Ivy
“Daddy!” I cried out, rushing straight into his arms as I struggled to control the tears.
“Ivy,” he wrapped his arms around me while I basked in the warmth of it, the safety that came with the feeling of being in his arms. “You really are here. I thought he was just playing.”
“No, I am here. Really here,” I smiled, peeking up at him though not daring to leave the safety of his arms.
It was good to hear the subtle hints of the alpha he was in his voice, even if he looked anything but. I cannot even imagine his pain. Losing his mate, his son and his pack all in the blink of an eye only to be locked up in this dark, tiny cell, not knowing a way out. I think the pain o
“You know the answer, don’t you?” dad said softly, taking my hand in his. “You cannot do this, Ivy. Not anymore. Not now that you are about to become the Luna of the pack. The price you would need to pay isn’t worth it.”“You are priceless to me,” I mumbled. “There is no one that can replace the pain I would feel if I lost you.” “No, you are wrong. There will be no one who could take away the pain you will feel if you lost him, Ivyanka. Trust me on that. Not me, not anyone in this world could help you. Maybe you save me and we start a new life, but the price of that life will be the one you will pay for as
IvyI think I was going to be sick. My stomach churned as I stared at the helpless, innocent eyes that stared back at me, begging me. Tears spilled down my eyes as I flopped down by the door of the cell.“Alpha…” someone whispered before they all bowed their heads in unison and greeted me. The same way they greeted my father, would have greeted my brother. They looked battered and weak and helpless except for that tiny sparkle of hope in their eyes on seeing me. Because they were my people.My pack.“Seems like you like my little surprise, don’t you, little Alpha?” Killian smirked, which widened as I glared at him through my tears.“I am going to kill you,” I hissed.“Hey, that’s unfair. I thought you would finally give me some credit!” he said, shaking his head. “See? I didn’t destroy your entire pack. I left the women and children alone. Shouldn’t you be thanking me that there’s something still left of Mystic
Ivy“No!” a woman screamed from the inside of the cell. I knew her. She was an Omega in the pack. Without any hint of hesitation on his face, Alejandro placed the knife on the child's neck and I watched as he dug the pointed end into his flesh.“Wolfsbane,” Killian stated as-a-matter-of factly as the little boy screamed out in pain. “It will kill him slowly and painfully,” I watched, my stomach recoiling as Alejandro dragged the knife a little further, making him scream out so loud that I knew this was going to haunt me for ages.“Stop!” I shouted. “Stop it!!”“No, don’t feel like it…”“I will do it! I will do whatever you want! Just stop…please stop! I beg you, please…” Killian glanced at me and then at Alejandro and nodded. He let go of the child who sagged down on the floor, still crying. I rushed over to him and pulled him into my chest, holding him tightly to me.“The wolfsbane will spread and poison him!”
AsherI watched Ivy storm out of the bedroom and scowled. Lately, I was having a very hard time recognizing myself and the way I was behaving with her. And it wasn’t about sharing my space. I was not some stupid baby boy who hated sharing toys. No, it was something else. It was the thought of sharing the space with her. I lose control around Ivy. The way she makes me feel just by existing, just by breathing, scares the living daylights out of me.I wanted her.There, that was my confession. I wanted her like I have never wanted another woman and like I would never want anyone again. But I wasn't sure what this want was. Lust? The bond’s influence? Or more? I couldn't understand my feelings for her, and without being completely sure, I couldn't let her in. She deserved better, especially since I'm all she has now. I wasn't perfect, but I believed in being there a hundred percent for someone or not at all. No in-betw
I stared blankly at Sabrina, and so did the others."The blood tears. That’s a classic sign of that. Whoever used this spell, crushed the soul of whoever this wolf belonged to, which explains why the body is left unharmed. It would have caused insufferable pain to this wolf’s soul along with its human counterpart from the inside. Make sense?” Sabrina said.“So, because there was no damage to the physical body, it hasn’t decayed?” I demanded.“Precisely. We usually say the body dies, and the soul lives on, but with this curse, you crush the soul, leaving the body intact. It’s one of the ten Forbidden Curses that witches aren’t allowed to use because the pain is excruciating. The pain incapacitates the body, like paralyzing you, and then slowly and painfully the soul dies inside and there is nothing you can do.” she answered.“And how long does it last?” Dad asked, looking pale.“As long as the one who places the curse wants. It could be days, weeks, months and even…years.”“So you slow
