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
Ivy's POVIt’s been two days since I was late to pick up Jason from his training, and I’ve been wracked with guilt ever since. That’s why I’m seated in the dining hall at precisely twelve o'clock, gaze flickering back and forth tensely, eagerly anticipating Jason’s arrival. I feel like maybe we haven’t been connecting as much lately, ever since I switched off from his training. There’s something to having an established routine with someone, an excuse to see them all the time. I know my situation with Jason isn’t the most conventional, but I still want to be the best mother I can possibly be, and that begins with making the effort to try with him. But the minutes tick by one after the other, and my stomach begins to sink as more and more time passes. Does he hate me? Is this some sort of payback in Jason’s mind? I was late to pick him up from his training, so now he’s going to leave me stuck waiting for him–Finally, more than half an hour past the original meeting time we set, I
Ivy's POVLater that day, after passing the time training furiously with Gamma Everly, I return to the dining hall alone for dinner I’ve extended a dinner invitation to Jason, but according to the maid, he refused to even acknowledge the invitation–which is so much worse than if he’d just declined. I sit alone at the far end of the room, staring silently at the floral embroidery on the tablecloth and waiting to be served. What’s wrong with me? I’ve been replaying the conversation over and over again in my head. Why did I snap at Jason? How could I possibly have become frustrated with him? What’s so broken in me that I’m lashing out at my own son? And does he really feel so unloved that he can’t even bear to spend a dinner with me? ‘Everyone has been leaving you lately,’ Venetia says ruefully in my mind. ‘Spencer is engaged to Delilah, Jason doesn’t need you for training anymore, and once Sylvia and Wilson are married, neither of them will have any time for you. I wonder if maybe w
Ivy's POVAt the look of raw, primal fear in Spencer’s eyes, I suddenly get the feeling that something is very, very wrong. “What–what is it?” I say tentatively, looking at Spencer with wide, frightened eyes. I can smell all the wonderful aromas of the food laid out in front of me–the luscious rich scent of rare, just-barely-cooked meat, herbs roasted in butter, delicately braised vegetables… But now at the sight of the meal, my stomach churns. “I’m so sorry, Ivy,” Spencer says quietly. He takes a seat beside me and grabs my hand, running his thumb along my palm. The look in his eyes is earnest and gentle, as if fearing my reaction. “Your food has been laced with poison.” It’s as though the world goes still. My head starts to pound, panic blurring my vision. I look down at the plate of food in disgust. Suddenly it’s grotesque to me, globs of fat and dripping oil and stringy viscera. Like something unreal. Like I never want to eat again. Poisoned? How could that possibly have h
Spencer's POV“Who would do such a thing?”Ivy’s question ricochets through my head. I really hoped she wouldn’t ask–she doesn’t need to be hurt anymore than she’s already been hurt–but I know her well enough to know that there’s no way she wouldn’t have asked. “You don’t have to worry about that right now,” I tell Ivy softly, hoping that will placate her.Ivy frowns. Her gaze snaps up to meet mine. “You know,” she says in accusation. “I know,” I confirm, pursing my lips. “Tell me!” I hesitate, breaking eye contact and lowering my gaze to Ivy’s hands twined in mine. How is this supposed to work? How am I supposed to say this? There’s no good way for me to tell Ivy that her own adopted son just tried to kill her. I’d been eager to break away from wedding discussions with Delilah when I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t seen Jason in quite awhile. And I certainly wouldn’t have adopted the boy on my own–really, the only reason we’re connected in the slightest is because of Ivy–but
Ivy's POVAt Spencer’s words, an immediate jolt of shock ripples through me. “No.” I shake my head immediately, breaking eye contact with Spencer. I can’t stand to look at him after what he just said. “No, I–that doesn’t make sense. Jason couldn’t have done this! Jason wouldn’t have done this, that’s absolutely absurd–” I draw in shallow, rapid breaths and can immediately feel the lack of oxygen hitting me. I feel like I’m underwater, the sounds and sensations around me miles away. Spencer reaches out and grabs my hand, no doubt an attempt to bring me back to reality, but his hand feels like ice. “Ivy, please. You have to listen to me,” Spencer says quietly. “After realizing I hadn’t seen Jason for awhile, I went to go check in on his training, but I overheard him speaking with Warrior Lance about having the chefs in the kitchen poison your meal tonight. Warrior Lance was the one who planned the whole thing, but Jason is the one who carried it out. Jason brought wolfsbane to corrup
Ivy's POV“We’ve found the suspect, Your Highness.” The world feels like it’s falling apart around me as Captain McAndrews refers to my own son as ‘the suspect.’ How could this be my life? How could this be my son? But there’s Jason, guilty as all hell and glaring at the floor of the dining hall. Spencer frowns, looking Jason up and down. His expression seems devoid of any emotion–it’s as though he’s just looking over another captive. “Where’s his accomplice?” Spencer asks. His voice fills the dining hall with cool, steady authority, a clear voice of reason. “Unfortunately, he evaded our capture, Your Highness,” one of the warriors says apologetically. “We’ve got a separate team on the lookout for former Warrior Lance Silvers, though,” Captain McAndrews clarifies hastily. “And we will not rest until he has been captured and brought to justice.” Spencer nods. “Good. Now, Jason.” His cold gaze fixes on the boy, who starts trembling like a leaf. “What do you have to say for yoursel
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