Connor’s POV The door clicked shut behind her, but it may as well have been a thunderclap in my ears. Aria was gone again, and the silence she left in her wake was deafening. Who was that and why did she appear all tensed up when he opened the door? My wolf was a storm inside me, howling and tearing at my resolve, furious that I’d let her walk away. I slammed my fist against the glass table beside me, the shattering crystal matching the chaos in my chest. Whiskey spilled in amber streaks across the floor, a meaningless mess compared to the wreckage she’d left in my soul. The frail, broken girl I had abandoned was long gone. The woman who faced me now was a force of nature, brimming with power and icy resolve. My wolf, who’d spent years mourning her absence silently, clawed at me like I was the enemy. ‘You let her leave again. You failed her again,’ my wolf—Zik growled. “Dammit!” I roared, my voice cracking as I spun, fists clenching. The reflection in the window stared back
Lila’s POVI watched the hall buzz with whispers, my lips pressed into a thin, bitter line. My nails dug into my palms as my eyes locked on her—Aria. Or Ivy Blackwood, as she now called herself. She stood there, radiant and untouchable, like she had never been the broken girl we had cast out. She looked graceful and powerful, wrapped in a life that I deserved.And Connor…My blood boiled just remembering the way he had looked at her. That unspoken awe in his eyes. He used to look at me like that—like I was everything he ever wanted. He had begged for me, worshipped me, practically crawled on his knees when I finally agreed to rule by his side.I had watched Connor disappear through the doors, my mind racing.He wasn’t thinking clearly, and I couldn’t let this go on any longer. He was mine. I had spent too long molding myself into the perfect Luna, earning the admiration of our pack, only for him to throw it all away over her.Aria.No. She wouldn’t win. Not again.I clenched my fists,
Lila’s POVThe receptionist’s face was pale, her mouth parting in an awkward attempt at speech. “Miss… Ivy? I thought you—” I tilted my head slightly, a slow smile curling on my lips. Let her stumble. I enjoyed the power in her hesitation—the brief flicker of uncertainty as she tried to reconcile me with the little bitch who now called herself Ivy. “Relax,” I said, my tone soft but commanding. “I’m just here to meet your boss. Can you let Ms Ivy know that her twin sister has arrived?” The receptionist blinked, flustered, but nodded quickly, fingers fumbling across the sleek keyboard as she paged someone through the intercom. I didn’t need to hear her announcement to know where she was sending me. Aria—wasn’t expecting me at all. I slipped into the elevator with an air of calm I didn’t feel. The chrome walls reflected fragments of me, pieces of Lila Carrington—but they would soon see a new Ivy Blackwood. Or some version of her, anyway. The elevator chimed, opening into the
Leo’s POV It has been almost a week since I returned to my kingdom, leaving behind the only solace I’d found in years—her. Ivy. My light. The thought of her was the only thing keeping me sane, the only relief from the shadows that clawed at my mind and soul. But here, in this cursed place, the weight of my reality crushed me. The council chamber was suffocating, filled with the same stale air and the same tired arguments. They spoke of rebellions in the eastern provinces, of lands dying, of crops failing. They spoke as though these were mere inconveniences, not symptoms of the curse that was consuming me and the kingdom. I let their words wash over me, my mind slipping back to the past. To when it all began. Dina, the sorceress my father had scorned, had cursed me before I’d taken my first breath. My father’s betrayal of her had sealed my fate. She sent plague after plague against my family, but my mother’s magic had shielded us. Until I was born. I was her weakness. The curs
Leo’s POV Very few people had ever seen my face. The mask I wore was not just a cover but a fortress. It allowed me to walk among my people without truly being known, a necessity when you are cursed to destroy all you touch. Everyone knew I was a hybrid—the son of the Lycan Queen and their Alpha King. They whispered about the shadow-born king, a tyrant cursed to drain the land and soul of anyone who came too close. But no one, not even the council, knew my face. Except for a select few. My beta Zane, and Isabella, my only childhood friend, are the only ones that know that Leo Ashton is indeed the Alpha King. The memory of my uncle’s visit in the human world surfaced unbidden, his desperate plea still as absurd as the day I’d heard it. I remembered suppressing a laugh. The irony had nearly choked me. Here he was, begging a man he thought to be a business tycoon to join his crusade against the very king who stood before him. The sound of the war drums echoed in my ears long afte
Leo’s POV“Is that all you came to say?” I growled angrily at Dina, bored out of my mind. I thought they had come for a battle.“This is my one and only last offer, Alpha, you should reconsider,” she sneered with a vicious laugh.Dina’s words clung to me like a curse on their own, the shadows inside me latching onto them, twisting them into something darker. I couldn’t shake them—‘sacrifice your light’. My pulse thundered in my ears as I stalked out of the great hall, leaving Dina’s smug expression behind.Zane followed me, his boots echoing on the stone floor as he kept pace. “Alpha,” he started, his voice calm but firm.“Don’t.” My tone was sharp, final, but I knew Zane too well to think he’d stop.He ignored my warning. “If she knows about this ‘light,’ we need to address it. Who or what is she talking about?”I stopped abruptly, turning to face him. My claws itched to extend, and the hybrid in me begged for release, but I fought it down. “Drop it, Zane,” I growled, my voice low an
