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 just don’t see why you’d be going to this!” I roll my eyes as Delilah looks up at me with a pout on her face. She’s being ridiculous–she’s been acting ridiculous about this since I told her I was going to the fight. I don’t want to shout at her or be too harsh, since that would make my life even more complicated than it usually is. But Delilah has really been getting on my nerves lately. “It’s an important event,” I tell Delilah with a frown. “Gamma Everly will be there, along with Beta Wilson. It’s strictly a military matter.”“But you need the kingdom to think you’ve actually moved on from Ivy!” Delilah protests. “If you’re showing up to all her little events, they’re never going to believe that.” “This isn’t a ‘little event.’” I breathe out a heavy sigh, doing my best not to snap at her. “Today, Ivy is dueling one of the best warriors in my army for the right to let women serve in the Lycan Royal Army. This is a historical day. Besides, Ivy and I are still lin
Ivy's POVI find myself completely pinned down by Warrior Garett in his wolf form, utterly unable to move. My heart races with all the frantic desperation of a caged animal. I try to move, to fight back, to do anything, but his claws are pressed painfully into my arms and legs, and even the slightest movement sends sparks of pain through me. Warrior Garett is leaning heavily on my bad leg, intentionally leveraging his weight there. His sharp claws scrape painfully along my skin, drawing blood from my arms as he rips me to shreds excruciatingly slowly.It’s taking everything in me now not to burst into tears. I think he’s going to kill me. I think he’s going to kill me, right here and right now, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him. My breaths start to come in quick bursts as I gaze up into the cold, unrelenting, merciless eyes of Warrior Garett. His breath is sour and stale so close to my face, a burning acrid scent that feels like it’s boiling the inside of my skull from the
Ivy's POVJust as I can feel the skin of my neck starting to tear beneath the weight and crushing pressure of Warrior Garett’s fangs, I suddenly feel a new sensation washing over me. The world, once so loud it felt like it was splitting my skull, falls silent. The pain wracking my body fades into faint pinpricks. The fangs to my neck, the injured leg, the itch of grass and dirt beneath my body–All at once, everything slips away. TIme stands still. I can’t feel anything at all. For a moment, I’m terrified that I’m dead. And is this what death is? An endless expanse? Complete, utter emptiness of the mind? It’s not awful, if I’m being honest. But I don’t think I’m dead. At least, I don’t feel dead. I think there’s too much awareness for that. I feel like I’m floating, like I’m terrified, like I’m dissociated–But everything still feels painfully real. Suddenly, I can feel a familiar presence cutting through the empty whiteness that has filled my mind. It’s Spencer. I try to bre
Spencer's POVAs I watch Warrior Garett’s fangs close around Ivy’s neck, for the first time in my life, I don’t think there’s anything I can do. I’ve never felt anything like this more–my body wills like stone, completely stiff and unmovable, but I can feel the electric currents of adrenaline coursing through my veins in a dizzying rush. I’m breathless and panicked, head spinning. For the first time in my life, I don’t think I can move fast enough to save Ivy. What’s wrong with me?I stare at Ivy’s broken form laying on the training grounds. At this moment, I think I hate Warrior Garett more than I’ve ever hated anyone else–more than Colin, more than Elder JEt, more than those pathetic little meddling Alphas and their pesky plans. None of them have been able to take Ivy from me. I feel the full crushing weight of sadness all at once, an unrelenting wall of emotion that catches me off guard. I’m devastated. I’ve failed Ivy, completely and utterly. Is this horrible emptiness insid
Ivy's POVAs soon as I find myself standing triumphantly in my shifted form, I can feel the pure, raw power coursing through my body. My shifted form is made of lean muscle that moves fluidly as I start to adjust to this newer, stronger body. I can feel the power coiled taught in my shoulders and hind legs, the damage I could deal with a single attack if I wanted to. This is the power I’d enjoyed ever since I first shifted, and now that I have it back, I suddenly feel like I’m on top of the world. And combined with all the training I’ve had with Sylvia and Gamma Everly, the combat practice and skills that I’ve been honing for a month all in preparation for this day…I almost feel like laughing as I look up at Warrior Garett, who’s still doing his best to pin me down. It’s hardly working, though. His jaws are clamped awkwardly around my neck, but they’re slipping and sliding along my sleek white fur, clearly unable to find purchase. With a single lazy swat of my front paw, I strike W
