Ivy's POVThe werewolf attackers don’t seem to be able to move. I pause for a moment, watching them uncertainly, but it seems they heeded my command–when I said stop, they stopped. It’s as if they had no chance but to obey. Why? The question flashed through my mind briefly, but there was no time to ponder it.I walk towards them cautiously, picking past their claws and bloody muzzles as I approach Princess Sylvia–who’s losing blood at a frightening rate. She looks up at me through dazed, glassy eyes as I grab her around the waist and pull her into a bridal-style carry. The werewolves still aren’t moving. The princess’s clothes are sticky and wet with blood, a sensation that makes my skin crawl. Still, I hold onto her as tightly as I can, running quickly into the depths of the forest and. The night feels heavy and ominous as I sprint. The sound of rushing wind and my own desperate breathing fills my ears. I can almost hear my own heartbeat, that dull pulsing and thudding ringing
Ivy's POVSomehow, despite being possibly mortally wounded and bleeding out in the middle of nowhere, Princess Sylvia is able to bring everything back to her relationship issues. I can’t help but roll my eyes at her, grateful that the darkness will prevent her from seeing it clearly. In her words, I feel as though the rude spoiled princess from the palace has returned–the one who had me sent to the Werewolf Council and tried to torture me over a round of etiquette lessons. I don’t actually feel all that frustrated or afraid, though. It’s sort of relieving to catch a glimpse of the Sylvia I’m used to. If she has the energy and the capacity to be feisty, maybe the situation isn’t quite as bad as I thought. Maybe she’s actually got a chance of making it out of here alive“Beta Wilson does care about you,” I reassure Princess Sylvia gently, finding her shoulder through the darkness and squeezing it reassuringly. I think back to the conversation Wilson and I had in the garden. “Even if
Ivy's POV“I’ve got him!” Princess Sylvia whispers through the darkness. Her head lolls weakly, and she suddenly seems much less healthy than she did before. “What–what do I say?” My stomach plummets. I reach for the princess’s hand and squeeze it, then drop my fingers to her wrist to keep track of her pulse. It’s there, but seems weaker than I’d like. Princess Sylvia is in desperate need of medical attention. I don’t know how much time we have.“Tell him where we are,” I advise.“I don’t know where we are!”I grit my teeth. “Tell him the name of the area you wanted me to be imprisoned in, then, and tell him we’re hiding in an animal cave in the side of the mountain. That should help.”“Alright.” Princess Sylvia doesn’t even seem to have the decency to sound ashamed of her actions as she relays the information to Beta Wilson. “Tell him you’re injured, too,” I add. “He could probably bring us medical supplies–at the very least, something to help you with the pain.”“What pain? I’m
Ivy's POV“Because I don’t want Spencer to die!”My eyes widen at the princess’s confession. “What do you mean you don’t want Spencer to die?” I ask. “I thought me dying would only weaken him–are you telling me it would kill him?”Princess Sylvia sighs. “That part is true–in theory, it would only weaken him, because you’re his mate and you performed the Blood Oath Ceremony together. But the Lycan Royal Family is at war now, and Spencer is right there out on the battlefield. If you were to be killed, the pain it would bring Spencer could cost him his life in the heat of combat. Spencer is the Crown Prince, the future Lycan King. And I have to put my family first. So I had no choice but to try and save you.” I fall into stunned silence. Princess Sylvia smiles at me wryly, a bit of blood dribbling out of her mouth. “Does that upset you?” She asks. “To know I only saved you for the sake of the Lycan Royal Family?”“I don’t… I don’t know,” I manage, still stunned by her words. She chuck
Ivy's POV“We need to move.”The words leave my mouth in a hiss. I scoop Princess Sylvia up into my arms, praying I’m not jostling her too badly as I look frantically around the cave for somewhere tucked-away to hide her. “What are you doing?” Princess Sylvia whispers angrily, pushing at my chest weakly. “Put me down!” “Fine.” I’ve already found where I need her to be anyway. I set her down behind a little stone outcropping that will hopefully conceal her from view, then grab a couple strewn-about sticks and leaves and scatter them nearby. My haphazard heap of materials mostly obscures the princess from immediate view, looking almost like the abandoned nest of some long-gone critter. I pray it’s enough to divert any attention away from her. The footsteps continue to shuffle around the woods, but I can’t quite manage to gauge their distance. “I’m gonna need you to be real quiet, now,” I whisper. My plan is simple: I’m going to use myself as a diversion to distract whoever’s out t
Ivy's POVBeta Wilson’s clothes are streaked with blood. I want to cry with relief upon seeing him here to rescue us, but I have to suppress them, knowing now isn’t the right moment. Because Beta Wilson’s clothes are streaked with blood, which means that something is very, very wrong. “What happened?” I ask, crawling out of the cave and leaning against the mountainside in shock. I look up at him. The blood splatter on his clothes looks like it was left by slashing wounds, and there’s so much of it I can’t tell if any of it is Beta Wilson’s. “Are you okay?” “I’m alright,” Beta Wilson assures me quickly. “But as I was searching the woods for you and the princess, I encountered a raging Lycan nearby. I tried to speak with him, but he was extremely aggressive, and ended up attacking me first. I had to fight him.” He lowers his head, somewhat ashamed. “I’ve never seen anything like it, Miss Ivy. Or–well. I’ve seen something like it once.”Beta Wilson averts his gaze, and I know he’s ta
Ivy's POV“We need to go.”I look up at Beta Wilson in surprise. He’s spent the past little while taking care of Princess Sylvia–applying bandages, cleaning out wounds, and speaking to her in a hushed voice–but there’s a concern to his voice now that takes me off guard. “We don’t know how many more enemies are out there,” Beta Wilson says. “I’ve managed to get the princess stabilized enough for transport now, but I don’t want to risk us staying here any longer.”I nod. I’m about to ask what our next steps are when suddenly I realize that Beta Wilson is here alone with us–there aren’t any more of our warriors in sight. “Why isn’t anyone with you, Beta Wilson?” I ask. “Where are the others?”“They’re on their way, but I scouted ahead,” he explains, scooping Princess Sylvia up into his arms. He cradles her head gently, brushing his fingers through her matted hair, and walks towards the cave entrance. “I was worried about their safety, so I figured I’d have a look around first. I’d only
Ivy's POV“Take her.” Beta Wilson rushes over to me as the two werewolf warriors advance on us, pressing us closer and closer together. They grin as they circle us, clearly confident they’ve got their prey cornered. I gasp as Beta Wilson hoists Princess Sylvia into my arms. He turns his sharp gaze to the enemies in front of us, sizing them up warily. The princess’s body feels heavy in my arms, damp with sweat and blood. Her eyes are shut, moving back and forth rapidly behind closed eyelids. Her skin is ghostly pale and glossy. Her lips open and close, murmuring words no one can understand. She’s clearly fallen unconscious, well beyond reach now. She’s burning red-hot with fever. The moment Princess Sylvia is out of his hands, Beta Wilson steps away and shifts into a large brown wolf. With a roar that shakes the treetops, Beta Wilson launches himself into combat, hurling himself at the first werewolf in a flurry of fangs and snapping teeth. The sounds of battle quickly fill the ai