Spencer's POVI find Gamma Everly in the middle of the camp, surrounded by a swarm of warriors. “Make way,” I commanded immediately, pushing through the crowd. As I approach her, I can’t see any visible injuries, but her expression is one of profound shock. I narrow my eyes, examining Gamma Everly a bit more closely. Shock is exceptionally unusual for her–the more I look at her, the more I realize I’ve never seen her look this rattled before. I’ve fought alongside her countless times, and haven’t seen her usual calm, wise, put-together attitude slip once. But Gamma Everly looks shaken to her very core. An underlying pressure seems to be seeping into the camp. This time, our enemy may be more formidable than anything we’ve faced before. “Are you alright?” I ask Gamma Everly softly. She nods once. “May I speak privately with you, Your Highness?”“Of course.” Gamma Everly brushes herself off once, as though trying to rid herself of the memories of everything she’s seen, before st
Ivy's POV“I’ve scheduled you for a medical checkup!”I look up at Princess Sylvia in annoyance as she storms into my chambers, arms crossed impatiently over her chest. She stares down at me as though waiting for something. “Who let you in here?” I mutter, stretching out slowly on the loveseat. “A maid. I’m the Lycan Princess, remember? I go where I want,” the princess boasts, tapping her foot impatiently. “Now get moving.” “Which room is it in?” I ask, standing up. “I can head there myself when it’s time.”Princess Sylvia grins. “Oh, it’s not in the palace.”My stomach falls. “I… don’t know, Your Highness,” I say carefully, sitting back down. “My wounds aren’t all that bad, and the medicine has been working. I don’t need a checkup.”The princess scoffs. “It’s not for your wounds. Since you’re Spencer’s mate and potentially the bearer of his heir, it’s crucial that you’re in good health. But because you don’t have a wolf, and Moon Goddess knows what else is wrong with you, it’s im
Ivy's POV“No one is coming to rescue you.”The princess is right, is the worst part. I agree with Princess Sylvia completely: no one will be able to rescue me. But that doesn’t mean I can’t rescue myself. My chances may be positively abysmal. I don’t have an inner wolf anymore, and I’m not particularly skilled in combat, but I’d certai\nl\y p]ucked -up at few tricks from my father over the years. I’m not about to let Princess Sylvia’s scheme succeed without putting up a fight. I won’t give up easily. I have to try. I curl my hands into fists as I climb to my feet, staring the princess in the eyes. As I’m still figuring out potential ways to escape, though, a massive black SUV rams into the car in front of us, taking the maids with it. Princess Sylvia and I leap back in shock, looking up at the huge vehicle in shock. Wordlessly, we duck into a cluster of bushes at the base of the mountain. A silent understanding passes between us: we’ll go back to dealing with our problems aft
Ivy's POV“Follow me!”Princess Sylvia’s voice crackles through the woods like a gunshot as she roars the words at me. She flees quickly into the nearby treeline with perfect grace and impossible swiftness, leaving me following her close behind. I can hear the heavy footsteps of the attacking werewolves as they chase after us, crushing twigs and leaves underfoot. They whoop and holler and roar as they pursue us, acting like they own these woods. Clearly, they’re not worried about anyone else being able to detect us. Where are we?I’m not sure how long we run before my stamina begins to wane. My muscles burn, and my lungs are screaming for a break. Every inch of my body is wracked with excruciating pain and exhaustion. My heart feels like it’s about to beat out of my chest. My steps start to slow, and I find myself lagging behind the princess. “Hurry up!” Princess Sylvia hisses at me, rounding a sharp bend and pulling us into a dense patch of trees. “I… I can’t…” I trail off and st
Ivy's POVAt first, Princess Sylvia’s Lycan Aura seems to be working. But it’s not long before the cracks begin to show themselves. Slowly, shakily, the werewolves all reach into an inner coat pocket and pull out small red vials. I don’t know what they are, but just seeing them makes me feel uneasy. “What’s happening?” I whisper to Princess Sylvia, but she’s too distracted by maintaining the power of her Lycan Aura to answer me. Princess Sylvia glares at the werewolves, face gone red as she continues to hold up the aura. The burly werewolves all down their red potions simultaneously, one of them looking up at me and winking. My stomach curdles. Princess Sylvia’s hold on them slips away suddenly, and they climb back up to their feet without hesitation, something wicked and corrupted glinting in their eyes. The werewolves all turn their muzzles up to the sky, suddenly howling up into the air like madmen. Their powerful roars fill the woods as their bodies begin to swell and conto
Ivy's POV“No!” I scream, rushing towards the fight, but it’s already too late. Princess Sylvia is splayed out helplessly on the ground, looking at the attacking werewolves fearfully as they circle around her fallen body. They lean in and bite at her, then pull away, clearly mocking the princess’s wounded state. Blood continues to pool from the wound on her leg in thick rivulets, and I can see that they’ve managed to bite through her muscle all the way to her bone. The look of pain on Princess Sylvia’s face is excruciating as her leg twitches weakly. I don’t think she’ll be able to stand again. The werewolves who’ve consumed the potions are extraordinarily strong, and Princess Sylvia is already covered in wounds and overexerted from all our running before. I can see the exhaustion etched onto her face. The cards are stacked against her. Like this, she’s no match for them. But even still, she does her best to fight back. “You cowards!” Princess Sylvia snarls, looking between the
