Spencer's POV“We need to go.” I stand up abruptly, already making my way over to the door. Gamma Everly follows closely behind me, expression a mask of concern. “What about Leo?” She asks softly. I groan. I don’t feel comfortable leaving him alone here unsupervised, but bringing him to the dungeon feels risky–he’s already broken out of there once, after all. And I wouldn’t put it past Alpha Leo to try and slip away while Gamma Everly and I are distracted by the certain chaos that will greet us once we make out way to the dungeon. I quickly mind linking a pair of guards to remain stationed outside of Gamma Everly’s room. “I’m gonna have a guard posted,” I reply as I open the door and step into the hallway. Already, I can see them rounding the corner in their approach. “That will have to do for now.” She nods, shutting the door behind me. “What’s going on?” “There’s an ongoing disturbance in the dungeon,” I reply, moving briskly. “I just got the mind link from a guard. I don’t kn
Spencer's POVThe moment I realize who Delilah is fighting, a cold shiver of realization runs down my spine. It all makes sense now–the royal deception, the chaos that’s been plaguing this entire day, the endless destruction wrought about the dungeon. My blood runs cold as I watch the familiar wolf dig his claws into Delilah’s flank, pulling up tufts of her jet black fur and tossing them about the dungeon floor. Delilah is currently locked in vicious, unrelenting combat with Captain McAndrews. Some part of me is impressed at the sight before me–despite the advanced training and strength of her opponent, Delilah is moving swiftly and fluidly, retaliating and swiping with a confidence I wouldn’t have usually expected. She may be bleeding, but so is Captain McAndrews. For the time being, at least, she’s managed to hold her own. “Is that…” Gamma Everly breathes out beside me. I nod shakily. “Yes,” I reply. “That’s Captain McAndrews.” Gamma Everly looks at the scene in abject horror
Spencer's POV“Traitor!” The words fly from my lips, ragged and brutal as I hurl myself towards Captain McAndrews. “Spencer, I didn’t do anything, he was attacking me–” Delilah begins. She stumbles away from Captain McAndrews as I crash into him hard, shoving him aggressively into the wall. I relish the sound of his body hitting the rough stone. There’s no hesitation in my strikes as I land punch after punch all along Captain McAndrews’ attacks, dodging his claws with remarkable ease and fluidity. It’s an exceptionally well-known mark of disrespect to fight a shifted warrior while still in your human state, but I don’t feel as though Captain McAndrews is particularly deserving of my respect right now. I want him to feel shame as I beat him to a pulp. I wrap my large hands around his throat and pull him away from the wall before shoving him back into it. This time, his spine hits one of the outcroppings in the rocky walls, and a sick smirk crosses my face at Captain McAndrews’ expr
Spencer's POVThe moment one of the medics places a thick roll of bandages in my hand, I set about tying up Captain McAndrews. As I bind his wrists and ankles together, making sure he’s secured in such a way that he couldn’t even stand up if he wanted to, I look him over carefully to make sure none of the wounds that have been dealt to him are fatal. There’s blood streaking Captain McAndrews’ clothes, as well as a great amount of the stuff matted to the back of his head where his skull hit the wall, but he’s still breathing. He still has a pulse. As I secure the final knot around his wrists, I can feel the weak thrum of his heartbeat pulsing against the fabric. “Keep him alive, but don’t give him any painkillers,” I instruct the medics. “And if you can keep him stable without bringing him to the hospital, keep him here.” One of the medics, a thin man wheeling over a gurney, hesitates for a moment. “I understand that Captain McAndrews extremely important to the palace guard, Your Hi
Spencer's POV“Thank you for rescuing me, by the way.” I look down at Colin in surprise when I hear the words past his lips. I can’t remember the last time Colin thanked me for anything–in fact, I don’t think he ever has before. “Of course,” I reply impassively. “He was an intruder in the dungeon and a traitor to the crown. I wasn’t just going to let him kill you and get away with his evil plan.” Colin chuckles lightly. “All you had to say was that you ‘weren’t just going to let him kill me.’ You didn’t have to tack on the part about only doing it so he wouldn’t get away with his evil plan.” I return the slight smile on his face. “I could have, couldn’t I,” I say. “Well, thank you,” Colin says again. “No problem.” I hesitate for a moment before adding, “I wasn’t just going to let him kill you.” Colin beams up at me, and despite the haze of pain on his face, he looks genuinely happy. “What are we going to do now?” Colin asks. “I mean–obviously, that will was forged. You’re the
Spencer's POVWith Captain McAndrews now in custody and coroner’s services flowing through the dungeon to remove the bodies of all the deceased guards, things are finally starting to settle back down. I breathe out a heavy sigh, leaning against the wall and watching the entire situation finally starting to wrap on up. Now that I know Captain McAndrews is the traitor–and that we’ve got him securely tied up–the mystery of the dungeon break has been resolved. I don’t have any proof, but I can picture the situation easily enough: after slipping a message to the prisoners to wait for his cue, and after evening lockup, Captain McAndrews would’ve moved through the dungeon to unlock each and every prisoner’s cell. Then, once the signal was given, the prisoners would’ve all pushed open the doors to their cell and begun attacking the guards. The sheer chaos of a dungeon break would cause enough havoc to serve two purposes. Firstly, Alpha Leo would be freed, allowing for a powerful tactical a
Spencer's POV“What did you do to her?” In an instant, I’m on Captain McAndrews. Breaking the bindings with my bare hands, I waste no time unstrapping him from the gurney and throwing him to the ground. Bloody spittle begins to bubble up on his lips as I begin delivering swift, relentless kicks to Captain McAndrews’ ribs and chest. “Where is she?” I roar at him. “Where are you taking her?” Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the medic staring at me in wide-eyed concern, clearly caught off-guard by the whole situation. He looks like he wants to stop me, out of some sort of caretaker concern for whoever his patient is, but he doesn’t dare. “Spencer!” Gamma Everly rushes up behind me, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me away from Captain McAndrews. “Spencer, you’re going to kill him!” “Good,” I spit. He deserves it. Captain McAndrews continues to smile that sickening smile, and I want to punch his teeth in. “I know,” Gamma Everly says, levelling her ruthless gaze on his bloodi
Spencer's POV“How long do I have?” My expression is impassive, and I’m doing my best not to betray any emotion as I speak. But despite the complete lack of feeling I’m communicating, I still feel as though my words are desperate, begging. I don't like having to rely on someone else to set my deadlines, to tell me what I need to do. The idea that Elder Jet has me under his thumb chills me to the bone. But if he wanted to control me, he chose the best possible way to do it. Ivy is the great love of my life, and I would do anything to keep her safe. Captain McAndrews’ lips curl into a cruel, wicked smile. “You’ve got until Elder Jet makes his way to the palace,” he replies. “But if we’re being really honest, by the time he makes it here, you might already be too late.” My heart hammers in my chest as I turn away from Captain McAndrews. I look up at Gamma Everly, who looks every bit as shocked and devastated by the revelation as I’m feeling. I know, in that moment, that Gamma Everl
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
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