Ivy's POV“The forest is full of danger, but my warriors can move through it easily and cover every inch of the grounds.” Spencer’s voice is casual and relaxed, as though we’re discussing the weather, but his eyes lock on me with a warning glint. “So, naturally, you have no chance of escape.”Ice cold fear floods me. My heart starts to pound as I nod quickly. So long as Prince Spencer doesn’t kill me, I can afford to be more or less compliant. No–completely compliant. After all, I have more important things to do than incur his wrath.While I’m still lost in thought, Spencer suddenly scoops me up into his arms. I gasp and let out a small shriek, wrapping my arms instinctively around his neck and clinging to him to keep from falling. He starts to walk back down the path he came from, and my last hopes of escape slip away as I realize he’s carrying me back to the castle. “I can walk back on my own,” I whisper to him. “Your ankle is sprained.” Spencer dismisses me with that same infur
Ivy's POVThe moment I hear the word ‘punishment,’ alarm bells go off in my mind. Cold fear grips my heart. Right away, I try to explain myself. “I didn’t mean to offend–”“Didn’t mean to offend?” A hint of a smile plays on Prince Spencer’s lips, a mischievous look that makes my heart pound in sudden excitement. Is he mad at me?If he’s mad, he’s certainly not letting on. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he’s every bit as excited as I am. His hand starts to move slowly from my ankle up to my calf, and all of a sudden, it’s the only thing I can focus on. His questioning continues. “Your foot ends up on the Lycan Prince’s chest, and you’re denying that it’s intentional?”“I… I… I’m really sorry, but–I truly didn’t mean to!” I stammer out nervously. I know, on some level, that I’m in trouble.But Spencer’s wandering hand makes it hard to think about anything else. His hand, rough and calloused from years of training, grazes my soft skin as light as a feather. I bite back
Ivy's POVWhen I feel his fingers enter me, I reach instinctively for Spencer’s white shirt and clutch it desperately, my body tensing up. I pull him as close against me as I can and take comfort in the feeling of his heart pounding in his chest. My heart is racing, too. My legs start to shake as he fingers me relentlessly, every deft curl of his fingers causing a new wave of pleasure more powerful than the last. I bury my face in the crook of his neck as I let out one soft, uncontrollable moan after the other. I’ve given up on trying to be quiet. He makes me feel too good for that. As his fingers move rhythmically in and out of me, a brutally fast pace that leaves me with quivering thighs and ragged breaths, I can feel damp wetness trickling into the cushion beneath me.Some part of me is worried about making a mess, but mostly it occurs to me how easily Spencer was able to slip his fingers into me–how ready I was for him. I’ve never been this wet in my life. Every part of me wants
Spencer's POV“Wait for me in the office,” I growl at the door. Beta Wilson’s footsteps retreat back down the hallway. Slowly, I pull my fingers out of Ivy, calming down ever so slightly. She moans, just a little. I look at her splayed out on the loveseat. Her face is still flushed, chest heaving, and her dress–still bunched up at her waist–is in tatters.She’s the only thing I want to look at.As I continue to admire Ivy, I begin to realize how completely she has me captivated. I resist the urge to run my hands along her soft skin, to soothe her. She looks tired. Drained. I’ve never desired anyone so intensely. Her scent is intoxicating. Her lips are sweet and lush. And just now, as I unraveled her on the loveseat…Oh, the noises she made are the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard. Ivy’s chest continues to rise and fall raggedly. She seems to regain her bearings somewhat, and quickly pulls her dress back down her legs. I look away quickly, adjusting my clothes and dodging her ga
Ivy's POVI can’t believe Spencer got me off with just his fingers.My face turns beet red as he turns to speak to his Beta. He pulls his fingers out of me, and I can’t help but moan at the loss. Spencer’s gaze rakes over me for a few moments, eyes flooded with lust and admiration, but he tears his attention from me quickly as though it hurts him to look at me. I pull my skirt back down my legs, blush deepening. The space between my legs is still slick. At that moment, I’d like nothing more than to disappear on the spot.Slowly, slowly, my breath steadies out. I’m still recovering from everything Spencer did to me by the time he slips wordlessly out of the bedroom without so much as a goodbye. Still shaky, I sit up straight and look around the bedroom.What am I supposed to do now?I smooth out my skirt and stand up. The moment I look back at the loveseat, heated images flash through my mind–how Spencer looked as he pressed me down into the bed, how his hands felt as they trailed up
Ivy's POVThree days becoming his personal maid, I find myself on Spencer’s arm as he leads me into the Thunderclaw pack.As soon as Spencer steps into the pack house’s main hall, he becomes the center of attention. Every werewolf in the room bows to him with fear and respect, while the she-wolves gaze at him with open lust and admiration. When they see me by his side, though, jealousy fills their eyes.The Alphas approach us one by one to approach Spencer, quickly surrounding him. I’m overwhelmed by the chaos and break off from the group quietly, slipping through the crowd. I snag a flute of champagne to sip slowly. As soon as I leave Spencer’s side, though, I can hear the murmurs from the crowd:“Is that the auction girl Prince Spencer bought?”“I heard she doesn’t have a wolf!”“She’s the prince’s personal maid now.”“Isn’t the prince supposed to hate she-wolves?”“Her dress is beautiful–the prince must be treating her well.”“Is there any chance the prince actually likes her?”“No