Spencer's POVI’m planning my first attack when the surge of anxiety hits me. I let out an involuntary gasp, suddenly grasped by inexplicable panic. My eyes open wide, and I press a hand to my chest, not sure what to do with myself as the flash of worry slowly ebbs away. My heart, which had started racing out of the blue, slowly returns to its usual rhythm. I breathe out a slow sigh as I feel my nerves start to return to their usual steady state. I look around my tent cautiously for any sign of what could have triggered it, but I’m alone here, and if there was an attack outside one of my warriors would have mind-linked me. There’s nothing going on for me to be exceptionally worried about right now. And even if there were, as the powerful Lycan Prince, anxiety isn’t something I typically feel–certainly not in rough sudden flashes like that. Is it related to Ivy somehow? Ever since we performed the Blood Oath Ceremony together, I’ve been able to sense the changes in her mood more a
Spencer's POVAlthough I want to cut my enemy down the moment I see him, I trust Gamma Everly to handle the situation. Or, at least, I trust her enough to hold back for now. I crouch down in my spot in the bushes, completely hidden from view. Despite the distance and the sound of the river burbling, I can still hear the entire conversation thanks to my keen hearing. “–Please, Everly,” I can hear Alpha Jameson saying through the trees. His voice is gentle, pleading, but I don’t believe him for a second. “Ever since I first saw you in those woods, I’ve been utterly captivated by you. You’re my mate, even if you’re the Lycan Royal Family’s Gamma. I know you refused me the first time I asked, but you’re here now, just like I asked you to be, which means you’ve reconsidered. You’re fighting on the losing side of this battle. Join me, and let me make you my Luna.” “You make it sound awfully romantic,” Gamma Everly says flatly, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. “‘Ever since you first saw m
Spencer’s POVAs I push past the double doors and into the hospital’s foyer, I’m struck by the absolute chaos everywhere. There are patients being pushed and shuffled in every direction, and the entire hospital staff looks criminally overworked, worry lines and downcast expressions almost completely hidden behind thick airtight filters. I realize the yellow suits all the staff are wearing match the protective suits Doctor Danbury gave us when we were investigating the Sunclash pack. And if everyone is in plague equipment now…I can only hope we’ll have enough of the antidote to deal with all the infected. That’s an issue for later, though. Right now, my focus is solely on Ivy. “Where’s the queen?” I shout, looking around the foyer frantically. A nurse rushes over towards me hurriedly, gaze darting back and forth. “She–she’s in the quarantine wing, Your Majesty,” the nurse says. “Quite a few patients are, unfortunately. Before I can take you there, I’m going to have to ask you to
Spencer’s POVAs soon as I pass the threshold of the Lycan Kingdom, I hear a frantic message from Captain Leo echoing in my mind. ‘–and they’re here!’ Comes the call, which has surely been repeating over and over again for ages now, if I’m hearing it as soon as I’m able. Captain Leo’s voice is frantic and desperate. ‘Please, Your Majesty, we have to get this under control. We need you here.’ I grit my teeth and keep my gaze peeled on the road ahead. We’re on our way to the palace now, to deliver the antidote to Ivy and whoever else may need it, but we’re still a matter of minutes away at least. ‘We’re in the kingdom now,’ I assure him. ‘Who’s here?’‘The rest of Elder Jet’s rebels, Your Majesty. It seems they were waiting for you to leave.’ I scowl in displeasure as I watch the scenery continue to blur around us. Of course that was the witch’s final plan, coward that she was. To poison my wife and lure me out to the middle of nowhere knowing how desperate I’d be to cure her… It’s
Ivy’s POVAs I lay in the quarantine room, I can feel the growing sickness continuing to spread through my body. Alongside all the typical postpartum symptoms, which would be horrendous enough on their own, the burning is horrible in its unrelentingness. The pain meds feel more like an empty consolation than anything else now. I’m more fatigued than I’ve ever felt before, but I can’t bring myself to fall asleep, because the agony simmering just beneath my skin is impossible to ignore. Am I being punished for something? ‘What am I going to do?’ I ask Venetia hopelessly. There’s no one else to talk to but her. ‘You’ll pull through,’ Venetia assures me, though I can hear the reluctance in her tone. ‘You heard the rumours–Spencer is out there right now, searching desperately for a cure! He loves you. He’s not going to let you die. You matter too much to him.’ I chuckle bitterly. ‘At a certain point, it doesn’t matter how much he doesn’t want me to die. I’ll die or I won’t.’ Venetia