Ivy“What are you doing here at this hour?” Eli demanded, raising a brow. I gulped, my mind completely blank, with no reasonable answer coming to my mind. Why was he even here? This place was at least ten minutes away from the final perimeter. Why does he need to guard around here?“Ivy?” Eli repeated. I opened my mouth to respond, but again wasn’t sure what to say. Did he see me get out of the car? That would be the end of me then. His expression was hard to read, so I couldn’t even decipher whether he was suspecting me or just curious.“I…was…taking a stroll…”Idiot. What an idiot!“What?” Eli frowned, looking blank. “You were taking a stroll here, outside the pack perimeters in the middle of the night?”“No…I was just around the lake house and I…I was following this trail and then I heard something and rushed towards it. Before I realized it, I was here…so, I was just heading back.” I steeled my voice, maintai
IvyI glanced around and was startled to find myself sitting on the gigantic bed in Asher Gray’s room. What was I doing here? Because I remember passing on the couch in the living room. Did he bring me here? Or someone else? And when?“I…what am I doing here?” I muttered, averting my gaze as he pulled off his drenched T-shirt, standing in just his low hanging track pants.His curly hair was tied in a bun and the way his body and muscles flexed and bunched as he took deep breaths was almost disorienting. There were so many tattoos on his body and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to touch them and explore what they all meant.“Twenty-one,” Asher said, pouring himself a glass of water.“What?” I frowned.“I have twenty-one tatoos on my body,” he said, flopping down in front of me. And way too close for my liking. “My birthday falls on twenty-first so,”“Oh,” I nodded.“How many do you have?” he asked casually, taking a slow sip. It was so disorienting to watch him. And how disg
Asher“I am taking the R8,” I stated nonchalantly, pointing to my matte black Audi R8, one of my favorites.“For the Council meeting?” Noah raised a brow.“Your point is?” I grimaced.“Are you trying to show off to your mate, brother?” Logan smirked, nudging me with his elbow.“Ivy isn’t the one to be impressed by fancy cars,” I muttered, retrieving the keys. “I just…”“We get it, Ash,” Logan laughed, patting my back. “Have fun,” I scowled at him before giving my brothers a wave as they pulled out in Logan's BMW while I
IvyI stepped closer, my dagger glinting in the dim light. “What were you doing here? What was the ritual for?”Thalora’s lips curled into a smile as if she were savoring some private joke. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”Sabrina’s magic flared, and the chains constricted sharply. Thalora hissed in pain but laughed again.“You’re standing in the middle of it and you don’t know? Typical. Always so blind to the bigger picture. Fine, fine. You disrupted it anyway, but you might as well know what you’ve doomed yourselves to.” Her gaze flicked to me, dark amusement dancing in her eyes.
IvyThe tunnel opened into a dimly lit corridor, damp and suffocating. The walls were carved from rough stone, and the air carried a mix of mildew and iron—the unmistakable scent of blood. My boots scraped softly against the uneven floor as Sabrina and I moved forward, her magic casting a faint glow that barely pierced the oppressive darkness. I knew this place. This was the Crescent Moon dungeon.“Stay alert,” Sabrina whispered, her sharp eyes scanning ahead.A faint noise—shuffling footsteps and low murmurs—pricked my ears. We slowed, pressing against the cold stone walls.“They&rsqu
IvyI armed myself with whatever possible weapon I could—wolfsbane in small vials, a wolfsbane laced dagger and even small blades laced with wolfsbane. My heart was pounding in my chest as I took deep breaths, pulled on my gloves and headed downstairs. The weather outside was turning darker by the second and Sabrina predicted a blizzard to hit soon.The last update Asher gave me through the mindlink was that the armies have gathered and the glimpse he tried to give me of Killian’s army…things were really not looking good for GrayCrest. We literally had half of what he had apart from the vampires and the hybrids. The only hope now was tha
Christmas morning was filled with the comforting smell of roasted meats, warm bread, and the spice of mulled cider as pack members gathered around the tables for a feast. No one talked about the war, even if between us, we knew that Silas was dead and Noah had actually sent his dead body over to the Crescent Moon—a Christmas gift Killian would remember. Sabrina told me that she has managed to create the antidote and tomorrow she and Avery will start injecting the warriors and everyone else with it before leaving for the battlefield.Cora, Rose, and I had gathered gifts over the past weeks, and together, we made our way through the pack, handing small wrapped bundles to every member. The omega children squealed with delight as they tore into theirs. Stacks of gifts piled up for Aurie and Theo, each pack member contributing something to bring joy to the children. I glanced at Shae and Lia as they added their own contributions to the ever-growing pile. Everyone’s gestures, big or small,
