Ivy's POV“I’ll give the two of you some space.” Sylvia and I look up at Gamma Everly to see her stepping away. Briefly, I consider asking her to stay, but it’s probably for the best that she heads out. She’s right–as much as I want to be, I’m in no state to fight, and I don’t want to waste Gamma Everly’s time pretending to be. Sylvia and I sit down with our backs to the door of the rest room. “What happened between you and Spencer?” Sylvia asks me softly. Already, I can feel the question choking me up. “I–I don’t know,” I stammer. “Things were fine, and then Prince Colin and I showed up, and then Spencer and I got into this big fight and then I left and next thing I know he was–he and Delilah were–” I wipe away the tears springing to the corners of my eyes before Sylvia can notice. “I didn’t see it coming,” I say quietly. “I didn’t even know about it for sure until the announcement yesterday.” Sylvia grits her teeth. “That bastard!” She swears. “Prince Colin?” I ask, looking up
Spencer's POVAs I watch my mother and Delilah go over wedding plans, I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. “So we’ve got the florist on call for dahlias, calla lilies, and lilacs,” the queen says, running her hands over pictures of wedding bouquets. “And the baker is working on the cake–three tiers is traditional, of course, but to feed a wedding party of the size we’ll be having…” “Why break from tradition?” Delilah asks with an excited smile. “We could get multiple cakes! A big one for the center of the room, the showpiece, and then smaller cakes for everyone else!” “Brilliant idea, Delilah!” My mother beams at her. I breathe out a repulsed sigh.I don’t care about cake or flowers or whatever the hell else I’m supposed to be caring about right now. I don’t care about any of this–none of it is for me. I think this is the happiest I’ve ever seen my mother, and it’s when she’s planning a wedding between me and a girl I absolutely do not want to be marrying. Go figure.
Ivy's POVLittle by little, I’m getting used to life without Spencer. The days pass by in blurs, making my head spin. Training has been going better and better since my conversation with Sylvia–I can recognize that anger within me, now, and I’m learning how to use it. The extra force to my punches, the heaviness to my step, the way my blood boils at the thought of defeat–When I’m in control of it all, it only makes me stronger. And with the date of my duel against Warrior Garett drawing nearer day by day, I can feel the anticipation driving me forward. There’s almost no space left in my mind to be taken up by thoughts of Spencer. Almost. After I’ve dressed and showers, body covered in fresh bruises and scratches from my day with Sylvia, I make my way through the palace to head over to Jason’s room. As always, my heart twinges as I pass the hallway that would take me to Spencer’s room. And as always, I pretend it’s not there. Sylvia is right. He’s just being cruel for cruelty’s
Ivy's POVThe duel is tomorrow.And I’m both terrified and thrilled. As I prepare for my last day of training, I can feel the adrenaline building up inside of me with every moment that passes. I’m sitting on a bench waiting for Gamma Everly to arrive. It’s just us today–she requested a one-on-one training session to help me hone some of my skills. And, as Gamma Everly told me, we won’t be sparring too strenuously today. It would be awful if I was too sore to fight on the day of my duel. That would be even worse than losing the match–I think I’d be dooming every she-wolf ever to a life she doesn’t want. This fight is bigger than just me. And I have to be perfect. Up ahead, I can see a bright red figure rushing towards the training grounds. She’s moving quickly, and in just a few moments Gamma Everly comes to a stop beside me, breathing heavily. “Sorry I’m late,” she says, setting down the large bundle of leather she’s been holding. “I wanted to snag some armor for you for today’
Ivy's POVIt’s the day of the duel, and I can’t help but feel like a lamb being led to the slaughter as I walk onto the training grounds. My bag feels heavy in my hand, and my heart is hammering in my chest as I take in the scenery around me. I’m used to having the grounds to myself, but today, they’re packed with warriors. As I approach, they jeer and boo at me, raucous sounds that make my head pulse. I can see Gamma Everly and Beta Wilson–a couple familiar faces, at least. Beta Wilson is sitting silently with the warriors, while Gamma Everly is in the middle of the training grounds, clearing waiting for the duel to begin. She stares at the jeering warriors with a bitter expression. It must be hard for her to see the extent of the disrespect they harbor for a woman who dares to fight. I know it’s hard for me to see.“Ivy!” I whirl around in surprise as a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. When I see who it is, my face breaks into a grin. “Sylvia!” I exclaim, hugging her t
