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 POVAs the centurions lead their recruited parties out into the distant woods, I can feel the cold hand of horror slowly clamping around my heart. Of course, my main goal with sending out these search parties is to determine just how much of a threat Elder Jet truly is right now. Of course that’s what I’m trying to do. But in sending out all of these patrols, there’s something else I may be able to figure out, too. I’m hoping against hope that one of the parties will be able to figure out where Ivy is. But with that hope, there’s fear, too. What if they find Ivy, but it’s too late? What if all I can rescue now is her corpse? Or what if she’s alive, but broken and hurt beyond measure? I don’t want to see her injured. She’s been through so much–I don’t know how many more traumas she can take. Especially with the baby. Oh, Moon Goddess above, please protect Ivy and my baby. The warriors that aren’t members of any of the search parties spread through the forest, lying in
Spencer's POV“What do you need me to do?” Alpha Leo’s expression is solemn as he faces me. All at once, I can see just how deeply he’s changed over the course of today–just earlier this morning, he was breaking out of our dungeon, not caring who he killed or whose lives he drastically affected. He was ready to return to a wicked, traitorous man and help him take us all down. But now Alpha Jet looks at me with respect and admiration. There’s still a lot more work to do, but he’s reckoned with Elder Jet’s fundamental evils and cruelties. He’s not just ready to change–he’s at a point where he’s more than willing. I smile at him, taking his question as confirmation that he would indeed be interested in aiding the Lycan Army. I point to a large building on stilts right near the back of the barracks. Alpha Leo follows my gesture with his eyes, tilting his head in confusion as he looks the structure over carefully. “Is that… a grain silo?” He asks. I smile. “We’ve got a herd of cattle
Spencer's POV“What happened?” I reach down and grab the fallen centurion’s shoulder firmly. Beneath my fingertips, the fabric at the joints of his armour is thick and bloody, and the warrior groans as I make contact. He’s not dead yet, though, and that gives me hope. With a little help from Gamma Everly, the two of us manage to bring the man up into a sitting position. He’s moving slowly and unsteadily, eyes clouded with unforetold terrors. I can see his limbs tremble and shake, the clear difficulty of every moment. “I… I was out surveying the area…” the centurion murmurs slowly. “And I was–and there was–” I still can’t see the full details of his face, but beneath his mask, his gaze is darting back and and forth anxiously. “It’s okay,” I tell him. “You’re safe here now.” Comforting people certainly isn’t my strong suit, but he has the information I need. And besides, it feels like something Ivy would do. She’d speak to him softly, gently. She’d nurture him carefully. She’d ma
Spencer's POVAs I lead my warriors boldly into the night, I feel more determined than I’ve ever felt before. I'm well accustomed to hatred. To loathing. To the sort of burning fury that aches like hot coals in the pit of my stomach, a relentless pain that consumes my every waking thought. Such anger is not unfamiliar to me. But the sheer volume of it I’m experiencing now, knowing that Elder Jet is out there somewhere holding Ivy hostage and hoping to topple the entire Lycian Kingdom in one fell swoop…A quick death would be too kind a fate for Elder Jet. I want to pick him apart slowly and excruciatingly. I want to feel his blood between my fingers and to hear every scream of agony. I want to invent new depths of suffering just for him. “Be ready, soldiers!” I say, keeping my voice hushed as I look back at my army. Gamma Everly and I are leading the troops onward. We move silently and swiftly, scanning the trees for any signs of threat. The trees are tall, branches stretching upw
Spencer's POVNow that we know how we want to move forward, things are quick to fall into place. The centurion who gave us the tip has fallen out of sight completely–I’m assuming that by now he’s getting the medical treatment he needs. I’ve mind linked all the surviving centurions to bring their search parties back to the barracks, too, and now I’m just watching the last remaining warriors trickle back into our camp. The plan is simple. We aim to strike first, and to strike with such overwhelming brute force that no matter his schemes, Elder Jet will be left completely and utterly unable to recover. “If we move through the woods along here, I think we can follow the natural curve of the river without detection,” Gamma Everly says slowly. She traces her fingers along the map and shows me her outlined path. “There’s enough space for all of us to move around the region relatively freely, but the topography will make it harder to corner us. We could use their camp location to our advan
Spencer's POV“What happened?” I reach down and grab the fallen centurion’s shoulder firmly. Beneath my fingertips, the fabric at the joints of his armour is thick and bloody, and the warrior groans as I make contact. He’s not dead yet, though, and that gives me hope. With a little help from Gamma Everly, the two of us manage to bring the man up into a sitting position. He’s moving slowly and unsteadily, eyes clouded with unforetold terrors. I can see his limbs tremble and shake, the clear difficulty of every moment. “I… I was out surveying the area…” the centurion murmurs slowly. “And I was–and there was–” I still can’t see the full details of his face, but beneath his mask, his gaze is darting back and and forth anxiously. “It’s okay,” I tell him. “You’re safe here now.” Comforting people certainly isn’t my strong suit, but he has the information I need. And besides, it feels like something Ivy would do. She’d speak to him softly, gently. She’d nurture him carefully. She’d ma
Spencer's POV“What do you need me to do?” Alpha Leo’s expression is solemn as he faces me. All at once, I can see just how deeply he’s changed over the course of today–just earlier this morning, he was breaking out of our dungeon, not caring who he killed or whose lives he drastically affected. He was ready to return to a wicked, traitorous man and help him take us all down. But now Alpha Jet looks at me with respect and admiration. There’s still a lot more work to do, but he’s reckoned with Elder Jet’s fundamental evils and cruelties. He’s not just ready to change–he’s at a point where he’s more than willing. I smile at him, taking his question as confirmation that he would indeed be interested in aiding the Lycan Army. I point to a large building on stilts right near the back of the barracks. Alpha Leo follows my gesture with his eyes, tilting his head in confusion as he looks the structure over carefully. “Is that… a grain silo?” He asks. I smile. “We’ve got a herd of cattle
Spencer's POVAs the centurions lead their recruited parties out into the distant woods, I can feel the cold hand of horror slowly clamping around my heart. Of course, my main goal with sending out these search parties is to determine just how much of a threat Elder Jet truly is right now. Of course that’s what I’m trying to do. But in sending out all of these patrols, there’s something else I may be able to figure out, too. I’m hoping against hope that one of the parties will be able to figure out where Ivy is. But with that hope, there’s fear, too. What if they find Ivy, but it’s too late? What if all I can rescue now is her corpse? Or what if she’s alive, but broken and hurt beyond measure? I don’t want to see her injured. She’s been through so much–I don’t know how many more traumas she can take. Especially with the baby. Oh, Moon Goddess above, please protect Ivy and my baby. The warriors that aren’t members of any of the search parties spread through the forest, lying in
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
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
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 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