Ivy’s POV It has been two days since Lila’s last visit. Two days since the girl who was once my sister barged back into my life, uninvited and unwelcome, yet carrying an air of authority as if she still had power over me. The memories of our last encounter lingered in my mind like a sour taste. Lila’s arrival wasn’t casual—it was calculated. Everything about her was deliberate, from the tilt of her head to the faint smirk that curled her lips when she thought I wasn’t looking. I didn’t trust her, and yet, her presence unsettled me more than I was willing to admit. I wrapped my arms around myself, pacing the length of my room. The faint hum of city life buzzed across the estate walls, a distant reminder that the world kept moving, even as my own stood still with the appearance of the past I thought was long buried. My chest tightened at the thought of Leo. Two weeks. Two excruciating weeks without a word, a text, or even a whisper of his existence. He is not my mate but that di
Ivy's POVMy blood ran cold. That voice—a voice I hadn't heard in weeks but knew as intimately as my own heartbeat. "Leo," I whispered, my voice trembling against his palm. He released me slowly, and in the faint moonlight streaming through the window, I could see him. He looked... different. His frame was leaner, his face sharper, as though the weight of the world had been pressing down on him. But his eyes—they burned with the same intensity as before, smoldering with something between anger and longing. For a moment, neither of us moved. The tension in the room was suffocating, like the calm before a storm. I clutched the towel tighter around me, my damp hair clinging to my shoulders. "Where have you been?" I asked, my voice breaking as a mixture of relief, anger, and heartbreak surged through me. "Two weeks, Leo. Two weeks of silence. Do you have any idea what that did to me?" He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, stepping closer. "I know, Ivy. I know. But I had to—
IVY'S POV“No!” I thrashed, every limb rebelling as I strained against the chains. “Get your filthy hands off me! You’re all monsters!”The burn of the restraints cut deeper, but I didn’t care. My voice tore through the chamber like a wounded beast. “You think this makes you powerful? You think having your way with a chained woman makes you a king? You’re nothing, Alpha. Nothing but a coward too weak to accept rejection. Your mate despised you. I despise you too!”The Alpha stood in front of me, unshaken. His eyes gleamed—not with rage, but something worse. Hunger. Satisfaction. Humor.He turned to the sorcerer, his voice low, almost casual. “If I spill my seed into her… will it hold?”The sorcerer’s breath caught, then his face lit up as if struck by divine revelation.“Oh… oh, my King,” he murmured, sinking to one knee. “You are brilliant beyond compare. A true leader. Of course! Of course! If she bears your heir, the bond will be forever weakened. No Alpha would dare claim a woman
The estate loomed into view like a palace of memories she wanted to bury. The towering gates, the long marble driveway, the manicured hedges. To anyone else, it looked like luxury.To her, it looked like a trap.A trap that could destroy all her plans.The moment they stepped inside, staff rushed to greet her. She didn’t recognize any of them despite their attempts to be friendly. They all wore the same annoying expression—concern mingled with curiosity.As if wondering what had really happened to Miss Ivy.Lila smiled.Fake. Perfect. Practiced.She had no choice now.“It’s good to be home,” she said smoothly.Richard narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.They led her up to her room, the unfamiliar halls pressing in around her like the walls of a tomb. The maids bustled in behind her, changing the sheets, restocking the drawers, pretending not to notice the tension radiating from her.When they left, she stood in the center of the room, staring at her reflection.Ivy stared bac
The scent of antiseptic hung thick in the air, cold and suffocating, clinging to the sterile white walls like a ghost that refused to leave. The room, though bathed in daylight streaming through a narrow, barred window, held no warmth. The only sounds were the distant echo of shoes on tile and the low, mechanical hum of machines monitoring the fragile boundary between sanity and madness.In the center of it all lay Lila.Or as the staff here knew her: Ivy Blackwood.Her brown hair was disheveled, matted to her forehead with sweat. Her pale skin, once radiant with carefully curated poise, now looked wan and haunted. Her eyes, wild and rimmed with exhaustion, flicked around the room like a cornered animal searching for an escape. But there was none. The straightjacket bound her arms tightly to her torso, and leather restraints anchored her ankles to the bed frame.She hadn’t spoken since the screaming stopped.The nurses whispered when they thought she couldn’t hear. Said she was mad. T