Ivy's POVAs I pin Warrior Garett to the ground, I can hear the jeers and booing of the crowd of warriors around me. Beneath me, Warrior Garett continues to thrash and writhe. He looks almost frightening–his eyes are manic, and saliva drips from his slavering jaws in slimy droplets as he gnashes his teeth. He looks feral, disturbed. Like a wild, caged animal throwing itself at the bars of its prison. It’s a prolonged strain on my muscles to keep him held down, but it’s certainly not difficult. For all Warrior Garett put me through before, like this, I’m effortlessly stronger than him. And there’s nothing he can do about it. ‘Well done!’ Venetia’s voice echoes through my mind, warm words of praise wrapping around me like a hug. ‘Now none of them can speak against you.’‘It’s all thanks to you,’ I tell her gratefully. As I continue holding Warrior Garett to the ground, my eyes roam around the crowd of watchers. I can see Sylvia and Beta Wilson and Gamma Everly all smiling on proud
Ivy's POVAs I climb off of Warrior Garett, freeing him from my hold, a reluctant wave of applause sweeps through the crowd of warriors. A rush of elation rushes through me. I look at the crowd, a wide smile on my face. It’s like letting out a breath I’ve been holding in for a month now–all the fear surrounding this duel, a fear of losing, of failing, of risking death itself–it drains out of me, and I can feel myself finally starting to relax. Warrior Garett immediately steps away from me the moment he’s up on his feet, glaring at me bitterly. I can tell from the look in his eyes that he’s seethingly furious with me, but he also seems too terrified of me to exact any sort of retribution. Good. If he’s scared of me, that fear will spread through the rest of the Lycan Warriors. At this point, the best way to secure their respect might be fear. The rest can come later. Warrior Garett and I both shift back into our human forms. I feel the physical strength of Venetia’s wolf form ebbi
Spencer’s POV“Alpha Fierro, I need you to focus up.” The words are harsh as they leave my mouth, but I’m not trying to be malicious, although it’s true that things desperately need to get moving. The longer I spend in the Sunclash pack, the more on edge I feel. Every wall in sight feels like it’s closing in on me, and I can feel the sickness permeating the air. There’s a heaviness to this place now, an endless sense of dread. I have a feeling that this ground will carry the weight of all its deaths for a long, long time. “Scour the office for anything that seems out of place,” I say. “If your Beta was in charge of the pack in your absence, it’s likely that he was the one putting any preventative measures into place. He may have tried to find a cure–hopefully there are signs somewhere around here.” I look down at the man’s corpse, the papers clutched in his fist and the expression of profound horror on his face. “I read his reports. He seems to have been a confident, driven man. I’
Spencer’s POV‘I think a considerable number of people managed to leave, contaminated or not.’ The longer Beta Wilson’s words echo through my mind, the more I begin to realize the scale of the potential disaster we might have on our hands. Where would any contaminated werewolves go? To the surrounding packs, most likely, and from there, the plague could spread from pack to pack to pack endlessly, ultimately becoming a worldwide pandemic…I whirl around to look at Alpha Fierro. “What was your relationship with other packs like?” I ask him urgently. “If any of your pack members were to turn up there looking for help, would they receive it?” “Probably, yeah,” Alpha Fierro says. “We tended to keep things as peaceful as possible. Unless there was very clearly something wrong going on, no one would have any reason to turn any of our members away.” I curse silently under my breath. “Keep heading towards the pack house,” I tell Alpha Fierro, already starting to walk away from him and back
Spencer’s POVMost of my skin has already been covered by my day clothes, but in the few places I’m not, I can feel the hazmat suit’s crinkly plastic resting against me uncomfortably. I shudder as the plastic continues to shift. It clings uncomfortably to my skin and is far from stealthy, causing a loud rumpling sound to ring out with every step. I’d hoped that we could carry out this surveillance with at least the slightest bit of stealth and decorum, but as the entire haphazard team of us begins to make our way into the Sunclash pack, it becomes more and more evident that that’s just not going to happen. Through the suit’s bulbous plastic dome, I make eye contact with Doctor Danbury, clearly far from amused. She purses her lips, and I can see my own frustration mirrored on her face as we continue to lug equipment around. “I know,” she says, coming up to walk beside me. “Believe me, I hate the suits too. Easily one of my least favourite parts of this job. But whatever wiped this p
Spencer’s POVAs we all sit in the back of a sleek, high-speed limo, I can’t help but feel thick tendrils of dread curling throughout my stomach. Every second I spend away from Ivy feels like I could be missing her final moments, and the fear over what could happen to her is making me sick. “The hazmat suits will be uncomfortable,” Doctor Danbury warns, holding up a hideous yellow baggy bodysuit. The plastic crinkles under her touch. “And the tanks on the back are going to poke weirdly. It’s no fun to wear, I know. But we still don’t quite know the extent of the toxicity of the environment we’re about to enter, so right now, safety is of the utmost importance. It’s possible that we’ll be able to take the suits off once I’ve run a couple tests and deemed the area safe, but I have no idea yet.” “Whatever it is, it seems to be highly contagious,” Alpha Fierro says somberly. Doctor Danbury nods. “The last thing we want to do is bring an uncontained plague back to the Lycan Kingdom, so
