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 POV“Elder Jet has directly threatened Ivy’s life.” Upon hearing those words, Alpha Leo’s face falls. “No,” he murmurs. “No, Elder Jet wouldn’t actually hurt her. He’d take her as a political hostage, sure, but…” I raise an eyebrow. “Why are you so reluctant to believe that Elder Jet would kill in cold blood?” I ask. “He’s done it more times than I can count by now. It seems to be his modus operandi, if we’re really being honest. He wants to hurt me, and he’d hurt Ivy to do that. Plain and simple.” “But Ivy–she’s good!” Alpha Leo insists. “I’ve spoken with her before, and she… she’s kind, generous, and caring. She’s not a warrior, either. She has no place fighting this war.” “And yet she’s not here, is she,” I growl, staring daggers at Alpha Leo. “So you figure that one out.” “I–” Alpha Leo’s mouth has fallen wide open, and his face is twisted into an expression of such sheer disbelief that I have no choice but to believe it’s genuine. “No, that can’t be the case!” Gam
Ivy's POVAs my kidnappers continue to walk me through the halls of the palace, I’m doing everything I can to keep myself calm. I look between the two men, and they look back at me, the warning evident in their eyes. At this point, I’m assuming they’ve got to be working for Elder Jet–after all, Elder Jet’s men have kidnapped me before. Elder Jet would want to deal maximum damage to Spencer, which means he knew exactly what he was doing by taking me. He knows just how much I mean to Spencer. All I can do now is hope that Elder Jet and his cronies don’t find out about my pregnancy. And because my kidnappers are likely working for Elder Jet, I’m terrified that means they have connections to witches and their strange magic, too. They threatened to kill Jason if they received any sign that I mind linked anyone for help–normally I’d call it a bluff, but after those red potions, after seeing the things a witch’s magic can make a person do…I’m terrified of doing something wrong and doom
Ivy's POVWithout a moment’s hesitation, my kidnappers pull me into the crowd of advancing rebel werewolves. I suppress a shrill scream as I find myself in the surge of bodies moving forward. It’s like swimming upstream, and my arms ache as the kidnappers drag me towards the center of the swarm. The world seems to spin around, and I lose track of where I am, lost in the crush of bodies until I suddenly burst out the other side. I stumble slightly, held up only by the guards. As I struggle to regain my balance, I take a look at my surroundings and realize that I effectively made it through to the other side. Instead of still being tangled up in the army, I’m standing in the center of a large makeshift camp, watching the rebel werewolves from behind as they make their way towards the palace. A sense of impending dread keeps over me as I watch the rebels approach. It’s sickening to see–the Lycan Palace will be under siege soon, and I don’t think anyone there knows it yet. I cast a fu
Ivy's POV“You’ll never get away with it!” I’m gripping the bars of my cage as tightly as I can, but even despite my pointed efforts, I can feel myself beginning to slip. My hands feel like they're made of gelatin, and I can’t force myself to move them how I want to. My knuckles unclench, and my fingers are as useless as limp noodles. Elder Jet lets out a cold chuckle and pulls away from me. He takes a couple steps back, clearly enjoying the sight of me doing my very best to regain control of my body. I’m doing everything in my power to try and suppress the potion’s effects, but what can I do, really? I can feel it coursing through my body, bubbling into my stomach before being absorbed through the lining and into my bloodstream like some sort of sick, infested stain. I lie back on the ground, chest heaving. Grass tickles the back of my neck, and I can feel the particles of dirt clinging to my skin. I have no control right now. I don’t have anything. I’m completely and utterly u
Spencer's POVAs Gamma Everly and I walk through the amassed ranks of the full might of the Lycan Army, all I can think about is Ivy. Where is she? What’s happening to her? I have no way of getting into contact with her–what if Elder Jet did something? How would I know? There’s a part of me that wants to take Elder Jet up on his offer of surrendering, if only to guarantee Ivy’s security. But I can’t do that. I can’t trade away my kingdom for her. If I did, what sort of king would I be? Besides, I wouldn’t put it past Elder Jet to break his end of a hostage exchange. Alpha Leo is the only piece we have to trade back, but Elder Jet doesn’t seem too attached to his spies, likely for this exact reason. No. The only way to ensure Ivy’s continuous and lasting security is to fight for it myself, tooth and nail and wickedly sharp claw. I can’t let anything bad happen to her. I lock eyes with Gamma Everly as we complete our sweep of the battalions. We have a massive military, easily big
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
Ivy's POVWhen Spencer kisses me, the rest of the world drops away. He kisses me with a burning need, a hunger. I can feel it in the way he grabs my hips like a lifeline, in the way his arms wrap around me and I’m pressed so tight against me our hearts beat in unison. There’s a desperation to how we kiss. It’s like we’re both on fire. Like we both know we’re only stealing moments from the world. My hands make their way under his shirt, scratching his back ever so slightly, and when Spencer moans into my open mouth, it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I’m his, and he is mine. Maybe we only have so long together. Maybe the number of minutes we’ll share isn’t actually so large. But we’ve left our marks on each other, worked our way into the chambers of one another’s hearts. Spencer is my everything, and as his tongue overpowers mine with ease, as my fingers tangle in his soft hair, it’s an undeniable truth of the universe that this is how things were always supposed to be.
