Putting an end to this!

Chapter 5

Ivy’s POV

Just then, his hand lashed across Derek’s face…a sharp, echoing slap. Derek groaned, doubling over, blood trickling from the corner of his lips.

“Ooohch!” I gasped.

A small part of me wanted to laugh, not because it was funny, but because everything was so wildly absurd. Was I... enjoying this? Watching Derek, the one who used to hold power over me, now whimper like a child?

The masked Lycan turned to me, his voice cold and controlled. “Tell me, what do you want me to do to him?” His head tilted. “I can’t kill an Alpha, but I can make him wish I did.”

Why was he doing this? I wasn’t even his bride.

He must’ve heard my thoughts, again.

“I know you might not be the real bride…” he said, stepping closer, his voice dropping to a whisper,

“But I’ll make it you. I believe it’s you.”

What?

Before I could even ask what he meant, guards stormed in the forest.

“Take him away!” he commanded.

Two of them lifted Derek like he weighed nothing. His head lolled to the side, his body weak and limp. He didn’t fight. Didn’t even speak. He was broken.

And then, like a shadow gliding across a flame, the masked Lycan turned toward me. His gloved hand reached for mine.

“You’re going home with me,” he growled. He gripped my wrist, firm and commanding.

I froze. My breath caught in my chest.

“I… I’m not…” I stammered, my feet instinctively stepping backward.

He didn’t let go.

“Are you scared of me too?” His voice wasn’t just cold now. It was… wounded. Quiet. Raw. “Like the others, huh?”

My lips parted, words struggling to form.

“No… Emmm…”

“Yes, you are.” His gaze pierced through me beneath the mask. “Don’t lie to me. I know everything.”

The pain in his voice hit harder than any slap. And just like that, something in me shifted. My heart ached a little. For him. How long had he carried this loneliness?

Before I could speak, the world around me blurred. My stomach lurched. My feet lifted off the ground. And then…

Darkness. Cold stone. High ceilings. Shadows. We were inside the castle again.

My knees nearly buckled. My chest heaved. “I hate this,” I muttered under my breath.

“Welcome back to your home,” he said, stepping beside me.

“Home?” I whispered, blinking rapidly.

“Yes,” he answered simply. “Your home.”

He moved closer. I looked up and for a brief second, I saw his eyes beneath the mask…stormy silver, dangerous and beautiful. Something inside me stalled.

“You’re lost,” he said softly.

I blinked fast, pulling myself out of that strange trance. “No…I’m not!” I snapped and spun away, but then paused. “Stop teleporting with me. I can’t get used to it. It’s terrifying.”

He chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. I’ll do it as often as I like.”

My fists clenched. I wanted to slap him.

“I can hear your thoughts,” he murmured, voice low, warning. “Don’t try anything stupid. Or I’ll show you what I can really do.”

He slammed me gently but firmly against the wall, one hand beside my head. My breath hitched again.

Why was my heart beating like this?

“Maybe you’ve fallen in love with me,” he said, echoing the thought that had barely formed in my mind.

God. This was bad.

“Yes, I can hear everything,” he confirmed, still dangerously close. “But don’t fall for me. You have one job…to find a way to remove the chains on my body.”

His fingers reached up to smooth my hair. I stilled completely, lips parting, barely breathing.

This… this wasn’t the monstrous cursed Lycan king I’d imagined. This was something else. Something broken. Something terrifying.

“Selene!” he suddenly called.

A tall woman rushed in.

“Take her to the prepared room. She’s my personal maid.”

I spun to him, almost shrieking. “What?!”

“Yes,” he said, calmly, his face unreadable behind the mask. “You haven’t touched my chains yet. That means you’re not the bride. So now, you work. I paid for you.”

With that, he turned and walked away, his dark cloak sweeping behind him like mist.

I stood frozen. Maid? Again? After everything?

But another thing bothered me. my failed escape attempt. I heard he wasn't nice at all.

But hadn’t even mentioned my escape attempt. Maybe he forgot?

But then his voice echoed behind me again.

“Yes. You’ll be punished later for trying to escape.”

I screamed and jumped. He was right in front of me again.

