stopped, I know I should have stopped. But I couldn’t bear to let her go. And now she’s gone. Will she come back? She has to, doesn’t she? I can feel the mate bond pulling between us like a string, linking us together eternally. She’s always in the back of my mind, impossible to ignore. Ivy and I share more than just a mate bond. We share a Blood Oath. We share a life. We even share a child, now. Love like ours doesn’t just vanish in a day–it’s stronger than that, and no external force could ever break it apart. Right? I grit my teeth, bunching the sheets together in my fist. Colin. It’s all because of Colin. This is what he does–he’s always wanted to take away the people around me, the people I care about. He’s always wanted to turn them against me, ever s
Spencer's POVI think you should marry me.At her words, my brow furrows immediately. Delilah is a sweet young girl, and it’s obvious that she’s got a bit of a crush. But Ivy is my mate, and Ivy is my friend. The idea of marrying Delilah seems wrong. “Delilah, I’m sorry, but I really can’t–” I begin. Delilah cuts me off quickly. “Moon Goddess, no! I’m sorry. Let me explain,” she begins. “I don’t actually want to marry you. This would all be for Ivy’s sake.” I raise an eyebrow. “Is that so?” I ask, not entirely convinced. “I’m not after the Luna position,” Delilah replies. “I just want to keep Ivy safe. I know it’s strange, but please just trust me. No one would treat their own marriage lightly, but I’m willing to do this for her. I mean–think about it! Your mother isn’t the fondest of Ivy, but she likes me so much she brought me across the continent just so I could meet you. So that would resolve all your problems with her. Plus, if we got married, all your enemies would think Ivy
Spencer's POVAs Delilah and I walk out of my suite, I suddenly see Ivy heading to the dining hall with Jason. Ivy seems like she’s cleaned herself up since we last spoke–she’s out of her training clothes, and small bandages have been applied to her myriad cuts and scrapes. Now she’s dressed in a purple gown that glitters and gleams. Her hair is pulled back, soft auburn curls bouncing with every step, and she’s wearing just a bit of makeup–enough to enhance her beautiful features without covering anything up. Ivy is holding Jason’s hand as she leads him down the halls, and they look like the perfect mother-child pair. They don’t seem like they need me at all. As I watch them go, I want nothing more than to pull Ivy aside and talk over the day’s events with her. There’s so much I want to say. But I keep thinking about the look in her eyes when she left. The disappointment there, the anger, the fear. Would she ever want to speak with me again? I swallow my feelings as I walk away s
Spencer's POV“Does holding the wedding in a week work for you?” I look up at my mother in surprise. “Wait, did you hear me–”“I don’t care if your wedding is real or not,” the queen replies. “Goodness, Spencer. No royal weddings ever are. We don’t marry for love, we marry for duty. You think your father hasn’t taken lovers over the course of our marriage? Or even myself? You don’t have to commit to Delilah in every sense of the word, just enough for our agenda to be fulfilled.” I stare up at my mother in shock. Is this what royal weddings are supposed to be? The broken promises? The lies?If Ivy and I ever get married–and I really hope we get the chance to–our wedding won’t be like that. Our marriage won’t either. We’ll build something strong and true, able to withstand the stress and wear of time. I’d build us such a good life together, if only we get the chance. I need our enemies to be gone. I need Ivy to be safe. I need everything to be the way it should be. “So,” my mother
Spencer's POVMy only regret is that I didn’t have a proper ring to give her. I know the ring I would have used to propose to Ivy, had I had the chance. The ring that’s been in my family for generations. The one with decades of history behind it, that would have symbolized her place as my future queen. If Ivy and I ever got the opportunity, that would be the ring I offered to her. But as I kneel on the grass, feeling the dew slowly soak through the fabric of my pants, and reach into my back pocket, I’ve still got a ring for her. “Ivy,” I say softly. Her voice is a prayer on my lips. “You are the most courageous, brave, incredible, and beautiful girl that I’ve ever known. You’re the love of my life and the only thing that matters to me. I want nothing more than to–to spend the rest of my life with you…” I look away, the words beginning to choke me up, but return my gaze to her as I press on. “I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you and make you my Queen.” “Sp
Ivy's POVWhen Spencer kisses me, the rest of the world drops away. He kisses me with a burning need, a hunger. I can feel it in the way he grabs my hips like a lifeline, in the way his arms wrap around me and I’m pressed so tight against me our hearts beat in unison. There’s a desperation to how we kiss. It’s like we’re both on fire. Like we both know we’re only stealing moments from the world. My hands make their way under his shirt, scratching his back ever so slightly, and when Spencer moans into my open mouth, it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I’m his, and he is mine. Maybe we only have so long together. Maybe the number of minutes we’ll share isn’t actually so large. But we’ve left our marks on each other, worked our way into the chambers of one another’s hearts. Spencer is my everything, and as his tongue overpowers mine with ease, as my fingers tangle in his soft hair, it’s an undeniable truth of the universe that this is how things were always supposed to be.