Ivy's POV“You don’t deserve to say the word ‘friendship,’” I tell Veronica, enunciating each word carefully. Once upon a time, when I was young and naive, I’d given my heart to Veronica with a purity and passion she’d never deserved. I really thought we were close when we were kids. I’d believed foolishly that we would be friends forever. But she betrayed me in the most brutal way possible. “I’m sorry. I won’t mention it again,” Veronica apologizes quickly, looking away. Her desperate expression, surprisingly, doesn’t seem the slightest bit fake. And seeing my refusal to comply with her wishes seems to have her on the verge of breaking down. Good. I want to see her suffer.I want to see her suffer before I kill her. “I promise, I have no intention of hurting you,” Veronica adds. “I swear I don’t have any ulterior motives here. I’m not… what Erick and I did to you–I–I just–can we talk? That’s it. I just want to talk.”I don’t understand what we could possibly have to talk about
Ivy's POVErick is the one who kidnapped my father.“What?” I ask in shock, gaping at Veronica.My first thought is to assume she’s making the whole thing up. I honestly wouldn’t put it past her at this point. I know by now that Veronica can’t be trusted in the slightest. She doesn’t seem like she’s lying now, though. Her eyes don’t have that gleam they get sometimes–that joy of deception. Plus, it adds up. My mind is suddenly flooded with thoughts–Erick’s announcement today about Beta Kinney’s health, his absence during the opening statements, Veronica’s desperation as she asks me for help…Something is desperately wrong with this strange pack alliance, I can tell that much. I’m beginning to piece things together, I think. But I have no way of knowing for sure.“What’s going on?” I ask Veronica sharply. “Shortly after we got married, Erick and my father started having reoccuring arguments about pack affairs.” Veronica’s voice is heavy with pain. She lowers her gaze in sadness. “On
Ivy's POVWhen I see Elder Jet rise up behind Spencer, claws poised for a deadly attack, it feels as though the entire world freezes. My breaths, already crackling and ragged and drenched with blood in my failing lungs, seem to stop. I’m aware of my heartbeat as a dull pulsing in my eardrums, but it suddenly slows, a distant ringing in the back of my mind. The pain wracking my body for all of its fiery hot intensity seems to shrink itself down into a tiny parcel. All at once, Spencer is the singular focus of my world. I can feel the panic surging through me. What do I do? What can I do? I can’t say anything—if I opened my mouth, blood would pour out in thick rivulets, and I feel like I’ve swallowed a great many shards of broken glass. My vocal chords are damn near torn. I know I’d just rasp, a gasping sound that would only intensify the weight of Spencer’s focus on me, and Elder Jet’s attack would land true. ‘Think,’ Venetia says softly in my mind, a gentle urge. ‘This is it, Ivy.
Ivy's POVI think I can feel my last breaths rattling in my chest. I don’t know how much longer I have left at all. I thought I’d be long gone by this point, if we’re being really honest. I feel like I’m mostly gone—my vision has gone completely, since I no longer have the energy to keep my eyes open, and I can barely breathe at all. My heartbeat feels like it could stop any moment. I’m aware of the pain wracking my body, that red-hot agony tearing me apart. It sizzles and simmers on my skin. It feels like it’s tearing me apart. But at the same time, I can’t feel anything at all. I know there are things I should be feeling. Grass beneath my body, maybe. The blood that’s seeped into the soil. The grime and metal residue on my skin from having been locked in that cage. I can picture all of these things, in a vague, spun-out way. I can remember what they'd be like. I can simulate the feeling. It’s not the same as actually experiencing it, though. ‘Please, Ivy, try to hold on,’ Venet
Spencer's POVI can feel Elder Jet watching me as the life slowly ebbs from my body, and I want to tear his eyes out. He’s smirking down at me, lips curled into a sickening grin. I grit my teeth as I look up at him. I think I could stand up if I wanted to, maybe land a couple weak blows, maybe draw a bit of blood, but what’s the point? I’d rather save my energy for when I know I’d at least have a fighting chance at getting something done. “Your army is failing,” Elder Jet says to me, crouching down by my side. “Or rather—you failed them, didn’t you? Because you weren’t strong enough, weren’t smart enough, weren’t able to do what needed to be done. I suppose losing Ivy rattled you even more than I would have anticipated, hm?” He chuckles, a bitter, rasping sound. “You can’t even begin to imagine how glorious it feels to get everything you ever wanted so perfectly laid out for you.”I’m still trying to reach out to my centurions, hoping to rally them and their troops to battle. But ag
Spencer's POVElder Jet’s cold laugh chills me to the bone. “My, my, Prince Spencer,” he says smugly. I can see him towering over me, can feel the droplets of my own blood pooling into the ground below me as the silver mist works its way into my skin. “I thought you’d at least be able to put up a better fight than that!” “A prince’s pride is often his own undoing,” comes the witch’s voice, prompting another wave of revulsion to come over me. “So I can’t say I’m particularly surprised.” I let out a ragged cough, droplets of blood splattering out this time. That can’t be good. My chest burns as small drops of silver continue to worm through my skin, and the sizzle of my flesh on fire combined with the iron tang in the back of my throat makes me want to puke. I want to speak, want to form words, but it feels like my vocal chords have been severed and drenched in lighter fluid. Reinforcements. We need reinforcements. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Gamma Everly, Alpha Leo, and
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