Ivy's POVAs I’m struggling to gather my breath, Spencer’s hands are already fumbling with the buttons of my blouse, trailing across my skin and burning like a brand. His lips break from mine abruptly, then trail along my jaw, my neck, my collarbones. I feel like I’m on fire, lost in the sweet haze of his kisses, of his sweet affection. For a few fleeting moments–just a few–I’m in Spencer’s arms, and everything is right in the world. But then I remember everything that’s happened between us, the context that brought him to my bedroom, and I finally have it in me to push him away. “Wait,” I tell Spencer, placing my hand soldily on his chest as I shove him away. “Wait, no, this–this isn’t right.” Spencer looks up at me, mouth half-open. His lips are already slightly swollen and he’s breathing heavily, clearly caught up in a thick haze of lust. Half the buttons on my shirt have already been undone, and my skirt is riding up my thighs. “How could this not be right?” He asks breathi
Spencer's POVSeeing Ivy spread out on the bedsheets, breathless and barely able to form words, is almost enough to make me break my resolve and just fuck her like this. But there’s something so addictive about making her beg. I continue to trace my tongue over her. I know exactly where Ivy wants me to focus, and find endless pleasure in just barely grazing that spot, making her whimper and gasp. She’s so wet she’s dripping onto the floor, and the entire lower half of my face is covered in her sweet taste. I could eat her out forever. “I could get you off whenever you want me to,” I mention to her offhandedly, stopping for just a second to continue to taunt her. “You know what you have to say.” Ivy’s legs, clamped firmly around the sides of my head, tremble. “I–I won’t–” I thrust my tongue into her, and her words dissolve into moans again. “Whenever you want me to,” I say again. “Fuck, Spencer!” Ivy breathes out, clutching my hair tightly. “Fuck, fuck, fuck–” I gradually star
Ivy's POVAs Spencer wraps his arms around me and pulls me onto the bed beside him, I find myself reeling from what just happened between the two of us. I can feel him seeping out of me, a strange warmth pooling out from between my legs, a sticky reminder of what’s just transpired. As the aftershocks roll through me, I look up at Spencer, whose eyes are half-closed as he stares up at the ceiling. Almost subconsciously, he pulls me even closer against his bare chest, and I can hear the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath his skin. We just had sex. We’re not together anymore–Spencer is engaged to Delilah, and if anything, he’s been avoiding me like the plague. But even despite all of that, we just had sex. What does this mean for us? My mouth falls open as I look up at Spencer again, admiring the gentle angles of his face. I want to trace my fingers along his skin, to feel every inch of him. But now that our intimacy has ended, it feels forbidden to touch him in such romantic wa
Spencer's POVAs Ivy speaks, I can feel my heart beginning to warm. “What is it?” Ivy asks, locking eyes with me and tilting her head. She seems confused as I continue to gaze at her. “It–it’s nothing,” I manage to say, breaking eye contact and looking away. The only way I’ve been able to bear not being with Ivy is by avoiding her completely. I’ve been doing everything in my power to make sure our paths don’t cross, because I’ve known that the second the opportunity presented itself, I’d have her back in my arms. Not being with Ivy is agony, but I’ve been able to manage it by keeping her at arm’s length. But listening to her explain her love and passion for Wilson and Sylvia, I can feel all those feelings I’ve been trying to bury claw their way back up. The woman I’ve fallen in love with is kind, warm and gentle. She’d do anything for anyone out of nothing but the goodness of her heart. Despite everything Ivy has been through, she tries to see the world in the best way possible.
Spencer's POVAs I leave Ivy’s bedroom, I can feel my heart racing. I look down at myself, hoping I’ve straightened out my clothing enough not to betray what Ivy and I have done. It was foolish, I know, going against everything I’ve been trying to do. But I saw that fire in her eyes, as we were arguing, then later her gentle sweetness, and I felt the warmth of her body pressed against mine and how could something so wonderful be so wrong? I wish I didn’t want her so badly. Just as I’m about to leave the residential wing of the palace and head over to my family’s conference room, I see Delilah barging towards me, a hurt expression on her face. I suppress the urge to roll my eyes. As she approaches me, Delilah grabs my arm tightly, looking up at me with those wide, innocent eyes I’ve started to truly hate. “Were you really at Ivy’s room just now?” Delilah asks, brow furrowed. “How is that any of your concern?” I ask. “You were supposed to be picking me up so we could go to that
Ivy's POVI’m not sure how long I spend lying in bed and staring at the door Spencer left from. I burrow deeper into the blankets. I don’t know what to do–I don’t know what to do with any of this. I can't have Spencer in my life, but I’m living in his palace and raising his son and he just loves showing up to my room and turning my life upside down. He made me tell him that I’m his. As if he hasn’t made it possible for every passing second of our relationship. I groan, finally bringing myself to crawl out of bed. I shower and do my best to rinse the smell of him from my skin, but his pine-scented cologne lingers on my body, and I can feel every place he touched me crackling with electricity. I do my best to wash Spencer’s sweat from my skin and cleanse him from between my legs. I scrub until my skin is raw and I plaster myself with a hundred different oils but it’s all no use–I’m still acutely aware of all the small ways Spencer has claimed me. Once I’m done in the shower, I dres
Ivy's POVThe day after my brief reconnection with Spencer, I meet up with Sylvia for lunch in the dining hall. She’s beaming as I approach her, looking more full of life and joy than I’ve ever seen her before. Sylvia is positively glowing. The happiness seems to suit her, and I couldn’t be more glad that it does. “Ivy!” She exclaims, standing up from her seat to rush towards me with outstretched arms. “How are you?”“Ah, I’m hanging in there,” I reply as she pulls me into a tight hug. After a few moments, I take a step back, looking Sylvia up and down. “How are you?” “Oh, you know,” Sylvia replies with a giddy grin. “Now that Wilson and I can actually, you know, be together… it’s been incredible. I don’t even know how to begin to explain it. It’s like he’s an entirely different man. Or–no, that’s not quite right. It’s like he’s the best version of himself that he could possibly be.” “Love does that to you,” I say with a half smile. We take our seats. As Sylvia laces her fingers
Ivy's POV“What do you mean he can’t change it anymore?” I slam my hands on the table and lean forward as I ask the question. Sylvaos’ eyes widen, and she looks almost scared of me as she takes in my reaction. As my heart pounds and blood roars in my ears, I realize that it’s Venetia’s fury rushing through my veins, filling me with a primal anger at the idea of Spencer marrying someone else. “Ivy, are–are you okay?” Sylvia asks tentatively. I hesitate, trying to calm myself down. I offer Sylvia half a forced smile and fold my hands over my chest. “I–um.” I let out a heavy breath. “Sorry for… the outburst. It’s just–this whole situation has been really stressful on me, you know. But I’m fine! I’m fine. I just… What do you mean he can’t change it anymore? Like, he’s been trying to change it before?” Sylvia shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s been finicky with the date–Mom has been complaining about it like crazy. He keeps pushing it backwards, saying there’s more stuff that needs to get don
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