Spencer's POV“Could you love me in death, despite what I’ve done?”Despite everything that’s happened between us, those words still hit me like a punch to the gut. Could I love her in death? Moon Goddess above, how does she not get it? All my anger, my pain, my frustration, my fury, my devastation–I feel it so fiercely because I can’t stop loving her. I couldn't stop loving her if I tried. And I’m terrified to leave this place in our minds, this safe space where she’s alive and well and I can see her, because I know the moment I go she’ll be dead and I’ll have to face the world without her. I’m not ready for that. How am I supposed to do that? I move my hands from Ivy’s shoulders all the way down to her hands, finding comfort in the feel of her skin as I do. There’s a warmth to her. She radiates peace and calm and all that is good in the world. None of this is real, but it feels close enough to me. “Oh, Ivy,” I tell her softly, squeezing her hands. “Of course I could still lo
Ivy's POV“How… how are you here?” The words tumble out of my mouth, a haze of confusion as I look up at him. Spencer doesn’t look like he did on the battlefield–instead, his clothes are neat and clean, hair prim, face clean-shaven. Instead of wild, pained eyes from having spent far too long on the battlefield, he looks at ease and more relaxed than I’ve been able to see him in a long time. Spencer looks down at me with a soft, gentle smile. Too often these days, the way he’s looked at me has been tainted with a million other emotions–anger, maybe, or frustration, or longing. But now he’s staring at me just like he used to, like the stars are in my eyes and I’m all he wants to see. Honestly, he seems happy just to see me at all. “I don’t know,” Spencer replies with a shrug. He extends a hand out to me. “I don’t think I care, really. What’s important is you.” He furrows his brow and looks me over carefully. “How are you… how are you feeling?” I place my hand in his. The feeling is
Ivy's POVAs the darkness overtakes me completely, the last thing I feel is Spencer’s arms wrapped around me. All at once, the excruciating pain—the burning in my throat, the blood in my mouth, the fire that feels like it’s emanating all throughout my body—fades away. It feels like I’m falling through the endless darkness. I’m convinced that my eyes are open by now, and that my tears have faded away, but I still can’t see anything. I can’t feel anything, either, and I feel myself begin to panic as soon as I realize that I can no longer feel Spencer’s arms wrapped tights around me. I can’t smell him, can’t sense the reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat. I’m left adrift in endless darkness, floating and falling and making my way to—To what?Is this death?Am I dead?I try to open my mouth to speak, but no sound comes out at all. The darkness spirals and twists, a dizzying expanse of absolutely nothing. I’m lost, completely untethered, without even my wolf to ground me. And then, all
Spencer's POV“Ivy!”The scream tears from my throat, a sound of sheer desperation as the last of the green poison disappears down Ivy’s throat. It feels like it’s all a dream, all a nightmare, all some sort of devilish hallucination forced upon me to bring me to my knees and show me all my worst fears but this isn’t just my own anxiety anymore, it’s real life. “Ivy, how could you?” I ask, blinking back furious tears. Every single one of my senses is on high alert, waiting for whatever disastrous consequences come next. “Couldn’t let you—” Ivy lets out a ragged, hacking cough, already doubling over in the witch’s arms. “Couldn’t let you surrender.” “I’m not surrendering!” I shout, balling my hands into fists. “I’ll tear you apart limb from limb, Elder Jet, I’ll kill your witch, your men, every last force you have in your reserves…”“Oh, pay him no mind,” the witch says dismissively. She lets go of Ivy, who immediately crumples to the ground in a disheveled heap. “I have no idea if
Ivy's POV“Make your choice, Prince Spencer.”I can feel the witch’s words against my cheek as she speaks. They’re as sharp and frosty as a frozen-over holly bush. The glass against my lips is tasteless, but I can smell the tangy green liquid from the bottle, and my throat already feels rather like it’s about to burn. If I drink this potion, there’s absolutely no chance of survival for me. I’m nowhere near at full strength. I’ve been dazed by whatever I was given earlier and weakened from my battle in the dungeons. Not to mention, I’m pregnant. Besides, it killed the Lycan King. I’d be wiped out in an instant. So Spencer really does have to choose between my life—no, not just my life, the life of his child, too—and his kingdom. I can see the turmoil of the decision on his face, the devastation it’s causing him. This is all of his greatest fears coming to fruition. Everything he’s tried to protect me from all along. If he chooses to surrender for me, I know he won’t be happy. He’ll
Spencer's POV“I can’t just surrender!” The words fall out of my mouth in a jumbled rush, a blur of desperation. I can’t surrender. I can't give up my kingdom, my throne, just like this. I’m a warrior, a king, the strongest Lycan, I can’t just—I would. For Ivy, I would. But there’s still no proof that the witch will kill Ivy just yet, and trading in the kingdom is such a drastic decision that I need to make sure I have absolutely no other option before I make the call. Plus, there are measures I want to have put in place in case it really does come to that, ways for Gamma Everly or Wilson or Sylvia to regain the kingdom even if I do need to call off my men right now. A surrender could be a temporary thing, a way to buy time and secure Ivy before we rush right back into battle. Or maybe if I surrender, Elder Jet and the witch will kill me anyways, knowing the devastating effect it will inevitably have because of our mate bond and the Blood Oath Ceremony. Either way, whether or no
Ivy's POVWhen I wake up, the first thing that hits me is the taste in my mouth. It’s sweet and tacky, as though my mouth has been filled with liquid sugar. I smack my lips as I open my eyes slowly. I’m greeted by the sight of wrought iron bars over my head, and above that, a starry night sky. Details come to me in pieces. I let out a ragged cough, mouth salivating as my tongue attempts to scrub away the sweet taste. I remember fragments of memory—being kidnapped from the palace. Threats leveled against Jason. A cage. A conversation with Elder Jet. A sickly-sweet potion forced past my lips. And after that, absolutely nothing. I groan as I do my best to prop myself up onto my elbows. My vision is still somewhat blurred. Dimly, I hear the sound of clicking, then the scraping of metal. I reach my hand out towards the bars in a feeble attempt to pull myself back up to my feet. But just as my fingertips brush against the cool metal, ice-cold hands wrap around my forearm, and I suddenl