Ivy’s POVMy Alpha fiancé is having sex with my best friend, in my room, on the day I'm supposed to become his Luna.For just a moment, I stand frozen in the doorway, staring at them. My fiancé Erick is still mostly clothed, save for the dress pants bunched around his knees, and my best friend Veronica’s skirt is bunched up at the hip as he thrusts into her roughly from behind. Erick’s got one arm wrapped around her waist, and he holds her tight as he fucks her. Veronica’s eyes are squeezed shut in pleasure, and she’s clearly enjoying herself–Erick has to clamp a hand around her mouth just to keep her from moaning. And they’re fucking on my bed. Somehow that’s the biggest insult of them all. “What are you doing?” I shout, snapping out of my shock and bursting into the room. My wedding dress nearly trips me up, and my cheeks burn as I confront the pair. Erick laughs cruelly. He doesn’t even have the decency to pull out–his hips snap lazily, thrusting in and out of Veronica as she c
Ivy’’s POVI’ve spent every day since my father’s death in excruciating pain. “Please!” I sob out desperately as a Thunderclaw warrior lashes a whip against my skin. I barely register the feeling at this point, I’ve become so used to it. They’ve whipped me relentlessly every day since my wedding went so dreadfully awry. My skin is made of little pieces of cracked flesh at this point. The sticky feeling of blood coating my body is inescapable. I feel like I’m coming undone.And after what happened to my father, I don’t think I’d mind if they finish me off once and for all. The Thunderclaw warrior raises the whip again, smiling evilly. Just as it’s about to hit me, a cold voice cuts through the room.“Stop,” Erick says smoothly, striding into my dungeon cell. I’m imprisoned in my own pack house’s dungeon. As if my humiliation could become even worse. The warrior lowers the whip. “Leave us,” Erick commands.The warrior bows his head once, then leaves the dungeon.It’s just the two
Ivy’s POVI sit naked in the bathtub as the Omega maid scrubs my skin pink, staring straight ahead. It’s Veronica and Erick’s wedding day–the day they’ve chosen to solidify my final humiliation. The maid gives me one last scrub, hauls me out of the water, wraps me in a towel, and dabs rose oil onto my skin. Wordlessly, she drags me towards my miserable rotting mattress of a bed, where a lacy bra and skimpy miniskirt have been laid out for me. I stare at the clothing in shock. “Where’s the rest of it?”The maid shakes her head sadly.My stomach plummets. The maid starts to dress me, and I struggle at first, but it’s no use. When the maid is done stuffing me into my clothes–little more than underwear, really–I look into the rusty old mirror before me. As I’m distracted by the plunging scooped neckline of the bra, the maid clamps shackles around my wrists and ankles. Even though I’ve already lost touch with my inner wolf thanks to the wolfsbane, it’s not enough.Veronica never misses
Ivy’s POV“Move!” A tall, thin werewolf barks at us as he shuffles us down the aisle.I shudder. I’m on my way to the Omega Auction with a huge group of other lowly Omegas, and I’ve never been so scared.As we move, the other Omegas glare at me, knowing full well that if not for my actions, Veronica never would’ve sent anyone to the auction. She’s hell-bent on destroying me, and doesn’t seem to care who gets caught in the crossfire. The thin werewolf in charge of escorting us finally stops shuffling us down the camped dirty Omega tunnels and stops in front of a short, stocky werewolf–the auction employee, I assume. With a grin that makes my blood run cold, the thin werewolf points at me. “Our Luna wants you to take good care of her,” he says to the stocky werewolf with a knowing glance, handing him a wad of cash.What does Veronica want to do to me?The short werewolf nods, malice gleaming in his eyes as he takes the cash and looks me up and down.The other Omegas are shuttled into
Ivy’s POVOn the day of the auction, they dress me up like a seductive lamb leading to slaughter. True to their word, they healed all my wounds externally, but I can still feel the pain under my skin.I saw myself in a mirror as I was led into the auction hall. I’m dressed in an outfit almost identical to the one they had me wearing at the wedding–a strappy bra and short skirt. My long auburn hair has been styled so it cascades down my face in soft, luxurious waves, and my makeup is heavy, shadowy and sultry. I look, objectively, beautiful. Seductive, alluring, even. But I also look far too revealing than I’m comfortable with. As I walk up onto the stage, all the Alphas in the shadowy audience seating stare at me with lustful eyes that make my skin crawl. Yet, as an Alpha-blooded she-wolf, all I feel is humiliation.My gaze lands on Veronica, arm-in-arm with Erick, seated contentedly in a side box.Scratch that. I feel nothing but humiliation and loathing. “And now,” the auctioneer
Ivy’s POVTo my surprise, just when I thought the Lycan Prince would kill me, he embraced me.I wonder if the Lycan Prince can feel how much I’m trembling, because he seems to hug me even tighter. He carries me swiftly down the hallway, towards the hall’s exit. I look up at him nervously, not sure what to do–should I say something to him? Ask him questions. Every so often he glances down at me to check if I’m okay, but there doesn’t seem to be any real affection in his eyes as he does. I don’t know what to make of him.And that scares me more than I’d like to admit. Just as we’re about to leave, I hear a familiar voice echo through the auction hall, sending a shock of fear through my body. Still clutched tightly in Spencer’s arms, I look up ever so slightly to see Veronica rushing over to us. “Prince Spencer!” She calls out, heels clacking on the stage floor. My body tenses up nervously.What else can she do to me?Erick walks behind her. The two of them look up at Spencer, maint
