Chapter two

“Girl, you're trending all over the pack” Tessa shrieked from behind Ivy. 

“Hmm” Ivy grunted as she placed a berry into her mouth but Tessa was not stopping. 

“Don't ‘hmm’ me! You defied an Alpha, Alpha Zeke at that! Do you know how insane that is? people are calling you the brave fool of the century. You were so cool Ivy ” She muttered, sinking into a chair before placing her tray of food on the table. 

“What do you mean defy? I just rejected his rejection” Ivy defended. 

“Well, no one else has” Tessa teased, twirling a spoon between her fingers. 

Before Ivy could retort, a deep baritone voice called out “Luna”. 

The girls turned. Lucas, Zeke's beta stood before them, a huge grin plastered on his face and that boyish glint in his eyes. 

“That's funny” Ivy let out a forced chuckle. 

“What's funny?” Lucas smiled, sliding into the seat beside her without invitation. 

“Calling her your Luna when your Alpha clearly rejected her” Tessa fired. 

“Well” Lucas said, shrugging with mock seriousness. “She refused, the first in history”. 

“Anyway” He drawled “I'm here to plead with you to teach me how to do that” 

“Do what?” Ivy raised an eyebrow. 

“Defy Zeke and still stay alive” Lucas replied. 

“What do you mean? Y'all act like he's the boogeyman” Ivy laughed. 

Lucas leaned in. “He kind of is, especially at mornings” 

“Speaking of the grumpy devil” Lucas murmured and Ivy turned her head towards the entrance of the canteen. 

There he was. Alpha Zeke. Stoneheart. Standing like he owned the place - which technically he did. His presence silenced the canteen. His eyes swept through the canteen and landed on their table and she froze momentarily but she could see he wasn't looking at her. Instead he was glaring at Lucas. 

“Good morning, grumpy devil” She raised her cup in greeting which successfully drew the Alpha's eyes to her but only for a moment before returning to Lucas. 

“Gotta go, Luna” He whispered and Ivy let out a small smile. When Lucas walked up to Zeke, he glanced at her briefly before he walked out of the door. 

“What were you doing with her?” Zeke asked immediately they left the canteen. 

“Ehm…” Lucas smiled sheepishly. 

“Planning on how to dethrone me?” Zeke threw a glance his way. 

Lucas choked. “Of course not, Alpha. You're very… Undethroneable”

Zeke said nothing. He pushed open the door to his private training room, stripped off his shirt and began his routine. The sound of his fists hitting the sandbag echoed like thunder in the silent hall. 

Sweat beaded down his temples, muscles coiling and uncoiling with each blow. His mind, however, wasn't on the training. It was on her. 

The defiance in her eyes. 

The spark she carried. 

The bond that refuses to break. 

He slammed a final punch and picked up a bottle of water. 

“I need to make her accept the rejection” He finally speaks up. 

“It's of no use, you know she won't agree” Lucas sighed. 

Zeke's eyes hardened. Voice flat and final “I will make her” 

***

“Grandma,” Ivy called, stepping into the warm, herb-scented cottage. Dried wolfsbane and lavender hung from the ceiling, swaying softly with the evening breeze.

“Ivy,” her grandmother’s voice came from the kitchen, shaky yet affectionate. “Come here, my stubborn child.”

Ivy smiled, padding in barefoot and leaning on the counter. “You heard?”

Her grandmother paused mid-stir. “The entire pack heard, darling. You made history.”

Ivy’s grin widened. “History sounds nice. Has a good ring to it, don’t you think?”

Her grandmother sighed, placing a steaming bowl of stew on the counter. “History is not always something to be proud of, Ivy Hale.”

Ivy frowned, picking up a spoon. “You’re not about to start on the ‘respect the Alpha’ talk, are you? Because I… ”

“Because you what?” her grandmother cut in, her eyes soft but shadowed. “Because you believe the Moon Goddess makes no mistakes?”

Ivy blinked, unsure how to respond. “Well… yeah. If she chose me for him, then she chose right. I’m not just going to let him walk away because his ego is allergic to emotions.”

Her grandmother’s lips twitched - a sad smile, more weary than amused. “Child, some bonds are meant to be lessons, not destinies.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means sometimes, love isn’t meant to bloom. Sometimes, the Moon binds two souls so that one may learn what strength is… and the other may learn what mercy feels like.”

Ivy crossed her arms. “That sounds like something you tell a widow at a funeral.”

Her grandmother chuckled softly. “Maybe it is. But, Ivy, please… consider accepting his rejection. You don’t know the kind of pain that bond can bring if it was never meant to be.”

Ivy stared at her grandmother, surprised by the hint of desperation in her voice. “You’re talking like I’ll explode if I don’t.”

The old woman’s eyes flickered briefly - something heavy, guilt-ridden, and sad flashed there before she masked it with a forced smile. “I’m just worried for you, my dear. Alpha Zeke’s bloodline… carries history you do not understand.”

“Well, lucky me,” Ivy said with a wry grin, breaking the tension. “I’m very good at rewriting history.”

Her grandmother didn’t smile this time. She reached across the table, taking Ivy’s hand in hers. “Please, child. Don’t push him too far. There are things better left in the past.”

For the first time that evening, Ivy felt something stir in her chest - confusion, curiosity, and a faint prickle of unease. But instead of letting it show, she rolled her eyes and laughed softly.

“Relax, Grandma. What’s the worst that could happen?”

The silence that followed was too long, too still. Then her grandmother whispered - barely audible - 

“You have no idea.”

***

Night had fallen. 

Ivy walked back through the pack house corridor, the moonlight spilling through the tall windows like silver silk. She was passing by Zeke's chamber when she heard voices. 

“... You don't have to keep following their instructions” Ivy froze on her steps before pressing her ears against the door. She could recognize that voice. It was Lucas. 

“You know she's not the problem, you don't have…” 

“Enough” Zeke thundered. “It's my duty” 

“Zeke, it's not your duty. Let the past die, don't allow anyone dictate…” 

“I said it's enough! you don't seem to understand” 

There was the sound of a chair scraping, heavy footsteps approaching. Ivy’s eyes widened - she barely had time to step back before the door flung open.

Zeke stood there, chest bare, breath still sharp from anger and training. His gaze landed on her immediately.

“Going so far as to stalk me now?” he asked, brow raised.

“You flatter yourself, Stoneheart,” Ivy said with a nervous chuckle. “I was just passing by.”

“I hope so” His tone was clipped as his eyes raked over her briefly - not lustfully, but as if assessing a threat - before he walked past her. 

Lucas lingered long enough to flash a small, apologetic smile “Goodnight Luna” He whispered and followed after him. 

Ivy stood there in the moonlit hallway, her heart thudding against her ribs. 

Something about what she'd heard - about instructions and the past - made her stomach twist. 

“What are you hiding Stoneheart?” She murmured under her breath. 

Then from somewhere deep inside the pack house, a distant howl tore through the night - long, mournful, and ancient. 

It made the hair on Ivy’s neck rise. 

She didn't know why, but her grandmother's words echoed again in her mind. 

“Some bonds are meant to be lessons, not destinies” 

And now, she wasn't too sure which one she was meant to be.