Spencer's POVAs soon as I enter the meeting room, I detect a strange smell.My nose wrinkles in distaste. The smell is burnt, almost acrid. My stomach turns. I can’t quite place the scent, but something about it makes it uneasy. My attention dwells swiftly, though when I look around the meeting room. Only Elder Jet and the other radicals are present. “What is this?” I ask, immediately alert. “Where are the other elders?”“You sound on edge,” Elder Jet says with a smug grin. “The rest of the council has other matters to attend to. We’ll be representing the entire council today.”It’s a setup. And an obvious one at that. But Elder Jet hasn’t revealed his hand just yet, which means it’s too soon to confront him. “What were the results of the investigation?” I ask. Elder Jet’s grin widens. “Our findings have confirmed that you, Prince Spencer, fearing the merger of the Thunderclaw pack and the Obsidian pack, took matters into your own hands in order to ensure it never succeeded. In
Ivy's POVThe halls of the Werewolf Council building are deathly silent. The warriors who brought me have since been dismissed, and now it’s just myself and Beta Wilson, who–out of concern for Spencer–has accompanied me all the way here. I rub the skin of my wrists anxiously. They’re still sore from the rope that was used to tie me up. Beta Wilson and I roam the halls in an eerie quiet, scared to disturb the seemingly unnatural peace that has fallen over the building. “Where are we going?” I ask Beta Wilson nervously. He frowns, looking back and forth anxiously. “I’m not quite sure–”Suddenly, I spot Veronica out of the corner of my eye, haunting the council hallways like a ghost. I whirl around in shock. “Veronica?” I call out, hardly believing what I’m seeing before me. Last I checked, Veronica had been escorted to the Werewolf Council as a traitor and a criminal. She doesn’t look like a prisoner, though. If anything, she looks like a guest. Her clothes are well-made and elegan
Ivy's POVSpencer’s gone mad.I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. Spencer, in a frenzy, slaughtering every warrior in sight in the meeting room. I don’t want to believe it’s him. I shouldn’t know it’s him. I want it to be anyone but him. All I can see is a massive black-furred wolf tearing the warriors to shreds. I don’t want it to be him. Blood sprays through the air, splattering on his fur, and bits of viscera dangle from the wolf’s jaws. I hate seeing Spencer like this. But deep down, I know it’s him. After all, the Lycan Prince Spencer is the only one who could possess such immense power. The soles of my shoes feel slippery on the blood-soaked floor. My senses are heightened, and I feel dizzy from the sheer amount of violence around me. All I know is that I need to go to Spencer. But just as I move to stop him, Beta Wilson pulls me back. “Let me go–” I begin to argue, pulling against him. He’s stronger than me, though, and it’s no use trying to fight against him. “Don’t
Ivy's POVThe moment Spencer’s wolf starts to calm down, I feel myself starting to stumble. I can sense the chaos in Spencer’s mind starting to right itself as I gasp in desperate breaths, wobbling back and forth woozily as I gradually start to regain my vision. My throat aches, and I can already feel it starting to bruise. If I tried to speak, I think it would burn. My body feels strange and it takes me a moment to realize exactly what I’m feeling.Or rather, what I was feeling. The strange, abundant magical power that had been coursing through my body dissipates, sending another wave of disorientation through me. I lose my split-second connection with Spencer’s mind and his wolf. Just as I think I’m about to fall to the ground, Spencer, now returned to human form, catches me.“Thank you,” I whisper hoarsely as he scoops me up into his arms. Spencer nods once, expression distant. His eyes gleam with an emotion I can’t quite place–something bittersweet and sad as he looks at the bo
Spencer's POVI never thought things would go this way. I sprint desperately through the woods, mind lost in a flurry of thoughts. I’d fallen into Elder Jet’s trap, purely because of my own arrogance. All those warriors are dead now because of me, and the worst part is that Elder Jet’s plan worked exactly like he wanted it to.I don’t know what will happen when word gets out about the werewolves I’ve killed. Worst of all is what happened when Ivy showed up. When I finally got control of Lucius, I was horrified to find myself choking Ivy. And although I released her as soon as I got the chance, she was already on the brink of death.She can’t die because of me. She can’t. I burst through the doors of the Lycan Hospital without hesitation. “Who’s the head doctor here?” I roar, whipping my head back and forth in search of anyone who can help. A tall, slender woman immediately rushes over to me. “That–that’s me,” she says cautiously. “My name is Doctor Danbury. How can I help… you…”
Spencer's POV“I am her mate.”The moment I hear those words pass my own lips, I find myself stunned and shocked. I’d never wanted to share this secret with anyone–including Ivy herself. I have no plans to hold any sort of Mate Ceremony with her, nor do I want anyone to use her against me. But the sight of Ivy in her coma…For the first time in my life, I’m afraid. I’m afraid of losing her.Is this because of the mate bond? My mind starts to race, but now’s not the time to ponder that question. I have bigger things to worry about. “I am her mate,” I repeat helplessly, looking around at the swarm of doctors and nurses as if they’re holding some secret answer hostage. “So what can I do to help her? How do I reactivate her life force through the mate bond?”Swallowing her shock and doing her best to restate her mask of professionalism, Dr. Danbury replies quickly. “The Blood Oath Ceremony is the only solution.”“The Blood Oath Ceremony?”The doctor hesitates just a moment before expl
Spencer's POVMy heart races with anticipation as I look over Ivy’s pale body lying on the hospital bed.Since I’ve met her, I’ve done many things I can’t quite explain. Ivy is my mate, and I’m more interested in her than she could ever know, but I never thought I’d be willing to share my life with her. And yet I feel as though losing her would mean losing my life, too. I take my clothes off quickly and sit down next to her on the bed. Slowly, uncertainly, I start to undress Ivy, removing her garments one by one. I draw in a deep breath, trying to stay calm.Once we do this, our bond will be inseparable. Just as I’m about to put Ivy’s things away, I suddenly receive a mind-link from Beta Wilson. ‘The Lycan King found out about your plan to save Ivy,’ Beta Wilson says. Even through the mind-link, I can hear the vague chastising in his tone. No one would dare openly criticize me, of course, but Wilson is not only my Beta; he's like a brother to me. He asked worriedly, ‘The Blood Oat
Ivy's POVI find myself in a vast forest, dappled sunlight pouring through the trees and warming my skin. I know I’ve never been here before, but something about the forest feels uncannily familiar. The arch of the trees, maybe, the crook of the branches. The way a gentle path winds and curves around the woods. The lazy slope of hills spilling across the horizon. It feels safe here. Realizing I’m on my knees, I stand up quickly and turn in a slow circle. The trees spread out in every direction, humming with wildlife. Birds and insects chirp all around me. The sunlight is golden and feels holy against my body. How did I get here?I don’t know where to go, so I pick a direction at random and start walking. I’m barefoot, but the ground is laden with soft moss and grass. A simple white slip falls just past my knees, occasionally lifted by the wind. I know I should be terrified, but I feel more at peace than I’ve ever felt before.“Hello?” I call out tentatively.No response.Am I alone