Ivy’s POVThe first thing I see when Spencer carries me out of the auction house is the incredible array of black luxury cars parked at the building’s entrance. Dozens of tall, burly men, all dressed in black suits, step swiftly out of the vehicles. They bow respectfully to Spencer, who barely seems to register their presence.They must all be Lycans. They have to be. After all, only Lycans could possess such a fierce, imposing presence. I know logically that Spencer, being a prince, must command entire armies of Lycans. But even still, seeing such a massive protective squad here at the auction house catches me off guard. Spencer’s Beta quickly opens the rear door of the second black luxury car in the lineup. “Prince,” he says, lowering his head respectfully Gently, carefully, with unexpected tenderness, Spencer places me in the seat. I feel dirty and impure against the sleek leather, still dressed in the horrible auction clothes I’ve been forced into. Spencer climbs into the seat
Ivy’s POVWhen I realize what Spencer is doing, my eyes snap open in shock. As his soft kisses trail along the length of my neck, making my heart catch and sputter, I glance towards the driver, worried that people may notice. Unexpectedly, the partition between the front and back of the car has already rolled up, giving Spencer and I absolute privacy. I let my eyelids flutter closed again, leaning closer into Spencer. The temperature in the car seems to be rising. My breath starts to quicken and become a bit more ragged as his kisses move unbearably slowly from my neck to my collarbone. The way he moves his lips, nipping and sucking gently, makes my heart pound in a way nothing has before. My one hand bunches the back of Spencer’s suit up in a fist, but I’m too gone to care about any consequences that may pose. I bite my lip hard, trying not to let out a moan.Just as Spencer’s lips are about to reach my chest, already mostly exposed from the auction outfit, I can’t help but gently
Spencer's POV“You don’t have any ground to stand on, Your Highness.”Elder Jet spits out the words Your Highness, sneering as they pass his lips. He looks around at his forces, the assembled rebel werewolves, and seems proud of the group he’s created. I look around at them, too. What I see makes my heart sink. None of the rebels look particularly convinced by anything Alpha Leo is saying. In fact, as his words wash over him, their expressions contort and twist into anger. I can see it on their faces—they no longer think he’s one of them. They’ve seen him switch sides, and rather than follow in his footsteps, they're prepared to resent him for it. ‘Stand down,’ I tell Alpha Leo. ‘I’ll handle it from here.’‘They’ll be killed!’ Alpha Leo protests. He doesn’t look at me, but I can see the pain in his eyes. I feel for him. They’re his people, and he’s the one who sent them into Elder Jet’s arms. Alpha Leo let them get led astray, and now they’ll have to pay for it with their lives. I
Spencer's POV“You’re the traitor, Elder Jet.” Alpha Leo is staring Elder Jet down with a vicious, furious glare. There’s betrayal in his eyes, too, and I realize just how painful this must be for him. I remember what I know about him. That his father died when he was quite young. That Elder Jet took him in, stepped up. Elder Jet became his father, in a sense. Alpha Leo has quite possibly been more poisoned than anyone else. And he was able to break out of it. It must feel like the world is crashing down around him. I can’t sympathize, but it’s always good to pay attention to the emotional state of those closest to me. To cue into their patterns and behaviours. To be able to tell if they’re going to snap. Alpha Leo curls his hands into tight fists as his gaze remains locked on Elder Jet like a fuse. His mouth opens and closes several times, and just as I’m about to step in and pull him away from Elder Jet myself, he finally begins to speak. “I recognize quite a lot of you,” Al
Spencer's POV“Elder Jet!”My roar cuts across the battlefield like a hurricane. I don’t even realize that I’m doing it, but my Lycan Aura rolls off of me in droves, sending every single werewolf except for Elder Jet to their knees. I narrow my eyes at him. Elder Jet remains standing, smiling smugly. A ripple of unease shoots through me. He should be on his knees by now, unable to resist the power of my Lycan Aura, but it doesn’t seem to be working on him. I set my jaw and march towards him. There’s iron in my posture and ice in my veins. I don’t care what sort of blasphemous witch’s magic Elder Jet is using to fortify him—the rest of his forces are now out of commission, and in a fight between him and I, I’d be the obvious winner. “Where’s Ivy?” I snarl at Elder Jet. Elder Jet lets out a wicked chuckle. “Oh, she’s not far,” he replies. “But if you want to see her alive ever again, you’ll kindly refrain from killing me.”The anger washes over me in a sudden, white-hot burst. It ta