Spencer's POV“Could you love me in death, despite what I’ve done?”Despite everything that’s happened between us, those words still hit me like a punch to the gut. Could I love her in death? Moon Goddess above, how does she not get it? All my anger, my pain, my frustration, my fury, my devastation–I feel it so fiercely because I can’t stop loving her. I couldn't stop loving her if I tried. And I’m terrified to leave this place in our minds, this safe space where she’s alive and well and I can see her, because I know the moment I go she’ll be dead and I’ll have to face the world without her. I’m not ready for that. How am I supposed to do that? I move my hands from Ivy’s shoulders all the way down to her hands, finding comfort in the feel of her skin as I do. There’s a warmth to her. She radiates peace and calm and all that is good in the world. None of this is real, but it feels close enough to me. “Oh, Ivy,” I tell her softly, squeezing her hands. “Of course I could still lo
Ivy's POV“How… how are you here?” The words tumble out of my mouth, a haze of confusion as I look up at him. Spencer doesn’t look like he did on the battlefield–instead, his clothes are neat and clean, hair prim, face clean-shaven. Instead of wild, pained eyes from having spent far too long on the battlefield, he looks at ease and more relaxed than I’ve been able to see him in a long time. Spencer looks down at me with a soft, gentle smile. Too often these days, the way he’s looked at me has been tainted with a million other emotions–anger, maybe, or frustration, or longing. But now he’s staring at me just like he used to, like the stars are in my eyes and I’m all he wants to see. Honestly, he seems happy just to see me at all. “I don’t know,” Spencer replies with a shrug. He extends a hand out to me. “I don’t think I care, really. What’s important is you.” He furrows his brow and looks me over carefully. “How are you… how are you feeling?” I place my hand in his. The feeling is
Ivy's POVAs the darkness overtakes me completely, the last thing I feel is Spencer’s arms wrapped around me. All at once, the excruciating pain—the burning in my throat, the blood in my mouth, the fire that feels like it’s emanating all throughout my body—fades away. It feels like I’m falling through the endless darkness. I’m convinced that my eyes are open by now, and that my tears have faded away, but I still can’t see anything. I can’t feel anything, either, and I feel myself begin to panic as soon as I realize that I can no longer feel Spencer’s arms wrapped tights around me. I can’t smell him, can’t sense the reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat. I’m left adrift in endless darkness, floating and falling and making my way to—To what?Is this death?Am I dead?I try to open my mouth to speak, but no sound comes out at all. The darkness spirals and twists, a dizzying expanse of absolutely nothing. I’m lost, completely untethered, without even my wolf to ground me. And then, all
Spencer's POV“Ivy!”The scream tears from my throat, a sound of sheer desperation as the last of the green poison disappears down Ivy’s throat. It feels like it’s all a dream, all a nightmare, all some sort of devilish hallucination forced upon me to bring me to my knees and show me all my worst fears but this isn’t just my own anxiety anymore, it’s real life. “Ivy, how could you?” I ask, blinking back furious tears. Every single one of my senses is on high alert, waiting for whatever disastrous consequences come next. “Couldn’t let you—” Ivy lets out a ragged, hacking cough, already doubling over in the witch’s arms. “Couldn’t let you surrender.” “I’m not surrendering!” I shout, balling my hands into fists. “I’ll tear you apart limb from limb, Elder Jet, I’ll kill your witch, your men, every last force you have in your reserves…”“Oh, pay him no mind,” the witch says dismissively. She lets go of Ivy, who immediately crumples to the ground in a disheveled heap. “I have no idea if
Ivy's POV“Make your choice, Prince Spencer.”I can feel the witch’s words against my cheek as she speaks. They’re as sharp and frosty as a frozen-over holly bush. The glass against my lips is tasteless, but I can smell the tangy green liquid from the bottle, and my throat already feels rather like it’s about to burn. If I drink this potion, there’s absolutely no chance of survival for me. I’m nowhere near at full strength. I’ve been dazed by whatever I was given earlier and weakened from my battle in the dungeons. Not to mention, I’m pregnant. Besides, it killed the Lycan King. I’d be wiped out in an instant. So Spencer really does have to choose between my life—no, not just my life, the life of his child, too—and his kingdom. I can see the turmoil of the decision on his face, the devastation it’s causing him. This is all of his greatest fears coming to fruition. Everything he’s tried to protect me from all along. If he chooses to surrender for me, I know he won’t be happy. He’ll
Spencer's POV“I can’t just surrender!” The words fall out of my mouth in a jumbled rush, a blur of desperation. I can’t surrender. I can't give up my kingdom, my throne, just like this. I’m a warrior, a king, the strongest Lycan, I can’t just—I would. For Ivy, I would. But there’s still no proof that the witch will kill Ivy just yet, and trading in the kingdom is such a drastic decision that I need to make sure I have absolutely no other option before I make the call. Plus, there are measures I want to have put in place in case it really does come to that, ways for Gamma Everly or Wilson or Sylvia to regain the kingdom even if I do need to call off my men right now. A surrender could be a temporary thing, a way to buy time and secure Ivy before we rush right back into battle. Or maybe if I surrender, Elder Jet and the witch will kill me anyways, knowing the devastating effect it will inevitably have because of our mate bond and the Blood Oath Ceremony. Either way, whether or no
Ivy's POVWhen I wake up, the first thing that hits me is the taste in my mouth. It’s sweet and tacky, as though my mouth has been filled with liquid sugar. I smack my lips as I open my eyes slowly. I’m greeted by the sight of wrought iron bars over my head, and above that, a starry night sky. Details come to me in pieces. I let out a ragged cough, mouth salivating as my tongue attempts to scrub away the sweet taste. I remember fragments of memory—being kidnapped from the palace. Threats leveled against Jason. A cage. A conversation with Elder Jet. A sickly-sweet potion forced past my lips. And after that, absolutely nothing. I groan as I do my best to prop myself up onto my elbows. My vision is still somewhat blurred. Dimly, I hear the sound of clicking, then the scraping of metal. I reach my hand out towards the bars in a feeble attempt to pull myself back up to my feet. But just as my fingertips brush against the cool metal, ice-cold hands wrap around my forearm, and I suddenl