“It must be amazing to appear like that,” I

muttered under my breath.

“Yes. It’s very amazing.” He turned to Selene. “Make sure to give her loads of work. That’s her punishment for today. Tomorrow, she serves me directly.”

And like smoke, he vanished again.

“I’m Selene,” the woman said, eyeing me with a slight grin. “I’m the head here.”

“I’m Ivy…” I whispered. “Nice meeting you.”

She nodded. “Come. We’ve got work to do.”

I followed reluctantly, my stomach sinking with each step.

“Your job for today is to wash those plates,” she said, pointing.

My jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?”

Piles. Mountains. A ridiculous, never-ending tower of dirty plates.

“This is suicide! I can’t!”

“Always obey,” she said calmly.

Just then, we heard a horrible scream.

We rushed out.

All the maids had bowed, faces down. One was lying in a pool of blood.

His hands were soaked in it.

I’d forgotten, even if just for a second, what he really was. A beast. A killer.

He appeared before me again, eyes locked on mine.

“Yes,” he said coldly. “I’m a beast. Block your heart. Obey orders. Or you’ll end up like her.”

Tears burned my eyes as he disappeared again.

The maids scattered like leaves in the wind.

“Go to work,” Selene said, her voice softer this time.

I dragged myself to the sink, my hands trembling as I picked up the first plate.

Had I made the right choice… asking him to help me get revenge on Derek?

“Wait!” I called after Selene before she left.

“Yes?” she asked, glancing back.

“What happens… when the bride removes the Lycan king’s chains?”

She paused.

“When the chains are removed… he dies. He ceases to exist.”

What?!

“Yes.” She nodded. “Completely gone.”

She walked off, leaving that revelation to twist inside me.

This is great. If I want to escape, I just need to remove those chains. He’ll disappear. Gone.

“Yes… work hard to kill me,” a voice whispered behind me.

I screamed and dropped the plate, but strong arms caught me by the waist, steadying me.

I looked up. His eyes burned into mine.

“S-sorry…”

His jaw clenched. “Stop thinking. Your thoughts are loud. You’re disturbing my mind. Can’t you just stop thinking?!”

He roared, shoving off from me like something possessed him.

“Lord!” a voice called from the door.

A guard stood there, pale-faced.

“What is it?” the king snapped.

“The prisoner… he’s escaped!”

“What?” I whispered, my throat tightening. “Derek… escaped?”

My knees almost gave out. My heart thundered so hard it felt like it might crack my ribs. I grabbed the counter for balance.

Damon’s voice sliced through the panic.

“Find him!” he barked, spinning toward the guards. “He wouldn’t have gone far.”

They scattered immediately like ants under threat.

“We shall find him!” one shouted over his shoulder.

I turned to Damon, my fists trembling at my sides.

“Really?” My voice broke with rising fury. “Did you ever actually plan to help me? Or was it all just another game to you?”

He stilled.

“If you really wanted me to get revenge, you would've secured him properly! You let him escape…don’t act like you didn’t!”

His eyes darkened as he stepped closer, and the air shifted…thick, electric.

“What are you saying?” he asked, his voice low, controlled, terrifying.

I didn’t back down. “I know you made him escape.”

His nostrils flared.

“You dare accuse me?” he growled. His voice cracked with rage, his eyes burning red. Claws slipped from his fingertips. “I promised to help you, even when you couldn’t touch the damn chains! And this… this is what I get?”

Then…he lunged.

Before I could scream, his hand wrapped around my neck. My back slammed into the cold wall. The impact knocked the air from my lungs.

A twisted smirk curled on his lips as his claws brushed my skin.

“Well, well,” he murmured, voice laced with dark curiosity. “Look at that. I can touch you now.”

His grip tightened, and I gasped, fingers clawing at his wrist.

“How is that possible?” he muttered to himself, almost amused. “What do I care?” His expression turned cold, eyes empty.

“All I know is…I’m done putting up with you.”

His hand squeezed harder.

A sharp pain bloomed in my throat, tears springing to my eyes. My legs kicked against the ground, desperate for freedom, desperate to breathe.

“D-Damon…” I choked out.