Ivy's POVAs Warrior Garett grins at me, a wicked smile that’s all teeth, I can feel the blood start to roar in my ears. I stare him down, shifting my weight from foot to foot. I’m ready to move in an instant. Warrior Garett is clearly sizing me up–my stance, the way I carry myself, whatever skill I might betray now. Unfortunately for me, he doesn’t have any of the bold brashness of a younger fighter. He’s an older, seasoned warrior, with all the patience and skill that brings. I’m expecting this to be a difficult fight. I can tell that Warrior Garett is waiting for me to make the first move, but I can hear the last bits of advice Gamma Everly gave me ringing in my ears. “You don’t know what he’s capable of yet,” she’d said at the very end of yesterday’s training session. “Let him strike first. Let him think he’s got the upper hand. Let him think he knows what kind of a fighter you are. All the while, you’ll be learning more about him.” Suddenly, Warrior Garett aims a punch at m
Ivy's POVWithout warning, Warrior Garett twists his head around and bites me sharply on the fingertip. I shriek loudly, pulling my hand away. As I wipe the blood off frantically, Warrior Garett climbs to his feet, staring down at me. His body towers over mine, an overwhelming mass of muscle and flesh. “Oh, I certainly won’t be backing out,” he replies, breathing a low chuckle. The crowd cheers loudly, a noxious swell of applause. He takes another swing at me. I manage to dodge the worst of the blow, but this time, the sides of his knuckles graze me. I whirl around and try to aim a retaliatory blow, but this time, Warrior Garett is the one who’s able to dodge with ease. I gasp as he manages to catch my wrist, yanking me towards him. My lungs start to burn, and my body aches with old sores and bruises. Warrior Garett’s fingers dig into my skin roughly as he attempts to toss me to the ground. I land hard, but roll over and stand back up before he can attack me in my weakened posit
Ivy's POVAs Warrior Garett punches me hard in the stomach, the crowd’s cheering only grows louder. I squeeze my eyes shut as bile rises to the back of my throat again. I have to stop myself from vomiting. I hate the idea that all the warriors are actively rooting for my downfall–that they’re all hoping to see me fail. As I open my eyes and gaze at Warrior Garett, a chilling thought strikes me all at once. Spencer never rejected me. We’re still tethered by the mate bond. And the winner of a duel can do whatever they want to the losing opponent. If Warrior Garett wants to kill me, Spencer will be weakened considerably, and it will all be because of my own failings. I can’t let that happen. “I’ll strike you down eventually,” I hiss at Warrior Garett, scrambling away from him in a desperate attempt to gather myself. My body is aching and bruised, skin mottled with a few small scrapes. My lungs burn and my feet hurt. But, without a doubt, the worst of all is the pain radiating from
Spencer's POV“I really did try to warn you.” The witch’s words are nonchalant, spoken with a sigh as she tucks the silver spray back into one of the pockets of her dress. She watches Gamma Everly, Alpha Leo, and Wilson carefully as the silver spray begins to take effect. A shiver of revulsion runs through me as I realize what’s happening. Their pained, piercing screams fill the air as they all swat at their skin frantically, as though they’re being stung by a swarm of bees. Those little droplets of silver mist, innocuous and beautiful as they seem, appear to be burrowing into everyone’s skin. I can see little pinpricks of blood running down every inch of exposed flesh–even Gamma Everly, who’s encased almost head to toe in her heavy red armour, has blood on her face as she tries desperately to rub the spray off her face. The smell of overcooked meat fills the air, and my stomach turns. Small wisps of smoke are rising up from the site of everyone’s exposure. Gamma Everly, Alpha Leo,