Ivy“How could they even decide that without asking us what the truth was?” Cora growled as Asher’s eyes scanned the letter, turning dark with rage every passing second.“Natalie must have been very convincing,” I grimaced. “Does Logan and Noah know?”“Yes, I told them,” she nodded.“Are they still working on Silas?” I asked. “It’s been long enough.”“None of what Silas told them is of any use to use. And apparently, even he doesn’t know Killian’s war strategy. Logan has tried enough…you wouldn’t want to see what he has done with him. I have never seen Logan this angry in all my life and I have seen a lot…” I pursed my lips. If it scared Cora watching what Logan had done to Silas, then I definitely didn’t want to know.“Well, if we get through this the Council is fucked,” Asher hissed, crumbling the paper in his hands.“Now what?” Cora asked.“Now we fight with all we have got,” he said. “This isn’t going
Out of all the places, I didn’t expect Asher to take me to a tattoo parlor. Did he want to get a tattoo now?“I don’t think this is an appropriate time to get a tattoo…” I muttered as he headed inside.“I’m not here to get a tattoo, but this is where I have got all my tattoos done, in case you were curious. And when all of this shit is over, I have a matching tattoo planned for us as well,” Asher said. “Now…this is why I am here,” I frowned as he pointed to a woman in black standing by one of the booths. She had pink hair tied in a ponytail and looked pissed as fuck as she watched an artist work on a guy.“Ruby,” Asher called. The woman turned around and I blinked. She was typically not the kind of female I could imagine Asher being friends with.“Hello Alpha,” her scowl instantly turned to a grin as she walked over and gave Asher a hug before turning her eyes covered in kohl and liner to me. “Wait…don’t tell me…it’s her, isn’t it? The Silver wolf?” I frowned.How did she know that?“
Ivy Reed, dad and I were gathered in the common study to discuss war strategy. We had spread out maps and charts and all that stuff and now my father was deep in talks with Reed as he explained the old strategies of the army to him. My father looked much recovered now, very much like the alpha he was. If there will ever be a second in my life where I won’t be grateful for Eli’s sacrifice, then I hope the Moon Goddess kills me right there.“Hmm. I believe Killian’s forces will be advancing from this side…” Dad muttered, deep in thought.“Yes,” Reed agreed, his expression serious as he analyzed the map. “And we’ll be positioned here.” He tapped a cluster of trees on our side of the field. “It’ll be steep and treacherous, but we can use that to our advantage. If Killian’s vampires try to attack from higher ground, the slopes and snow will slow them down.”“They’ll likely position their main forces here—vampires an
IvyHybrids? Did he just say hybrids? We all fell into stunned silence as Silas broke out into his maniacal laughter. Out of everything, we never expected this to happen.“Hybrids?” Joseph exclaimed. “What?” Silas nodded his head.“Yes, hybrids,” he grinned. “Killian has an army of hybrids, and he’s going to destroy you all with them. Hybrids are ten times stronger and faster and more lethal…”“But how the fuck did he even create an army of hybrids?” Asher asked. “It’s not possible…”“It is possible and Killian has done it,” Silas hissed. “That’s why he had taken the young wolves. They were at a vulnerable place and terrified by the pain of the first shift…and you know how it is? The breaking bones, the boiling blood scorching their veins…it’s hell.”“And how does this have anything to do with hybrids?” Logan demanded.“That’s a mystery you can solve by yourselves,” Silas spat. “I have told you enough…”“It w
Asher“Let the truth potion work,” Noah muttered.“Sabrina asked to wait three to five minutes and then it should be good to go,” Ivy said. Silas threw her a glare and ended up getting another punch from me.“Don’t you dare…” I hissed. “Now, enough with your shit…it’s time you spill. Tell us, why did you come here? What was the plan, and exactly what happened after the Cold War? Tell us everything…”“Come on…get talking,” Logan slapped his cheeks.“Patience, Logan,” Noah said.“The fact that he isn’t dead yet is enough sign of my patience,” he responded.“Tell us…what happened after the Cold War,” I repeated. Silas looked up, his eyes turning red, the gash on his cheek from Logan’s punch turning purple already.“When we saw that we were losing the war…Alpha Roman asked me to take Luna Charlotte and run,” Silas croaked. “She was pregnant and just a few days away from delivering the baby. I followed his order and did as he asked.”“We know all that…tell us what happened after Charlotte g