Spencer’s POVAs my claws tear through the ice-cold flesh of the witch’s body, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly pierces the air. With a fierce cry, the witch tries to wrench herself from my grasp, but she only succeeds in dragging her body along my claws, worsening her own injuries. Blood splatters on the ground and onto my paws. It doesn’t feel like blood normally does, though–it’s cold like freshwater and feels oddly slick, almost oily. I pull my lips back over my teeth and growl viciously, searching for the witch’s neck in this darkness. “You beast!” The witch wails like a banshee. I can see her eyes glinting reflectively like a cat’s in the darkness. As we hit the ground, one of her antlers breaks and falls off. “Do you have any idea how powerful I am? You don’t have the faintest whisper of a chance against me, you brute–” I curl my claws inward, deepening the wounds further, and the witch lets out another ragged scream. Suddenly, the darkness in the room all seems to slither t
Spencer’s POV“Run!” My warning to Alpha Fierro echoes through the darkened office seemingly unheard. As the shadows continue to creep around my field of vision, obscuring everything from view, my heart thuds in my chest. Never before had I been scared of an enemy until encountering the witch. I shift fluidly into my wolf form, powerful arms and legs rippling with muscles, fangs and teeth sharp as daggers. My growl is a low, warning rumble in the base of my throat. Despite my heightened sentences as I continue to peer ahead, ears trained to detect the slightest sense of movement, I still have no idea where the witch is. “Reveal yourself, coward!” I shout, my voice echoing through the room. “You betray your honour by slinking around in the shadows.” The witch’s laugh, low and melodious, fills the air. There’s a haunting coldness to it. “Honour is a werewolf construct,” she says. “And it’s so unlike a proud, foolish warrior to consider it a cowardly action to win a battle with intel
Ivy’s POVThe longer I stay in the hospital bed, the more I can feel myself beginning to crumble. The pain is ceaseless in its intensity, great waves of agony that crash over me without letting up for even a second. I can’t scream, can’t cry, can’t move. I’ve given up on trying to call in any of the nurses when the flareups get too bad–all they’ll do is look at me sadly, scared of doing anything to make me worse, scared of simply standing by and watching the queen die. There’s an IV flowing an endless stream of pain medication into my veins, which is helping somewhat, but it’s not enough. All I can do is feel this. Until it kills me, I suppose. I have no idea where Spencer is–after he rushed out of my room unexpectedly like that, he never came back. I’ve heard some whispers floating around the hospital about a great escapade, about the looming creep of a plague sweeping through the kingdom. If it really is a plague, I hope more than anything that Tala didn’t catch it from me. If
Spencer’s POV“Alpha Fierro, I need you to focus up.” The words are harsh as they leave my mouth, but I’m not trying to be malicious, although it’s true that things desperately need to get moving. The longer I spend in the Sunclash pack, the more on edge I feel. Every wall in sight feels like it’s closing in on me, and I can feel the sickness permeating the air. There’s a heaviness to this place now, an endless sense of dread. I have a feeling that this ground will carry the weight of all its deaths for a long, long time. “Scour the office for anything that seems out of place,” I say. “If your Beta was in charge of the pack in your absence, it’s likely that he was the one putting any preventative measures into place. He may have tried to find a cure–hopefully there are signs somewhere around here.” I look down at the man’s corpse, the papers clutched in his fist and the expression of profound horror on his face. “I read his reports. He seems to have been a confident, driven man. I’
Spencer’s POV‘I think a considerable number of people managed to leave, contaminated or not.’ The longer Beta Wilson’s words echo through my mind, the more I begin to realize the scale of the potential disaster we might have on our hands. Where would any contaminated werewolves go? To the surrounding packs, most likely, and from there, the plague could spread from pack to pack to pack endlessly, ultimately becoming a worldwide pandemic…I whirl around to look at Alpha Fierro. “What was your relationship with other packs like?” I ask him urgently. “If any of your pack members were to turn up there looking for help, would they receive it?” “Probably, yeah,” Alpha Fierro says. “We tended to keep things as peaceful as possible. Unless there was very clearly something wrong going on, no one would have any reason to turn any of our members away.” I curse silently under my breath. “Keep heading towards the pack house,” I tell Alpha Fierro, already starting to walk away from him and back
Spencer’s POVMost of my skin has already been covered by my day clothes, but in the few places I’m not, I can feel the hazmat suit’s crinkly plastic resting against me uncomfortably. I shudder as the plastic continues to shift. It clings uncomfortably to my skin and is far from stealthy, causing a loud rumpling sound to ring out with every step. I’d hoped that we could carry out this surveillance with at least the slightest bit of stealth and decorum, but as the entire haphazard team of us begins to make our way into the Sunclash pack, it becomes more and more evident that that’s just not going to happen. Through the suit’s bulbous plastic dome, I make eye contact with Doctor Danbury, clearly far from amused. She purses her lips, and I can see my own frustration mirrored on her face as we continue to lug equipment around. “I know,” she says, coming up to walk beside me. “Believe me, I hate the suits too. Easily one of my least favourite parts of this job. But whatever wiped this p