Spencer's POV“Step away from them!” Gamma Everly’s voice is strong as she levels her sword at the witch’s chest. Even in the pale moonlight, her red armour seems to glow, almost illuminating her in a crimson halo. The blade’s edge is wicked sharp, and even just looking at it makes my skin feel a twinge of sympathetic pain. Her eyes are cruel and hard as diamonds as they bore right through the witch’s skull. But the witch only lets out a calm, melodic laugh as she trails her fingers along the sides of the small silver bottle she’s just procured. Alpha Leo and Wilson exchange concerned looks as they stand behind Gamma Everly, prepared to back her up the moment she needs it. “Gamma Everly, please don’t be so foolish,” the witch says with a sneer. “And tell those men to stand down, too. Ivy and Spencer are dying. There’s nothing you can do to save them. I can take you down in an instant if I want to, but I figure I should do you the courtesy of sparing you that pain now.” “Not a chan
“I love you.”Ivy’s final words to me ring in my ears like gunshots. I hold her close, I kiss her forehead softly, I do everything I can think to do because I can feel her slipping away. Her body is so small in my arms, so frail, and I can tell I’m losing her, and then–Ivy’s strange, dreamed-up world flickers in and out of view, alternating between the woods and the battlefield outside of the barracks. All at once, she’s not in my arms. I don’t know where she is, but I’m lying on bloodstained grass and I can hear the fighting all around me and my throat feels like it’s on fire. I’m awake now. This isn’t a dream. It hits me all at once, the crushing weight of realization–if we’re not inside Ivy’s mind anymore, if we’re not intertwined in that beautiful place where we could avoid the rest of the world, that must mean Ivy wasn’t able to sustain the connection for any longer than she did. And considering the poison she’d swallowed, considering the undeniable consequence of that…She’s
Ivy's POVIt takes me a good couple of moments to realize I’m not dead. Death, I’d always imagined, would be cold. Distant. Disconnected–and that’s only if I’m aware of anything at all. But as my eyes slowly open and I continue to hear the overwhelming cacophony of war all around me, it slowly dawns on me that I’m not, in fact, dead. The pain hits me a couple moments later. In my mind, it had been a nagging sort of reminder. But all at once, my throat is burning like it’s been doused with acid once more, and blood keeps dribbling down my lips. The overpowering iron taste is enough to make me want to throw up, but I do my best to hold it back. The feeling of bile against my already-shredded throat would no doubt push my already-excruciating agony to new, unimaginable heights. I’m trembling from head to toe. My entire body feels weak and limb, barely within my control. It’s hard to feel much of anything beyond the pain, really. How am I alive? I should be dead. ‘Hang in there, Ivy
Ivy's POV“Loving you is the best thing I ever did.” Spencer’s hands in mine are soft and warm and reassuring. He feels like coming home. Like relaxing. Like finally letting myself feel peace. I look at him, and my heart flutters. He’s going to be the last thing I ever see, and I couldn’t have chosen a better view. “Thank you for telling me,” I say to Spencer. It feels as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but for so long, I’ve been clinging to the notion that Spencer left me because he wanted to. Because he could. “I wanted to tell you sooner,” Spencer admits. “There were so many times… but then there would be people around, or Delilah would interrupt me, or–did you know she told me she’d explain the whole situation to you herself, so no one would be suspicious and think the engagement was false? That was her entire reason for me to keep it a secret! All so the rest of the world would believe that Delilah was my mate, not you.” I
Spencer's POVIvy and I are lying in the grass, and as time continues to pass in this stolen in-between, I can tell her mind is racing a thousand miles a minute. I roll over so I’m facing her. I could spend a lifetime admiring Ivy–her soft, sculpted features, her beautiful blue eyes as endless as oceans, the way her auburn hair spills over her shoulders. When I'm this close to her, when we’re almost face-to-face, I can see faded freckles splashed across her cheeks like constellations. She’s a work of art. Her gaze is fixed on the sky up above, lips parted ever so slightly, hands clasped over her chest. And she’s completely, utterly lost in thought. I reach over and grab one of Ivy’s hands. She jolts ever so slightly at the touch, then looks over and smiles distantly at me. I furrow my brow. “What’s on your mind?” I ask her. “It seems so silly to bring up now,” Ivy mumbles. “Don’t worry about it, please.” I tilt my head, looking her over once more. I’m trying to etch every last
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