3

Ivy’s POV

My eyes widened so much they began to sting.

Step-brothers?

I looked at Tatiana, then slowly back at the three men in the room.

The same three Alphas who had stood like gods at the gala.

The same ones who had pinned Maven Grey against the wall without breaking a sweat.

And now- 

They were supposed to be my family? My heart started beating faster. This had to be a mistake.

“The surprises never end, do they?” one of them said lazily.

He leaned back in his chair, long legs stretched out like he owned the world. His amber eyes swept over me slowly, the corner of his mouth lifting in a sharp smile that made my stomach twist.

He looked amused. Like this was entertainment.

“You used to be nicer, Kael,” Tatiana said with a small pout.

So his name was Kael. The same one who had slammed Maven into the wall.

“Well,” Kael replied casually, standing up, “people change.” He grabbed a helmet from a nearby shelf.

“And this is me being nice.” His eyes flicked toward me again.

Something about the way he looked at me made my skin prickle. Like he was studying something… interesting.

Something unusual.

“Kael,” Alpha Richard said, his voice firm. “At least acknowledge her.” Kael sighed dramatically.

Then his gaze finally settled on me. For a brief moment, the teasing expression vanished.

The Alpha aura rolling off him felt heavy. Dangerous.

“Welcome to the Darkwood family,” he said. His voice had turned serious now.

“Try not to embarrass the name.” Then he looked back at his father.

“Happy?”

Without waiting for a response, he slung the helmet under his arm. “I’ve got pack business.”

As he walked toward the door, I quickly stepped aside to avoid blocking his path. The last thing I wanted was to anger another Alpha.

But just as he passed me- He stopped. My breath caught. Kael leaned slightly closer.

Then he sniffed. My entire body froze. A slow smile spread across his face.

My heart began pounding. I waited for the insult. For the usual word.

Omega.

The word everyone used like a curse. But he didn’t say anything.

Instead, he simply walked out of the room. The tension he left behind lingered in the air.

“Lucian? Rowan?” Tatiana prompted gently. The brown-haired one finally spoke.

“We have no objections.” His voice was calm.

Too calm.

But his hands were gripping the edge of the table so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

When he realized I was staring, he released the table immediately and stood up.

Then he walked past me without another word. The last man still hadn’t looked up.

He continued reading his book like none of this mattered. Like I didn’t exist.

I lowered my gaze again. I understood. They didn’t want me here.

And eventually…

They would say so.

…………..

Tatiana led me back to the bedroom I had woken up in earlier.

“This is your room now,” she said warmly.

My room. The words felt unreal.

I had never had a room to myself before. The space was bigger than the entire servant quarters at the Grey mansion.

The bed was soft. The curtains were silk. 

Everything smelled clean. Safe.

It felt less like a bedroom and more like a luxury hotel suite. Tatiana insisted I borrow some of her clothes for now.

“We’ll buy you your own things tomorrow,” she promised. She asked what colors I liked.

What food I enjoyed. What hobbies I had. I didn’t know how to answer any of those questions.

No one had ever asked before.

Eventually, Alpha Richard had to leave for pack matters. Tatiana left with him. 

And suddenly…

I was alone. Alone in a massive mansion. With three powerful Alphas who clearly didn’t want me there.

But that was fine. Being invisible had always kept me safe.

……………..

A knock on the door made me jump. One of the house maids stood outside.

“One of the young Alphas requested you,” she said politely. My stomach tightened.

I followed her back through the mansion.

When we reached the study, only one person was inside. The Alpha who had ignored me earlier.

He stood by the large window, staring out at the forest beyond the estate.

“You sent for me?” I asked quietly. My hands folded automatically in front of me. Tatiana might call him my step-brother.

But habits like mine didn’t disappear overnight.

“Yes.” He didn’t turn around.

“I need to confirm something.”

His voice was cool. Controlled.

“You don’t have any legal issues or criminal cases attached to your name, correct?”

I blinked. “What?”

“I won’t have unexpected scandals appearing because my father decided to adopt a stray.” The word hit harder than I expected.

Stray.

For a moment, my chest tightened. But I kept my voice steady.

“If moving from foster home to foster home counts as a crime,” I said quietly, “then yes.” 

“That’s the worst thing I’ve done.”

Silence filled the room.

Slowly…

He turned around. His eyes studied me carefully now.

“As you already know,” he said, “I’m Lucian Darkwood.”

So this was Lucian. The quiet one. The dangerous one.

“If you’re going to stay here,” he continued, “there are rules.”

My throat felt dry. “What rules?”

His gaze sharpened.

“You only interact with members of this household and the staff.”

“You do not leave the estate grounds without permission.”

“You do not wander the mansion after eight at night.”

“And most importantly-” His voice hardened.

“You do not disgrace the Darkwood name.”

The words sounded less like family rules…And more like a prison sentence.

I didn’t respond. Lucian raised an eyebrow.

“Are we clear?”

I clenched my jaw. “Crystal.” Something strange happened then.

Lucian suddenly looked… uncomfortable. His shoulders stiffened. His eyes flashed red. Just for a second.

I stumbled back in alarm. His gaze snapped toward me. Like he had just remembered I was still there.

“You can go.”

He turned back toward the window. Conversation over.

Just like that.

…………

I returned to my room, my mind spinning.

Something about all of this felt wrong. Why adopt me? A grown omega.

A nobody.

One of the most powerful families in the region didn’t just bring home strays out of kindness. There had to be a reason.

And when people like the Darkwoods had reasons… They were rarely good.

I walked to the door and quietly locked it. Then I stepped onto the balcony.

Night had already fallen.

The estate stretched endlessly in the distance, surrounded by forest. I gripped the railing.

I couldn’t stay here. Sooner or later, they would realize their mistake.

And when they did…I would have nowhere to go. 

Better to leave now. Before I got comfortable. 

Before hope made me weak. I gathered the bedsheets from the wardrobe.

After tying them together into a rope, I secured them to the balcony pillars. My hands trembled as I tested the knot.

It would hold. Probably. I tossed the sheets over the railing.

They just barely reached the ground. Good enough.

Taking a deep breath, I climbed over the balcony.

The cold night air brushed against my face as I began lowering myself down. My arms strained immediately.

I kept sliding. Slowly. Carefully.

But halfway down-

My grip slipped. The ground rushed toward me.I hit the earth hard.

The impact knocked the air from my lungs. Stars exploded across my vision.

Don’t scream.

Don’t scream.

I forced myself to stay silent as I struggled to breathe again. After a moment, I pushed myself up.

I had to move. Guards patrolled the property.

If they found me- I began running.

The forest wasn’t far. Once I reached the trees, no one would see me from the mansion.

Branches scraped my arms as I pushed deeper between the trunks.

Finally, I bent over to catch my breath. My chest burned. My legs shook.

Should I go back to Maven?

The thought alone made my stomach twist. He would kill me for leaving.

But maybe that was still safer than whatever game the Darkwoods were playing. A branch snapped behind me.

I froze. Slowly, I turned around. Nothing.

Just shadows. Maybe it was an animal. I started walking again. Another sound.

Closer this time.

“Who’s there?” I whispered.

My voice trembled. No answer.

Then suddenly- 

Movement. Dark shapes slipped between the trees.

One.

Two.

Three. More.

Glowing eyes appeared in the darkness. My heart stopped. They were surrounding me.

Wolves. Real wolves. Alpha wolves. Predators.

My breath came out in a shaky whisper.

“Oh goddess…” I had escaped one pack… Only to run straight into another.

And judging by the way they were closing in-

This one intended to hunt.