Spencer’s POVJust as Beta Wilson and Alpha Fierro make their way out of my office, I see Alpha Leo slip through the doorway. He looks much better than he did the last time I saw him–there are still the occasional cuts and bruises marring his skin, a couple ridged scars in the process of forming, but Alpha Leo seems to be walking without much pain. His posture is straight and his gaze is keen. He looks at me tentatively as he approaches my desk, and I can tell he’s just the slightest bit on edge. “Your Highness,” he says uncertainly. “Alpha Leo,” I reply. “Um, what can I do for you?” Alpha Leo asks nervously. I shuffle a stack of papers on the desk together. “As I’m sure you know, we’ve suffered considerable gaps in our staff,” I begin. “Specifically in our military and guard positions. One of the most notable absences is Captain McAndrews, as I’m sure you remember quite well.” Alpha Leo blanches. “Right,” he mutters. “The work you did during Elder Jet’s invasion was exceptiona
Spencer’s POV“The Lycan Kingdom will come to your aid at once.” Clearly, the ease with which I offer my support comes as something of a shock to Alpha Fierro. His eyes widen, and his face breaks into an expression of gratitude. His posture already seems straighter, like a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders. “Really?” Alpha Fierro breathes out. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Truly, I’d nearly given up hope on receiving any sort of aid at all–I’d almost started believing the rumours…” My eyes narrow. “The rumours?” I repeat coldly.” Alpha Fierro blanches. “Well, I–of course, I never really believed them. But I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your vast reach of influence that some werewolves have been saying things about the Lycan Royal Family that have been rather… out of line. Ever since Elder Jet and his rebellion, things have been different. But I–that’s not important! What I’m trying to say to you right now is thank you, Your Majesty. From the bottom of my heart.” I remain si
Spencer’s POV“Tell me everything you know about this plague.” The command is sharp and electric, crackling with urgency. At Alpha Fierro’s mention of this strange plague taking lives–not to mention its unfortunate coinciding with the Blood Moon–I can’t help but feel nauseous thinking about what could happen to Ivy. There’s been no confirmation that she’s sick with any sort of plague, of course, and there haven’t been any reported cases of illness from those who have come into contact with her so far. But all of that could change at any given moment, and when it comes to Ivy’s life–or the lives of anyone in my kingdom, for that matter–I have no intention of taking it lightly. Alpha Fierro hesitates for a moment. “I’ve been having my Beta send me reports tracking the symptoms he’s seen from some of the infected pack members we’ve got under observation,” he says. “But my Beta is–well.” He stops speaking abruptly, gaze momentarily taken over by sadness. “He’s deteriorating rapidly, to
Spencer’s POVAs I tear my way through the hospital and back towards the place, a million thoughts are racing through my mind. “Where’s he been staying since I turned him away?” I ask Beta Wilson, moving as quickly as I can. The day of my wedding, he’d somehow managed to fistfight his way past all my staff and slip past the wedding chaos to my penthouse. He’d knocked on my door like a madman before pleading with me to take his meeting–the only reason I even did was because I hold a fair amount of respect for the Sunclash pack. But the man had been blabbering on and on about some sort of curse rained down from hell that had overtaken his punishment, and he’d seemed all but mad, and I’d had a million other things on my mind since. “He’s been staying in a hotel within the kingdom for the past week,” Beta Wilson replies. “I’ve done my best to reach out to him over the past couple days, but he’s remained adamant that he only wanted to speak with you. At first I thought it best not to le
Spencer’s POV“No matter what happens to me, swear you’ll always take care of Tala.” Something in the solemnity of Ivy’s words jolts me right back to reality. Immediately, I realize just how unstable I’m acting–threatening the very doctors and nurses who are trying to save Ivy couldn’t be a more impractical use of my time, and it’s certainly not the kind of support Ivy needs right now. What’s happening to her would be terrifying enough even without all the uncertainty–my own overreaction certainly isn’t something she needs to be worrying about right now. Above all else, she needs to know I’m there for her. “Oh, Ivy, of course I’ll always take care of Tala,” I tell her gently. “You don’t need to worry about that at all. She’s my daughter, and I love her. I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she never has a care in the world. Jason, too–I want him to be my son as well. I know I haven’t always been as reliable as you’ve needed me to be in the past, but I’ll always be he