Chapter 20 Ivy’s POV"What?" I whispered, the word slipping out before I even realized it.My mouth hung open. I couldn't close it. Couldn’t breathe, even. Had I heard Jack right?“You’re my mate, Ivy. The one I’ve been waiting for.”That one sentence sent my world into a tailspin. It felt like someone had opened a trapdoor beneath me and I was free-falling, my heart left fluttering in the air behind me.Jack, this stranger I barely knew… just told me I was his mate?He smiled, like what he said was casual. Like it didn’t just rip through the confusion in my soul and add another crack to the already fragile state of my heart.He walked to the passenger door and opened it for me. “Let’s go to school,” he said gently. “I’ll take you.”I just stood there for a moment. Everything inside me was tangled in knots. Should I trust him? Could I?Jack was kind. His presence calmed me. His words made me feel seen. But Damon…Damon had carved himself into my thoughts like a scar I couldn’t look aw
Chapter 19 Ivy’s POVHe lunged toward me with terrifying speed, his red wolf eyes blazing, his snarl echoing off the stone walls. For a moment, I thought he would rip into me. I didn’t flinch, I was ready. My own blue wolf stood her ground, furious and trembling. We were locked in a deadly stare, two storms circling each other.But then, he stopped.Just inches away from me, his massive paws halted mid-step. His claws slowly retracted. His breathing slowed. And without a word, Damon shifted back into his human form.I followed, breathing heavily, letting Vivian retreat as the blue fur vanished and bones cracked back into place. I gasped, now bare and trembling on the cold castle floor. I was completely naked, my knees pressing into the hard stone, hair falling in wild curls over my shoulders.He didn’t look at me with lust or anger. Just… quiet. Distant.He pulled off the shredded remnants of his robe, the one I’d torn in my rage, and silently draped it around me. The fabric smelled
Chapter 18 Ivy’s POVI didn’t know what came over me. I swear to God, I hated this man. I hated him,.loathed every breath he took and every arrogant word that came from behind that damned mask. But last night... something shifted. It was still me who reached out to catch him when he stumbled. Still me who ran to his side when he looked like he had lost every last bit of hope and was going to throw himself into the water.So why..why in the holy name of the Moon Goddess, was I now lying under the duvet completely naked, whispering in my mind, “Come touch me… Come take me…”?What the hell is wrong with me?My heart was thumping like it was trying to rip out of my chest. My legs tangled awkwardly beneath the sheets as my body burned with a need I didn’t understand. The door creaked open, and there he was, Damon. Still in that ridiculous mask that hid everything… yet revealed too much.His eyes widened the moment he saw what was under the duvet.And I expected it.I expected him to poun
Chapter 17 Damon’s POV“Get out!” I growled, voice hoarse with rage and pain.The maids and guards, Ivy, the healer and selene didn’t wait a second. They scattered like frightened birds, leaving me alone in the suffocating darkness of my chambers. The door slammed shut behind them with a heavy thud that echoed through the stone walls like a death bell.Alone again. Like always.I collapsed onto the cold marble floor, my knees buckling as though my body finally gave in to the weight of centuries. My hand flew to my chest, fist clenching over the cursed chain that burned against my skin like a branding iron. A sob escaped me, raw and guttural. My shoulders shook violently as tears streamed down my face. I wasn’t crying, I was breaking.“I can’t… I can’t do this anymore…”My fingers brushed the sharp, dagger-like letter opener on the table beside me. Without thinking, I grabbed it and plunged it into my chest. The pain was sharp, searing… but fleeting.The wound healed instantly.Of cou
Chapter 16 Damon’s POV“You’re mine tonight,” I murmured into her ear, my breath hot against her skin.She froze.Her back stiffened, and I felt the slightest tremble in her shoulders. I watched her, closely. Her lips parted as if to protest, but no words came out. Her eyes, wide with fear, flicked to mine. She wasn’t ready. Not emotionally. Not physically. Her body was here, but her soul? Her soul was already trying to escape.She didn’t want this.And yet I was here, towering over her, with my abs visible, fists clenched with desire and duty.I told myself it was for her good. That once this was done, once we consummated the bond, I’d finally be released. She’d get the happy ending she dreamed of. Peace. A life free of me. This was the only way. That’s what I kept telling myself. Repeating it like a sacred chant to drown out the guilt trying to claw its way into my chest.But the guilt didn’t stay quiet for long.Because the moment I reached for my trousers, I saw her.Her.Aria.
Chapter 15 Ivy’s POV“What? Consum… what?” My eyes widened in disbelief, my voice cracking at the edges.Damon's voice was low, dark, and sharp like a knife cloaked in silk. “Consummation. With me.”I blinked. My pulse spiked. “I— I can’t. We didn’t talk about that. We never talked about having sex. I’m not ready!” My voice broke into a desperate yell.He didn’t even flinch. Beneath that eternal mask, his lips curled into a smirk so smug it burned through me. I could see it in the angle of his jaw, the arrogant tilt of his head.“Really?” he said, tilting his head slightly. “I don’t need to say much. Just know I’m ready for tonight. We have to consummate our bond... for the chain to be broken.”And just like that, he vanished. Gone. The silence he left behind was louder than his presence.I stood there frozen, heart hammering, body trembling. My fingers clawed at my own arms as I tried to ground myself. What the hell just happened?Why would I have sex with him?No. No! That can’t ha