Leo’s POVThe battlefield quieted, save for the crackling fires and the groans of the dying. My pulse still thundered in my ears, but the bloodlust began to ebb, leaving behind a sharp, aching clarity.I stood among the ruins of Malrik’s failed rebellion, blood soaking my skin, teeth still stained from the life I had ripped from their veins. The night was far from over—I could feel it, like a splinter in my mind. Something dark was coming.The air shifted.Colder. Heavier.Even my warriors sensed it. Their post-battle roars died out, one by one, and an unnatural silence swallowed the clearing. Connor’s lips curled into a snarl, Zane’s claws still dripped red, but their eyes darted to the treeline.Then I saw her.She stepped out of the shadows like smoke made flesh.Dina.The last time I saw her, she stood in front of my throne room, asking me to sacrifice my mate. She hadn’t changed—still dressed in her dark robes that rippled like oil in the wind, her face pale and ageless, her eye
Ivy’s POVThe fourth day turned out to be the worst.Worse because I am still alive. Worse because every time Alpha Raul marked me, the pain got sharper. Deeper.And every time, my wolf—valiantly, defiantly—rejected him.The room stank of sweat, old blood, and Alpha Raul’s scent—thick and clinging like rot. My body was raw, my neck a patchwork of torn flesh where Raul had tried to mark me over and over. But my wolf—the last spark of resistance I had left—rejected him every time. And each rejection felt like death.The mark was slow to heal, and before it could fully fade, Alpha Raul would sink his teeth into the same spot—reopening the wound and claiming it all over again.Each time he sank his fangs into me, it was as if my soul was being torn in half, only to be stitched together by burning wire. I would scream until my voice gave out, until my throat was ragged and raw, until the pain folded me into unconsciousness. But every time I came back, chained and shivering, he would try a
Leo’s POVThe air crackled with energy as I stepped onto the battlefield, the scent of war thick on the wind—blood, sweat, steel. The moon hung low, bloated and red like it was thirsty for carnage. Good. It would feast tonight.My boots crushed charred earth as I led my warriors across the eastern border of the palace, where Malrik’s pathetic rebellion had gathered like a swarm of diseased rats. I could hear their howls echoing in the distance, could hear the roar of their chants—wild, desperate, undisciplined. Fools.Zane met me at the front lines, blood already staining his cheek and his blade. “They’ve broken through the outer ring,” he said breathlessly, “but they’re sloppy. No formation. Just brute force.”I sneered. “Then let’s show them what real force looks like.”I shifted.Bones cracked, flesh tore, and a searing fire ignited in my veins as my wolf burst free. My muscles expanded, fur black as shadow blanketing me, claws gleaming like blades. But it wasn’t just my wolf—my va
Leo’s POVMy hand shot out, grabbing Dante by the throat again —but this time, I didn’t squeeze. I leaned in, my golden eyes burning with a primal, ancient rage. Does the name Blackwood ring a bell?" I growled, my face mere inches from his. I watched his features quiver, the slight tremor betraying the fear he was too proud to voice.He didn’t answer. Didn’t even blink.Rage ignited in my veins. My fist slammed into his face—once, twice, again and again—until the wet crunch of bone and flesh filled the air. Blood sprayed across my shirt, warm and slick, but I didn’t stop. Not until his head lolled and his breath came in ragged, shuddering gasps.“Ivy Blackwood,” I murmured, my voice like a death sentence. “The woman you kidnapped weeks ago. The one whose life you almost ruined. The one you would have killed if she hadn’t escaped you.” Dante's body jerked violently beneath my grip, his muscles spasming as I held him in place. I struck his face—once, twice—the sharp crack echoin
Leo's patience snapped.The power in his voice sent a tremor through the air. “You have no idea who you’re speaking to! I am the Alpha King. She is my mate. How dare you harbor feelings for the Queen of our realm?” Connor’s expression faltered, his eyes flickering with something unreadable. Then— Leo’s golden irises darkened, flashing with raw power. Connor’s wolf recognized it.A shudder rippled through him. His wolf whimpered, instinctively bowing its head. Leo stepped closer, his voice a deadly whisper. Realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. This was it.This was why his wolf instinctively bowed whenever Leo spoke. This was why his body yielded despite the Alpha blood running through his veins. The truth settled in his bones, heavy and unshakable. ‘So this is the invisible king of our realm…’The man who ruled from the shadows. The one who never showed his face, yet his presence alone commanded submission. The ruthless, unchallenged ruler every pack whispere
Alpha Raul’s growl ripped through the chamber, primal and raw, shaking the very walls. His claws unsheathed in an instant, his chest rising and falling with ragged fury. But Ivy? She only smiled.“Like I said,” he murmured, ignoring Ivy's taunts, his grip tightening on her jaw. “I’ll do what I didn’t do last time. I’ll mark you as mine.” He leaned closer, his breath hot on her face. “Only then will you know your place. Only then will you learn total submission.”The words sent ice plunging through my veins. Ivy's eyes widened. “No. No, you can’t fucking do that.” She fought, jerking her head away, but his grip was iron. “Hold her down!” His men obeyed instantly. She screamed as they pinned her down, their hands like shackles against her arms and legs. Her body shook violently, every instinct inside her roaring in defiance. The king’s fangs elongated, his pupils dilating as his gaze locked onto her neck. His breath was warm against her skin, and she knew what was coming