Spencer's POVAs we enter what will hopefully be the final stretches of combat, my search for Ivy only becomes more desperate. There are only so many places to look–all the buildings in the barracks have been thoroughly sealed off, and I trust Wilson to have inspected each and every one of them carefully. If Ivy was stashed away in any of them, Wilson would have found her by now. The watchtower, as far as I know, is still under our influence. All that’s left now is the training area, the wide grassy sprawl with bleachers all around the perimeter. It’s a flat, open expanse, and by now I think I’ve searched the whole thing over at least three times. Still, I continue to walk around restlessly, I’m scanning eagerly for Ivy with every step. Now that the stress of the battle has simmered to a background concern, she’s consumed me once again. I need her. Like oxygen, like food, like water.She’s a fundamental and visceral need. But as I’m once again looking over the grassy expanse, the
Spencer's POV“Attack from behind!” My command ripples sharply through my troops. Before Elder jet’s forces even get the chance to pull away from the reserve forces and focus their attention where it’s really needed, The rest of the world slips away as I launch myself into the mass of rebel werewolves. My claws slash wildly, finding purchase in every direction. The thick smell of blood is quick to overtake the air as the battle begins in full force. Of course, as I push through the battlefield, I’m trying to take out as many of the rogue werewolves as possible. But beneath it all, there’s a single goal raging in my heart like a wildfire. I have to find Ivy. I don’t know what the odds are that Elder Jet or anyone else would have brought her here. But for all my trying, I can’t sense her. I can’t mind link her. Our mate bond, which was only ever strengthened by the Blood Oath Ceremony, has been guiding me on like a lighthouse ever since I met Ivy. To have it dimmed so suddenly has
Spencer's POVAs the entire Lycan Army begins to tiptoe through the forest, I’m convinced that almost every warrior among us is a spy. It’s not a rational series of fears, I know. But after everything that’s happened, it’s hard to abandon them. Every misstep a soldier makes, every stepped-upon branch or heavy-footed tread on dead leaves, every clank of armour upon armour–with every sound, I’m certain beyond logic that it’s just another attempt to clue our enemies into our location. ‘We’re almost back at the barracks,’ Gamma Everly tells me over the mind link, giving me a furtive glance. I raise an eyebrow and examine our surroundings. True to her word, she’s done an excellent job of taking us around the woods in a way that we normally wouldn’t go, so that any of the traitors in our midst wouldn’t be able to determine our final location. As I look over the treeline, however, I begin to recognize familiar dips and ridges, and a faint flickering torchlight just beyond our view. There
Spencer's POVJust as Gamma Everly are about to return to the troops to lead them onward, Wilson’s voice crackles through my mind. I freeze in place as his words echo through my head, an almost imperceptible tinge of panic to them. ‘Prince Spencer, Elder Jet’s forces are heading towards the barracks,’ Wilson warns. ‘They’re advancing rapidly. We’ve got the reserve forces stationed here, but he…’ For the first time in my life, I can hear a tremor in Wilson’s voice. ‘He’s bringing his entire army, and it’s massive.’ ‘We’ll be back soon, Wilson,’ I assure him quickly. ‘How far away is Elder Jet and the rest of them?’ ‘They’re still only visible from the watchtower, but I think they’ll be in our line of sight soon,’ Wilson replies. ‘We’re willing to do whatever it takes to defend the palace, but what if…’ ‘What if it’s not enough?’ ‘Exactly,’ Wilson says softly. I grab Gamma Everly’s arm. “We need to go back to the barracks now,” I hiss at her quietly. “Get everyone moving, but don’
Spencer's POV“Keep this to yourselves.” The words spring from my mouth like a gunshot as I look between all the warriors who’d followed me into this small segment of the woods. I fix each of them with a harsh, steely glare, sharp as a knife, until they all nod once. At this point, I have no idea who I can trust. It seems as though virtually everyone I’ve encountered by now has let me down. But the trembling of the three warriors is enough for me to believe that they won’t be able to do anything too bad for the time being. Before any of the warriors can question my order or ask any questions, I quickly turn on my heal and make my way out of the clearing without sparing the bodies so much as a second glance. This area isn’t important–I can tell by the blood tracks on the ground that the bodies were dragged here. This wasn’t where the warriors were slaughtered. I’m a bit worried by how easily they seem to have been slaughtered–the depths of their wounds points to quick, brutal kills
Spencer's POV“We need to return to the palace!” My thunderous command tears through the ranks of soldiers, and in mere instants, the entire army has begun marching all the way back in the direction of the palace. Gamma Everly and Alpha Leo bring up the head, but I linger near the back, frantically getting in touch with Wilson. ‘Are you at the palace?’ I ask him. His response is quick. ‘Sylvia and I are stationed at the front doors, Your Highness. We’ve also got all the guards ready to defend the palace as soon as it’s necessary.’‘Well done, Wilson,’ I say. ‘I’ve got another task at hand for you, though. The rogue werewolves have just attempted to lead the entire Lycan Army out into the middle of the woods–likely to leave the barracks, and thus an entrance to the palace, undefended. Fortunately we’ve still got reserve soldiers stationed there. I need you to head to the barracks, investigate the scene, and mobilize the reserve soldiers as needed. Can you do that?’ ‘Of course, Prin