Lila’s POVThe receptionist’s face was pale, her mouth parting in an awkward attempt at speech. “Miss… Ivy? I thought you—” I tilted my head slightly, a slow smile curling on my lips. Let her stumble. I enjoyed the power in her hesitation—the brief flicker of uncertainty as she tried to reconcile me with the little bitch who now called herself Ivy. “Relax,” I said, my tone soft but commanding. “I’m just here to meet your boss. Can you let Ms Ivy know that her twin sister has arrived?” The receptionist blinked, flustered, but nodded quickly, fingers fumbling across the sleek keyboard as she paged someone through the intercom. I didn’t need to hear her announcement to know where she was sending me. Aria—wasn’t expecting me at all. I slipped into the elevator with an air of calm I didn’t feel. The chrome walls reflected fragments of me, pieces of Lila Carrington—but they would soon see a new Ivy Blackwood. Or some version of her, anyway. The elevator chimed, opening into the
Leo’s POV It has been almost a week since I returned to my kingdom, leaving behind the only solace I’d found in years—her. Ivy. My light. The thought of her was the only thing keeping me sane, the only relief from the shadows that clawed at my mind and soul. But here, in this cursed place, the weight of my reality crushed me. The council chamber was suffocating, filled with the same stale air and the same tired arguments. They spoke of rebellions in the eastern provinces, of lands dying, of crops failing. They spoke as though these were mere inconveniences, not symptoms of the curse that was consuming me and the kingdom. I let their words wash over me, my mind slipping back to the past. To when it all began. Dina, the sorceress my father had scorned, had cursed me before I’d taken my first breath. My father’s betrayal of her had sealed my fate. She sent plague after plague against my family, but my mother’s magic had shielded us. Until I was born. I was her weakness. The curs
Leo’s POV Very few people had ever seen my face. The mask I wore was not just a cover but a fortress. It allowed me to walk among my people without truly being known, a necessity when you are cursed to destroy all you touch. Everyone knew I was a hybrid—the son of the Lycan Queen and their Alpha King. They whispered about the shadow-born king, a tyrant cursed to drain the land and soul of anyone who came too close. But no one, not even the council, knew my face. Except for a select few. My beta Zane, and Isabella, my only childhood friend, are the only ones that know that Leo Ashton is indeed the Alpha King. The memory of my uncle’s visit in the human world surfaced unbidden, his desperate plea still as absurd as the day I’d heard it. I remembered suppressing a laugh. The irony had nearly choked me. Here he was, begging a man he thought to be a business tycoon to join his crusade against the very king who stood before him. The sound of the war drums echoed in my ears long afte
Leo’s POV“Is that all you came to say?” I growled angrily at Dina, bored out of my mind. I thought they had come for a battle.“This is my one and only last offer, Alpha, you should reconsider,” she sneered with a vicious laugh.Dina’s words clung to me like a curse on their own, the shadows inside me latching onto them, twisting them into something darker. I couldn’t shake them—‘sacrifice your light’. My pulse thundered in my ears as I stalked out of the great hall, leaving Dina’s smug expression behind.Zane followed me, his boots echoing on the stone floor as he kept pace. “Alpha,” he started, his voice calm but firm.“Don’t.” My tone was sharp, final, but I knew Zane too well to think he’d stop.He ignored my warning. “If she knows about this ‘light,’ we need to address it. Who or what is she talking about?”I stopped abruptly, turning to face him. My claws itched to extend, and the hybrid in me begged for release, but I fought it down. “Drop it, Zane,” I growled, my voice low an
Ivy’s POV It has been two days since Lila’s last visit. Two days since the girl who was once my sister barged back into my life, uninvited and unwelcome, yet carrying an air of authority as if she still had power over me. The memories of our last encounter lingered in my mind like a sour taste. Lila’s arrival wasn’t casual—it was calculated. Everything about her was deliberate, from the tilt of her head to the faint smirk that curled her lips when she thought I wasn’t looking. I didn’t trust her, and yet, her presence unsettled me more than I was willing to admit. I wrapped my arms around myself, pacing the length of my room. The faint hum of city life buzzed across the estate walls, a distant reminder that the world kept moving, even as my own stood still with the appearance of the past I thought was long buried. My chest tightened at the thought of Leo. Two weeks. Two excruciating weeks without a word, a text, or even a whisper of his existence. He is not my mate but that di
Ivy's POVMy blood ran cold. That voice—a voice I hadn't heard in weeks but knew as intimately as my own heartbeat. "Leo," I whispered, my voice trembling against his palm. He released me slowly, and in the faint moonlight streaming through the window, I could see him. He looked... different. His frame was leaner, his face sharper, as though the weight of the world had been pressing down on him. But his eyes—they burned with the same intensity as before, smoldering with something between anger and longing. For a moment, neither of us moved. The tension in the room was suffocating, like the calm before a storm. I clutched the towel tighter around me, my damp hair clinging to my shoulders. "Where have you been?" I asked, my voice breaking as a mixture of relief, anger, and heartbreak surged through me. "Two weeks, Leo. Two weeks of silence. Do you have any idea what that did to me?" He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, stepping closer. "I know, Ivy. I know. But I had to—
Connor's POV The garden was quiet, save for the distant hum of crickets. I should’ve been back at the pack house hours ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave—not while she was so close. Definitely not while I burned with the desire to touch her.Aria. The memory of our first meeting after so many years burned brighter than anything else in my mind. Even after days and weeks have gone by, I couldn’t discard it. The way my wolf—Theo had howled for joy in the corner of my mind and the guilt that threatened to destroy me.The moment I saw her, clinging to that bastard, I felt a spark in a world that felt dull and lifeless to me since I discovered she might be dead. A single look, and I was lost. When I first discovered that she was my mate,Theo, had claimed her the moment her scent hit me—a mix of lavender and rain, intoxicating and impossible to forget. But I couldn’t accept her and now, I burn with regret.I’d become her shadow after that last meeting, drawn to her like a moth t
Leo's POV It had been two weeks and all I could think of as I entered the human world was Ivy. I only wanted to feel her next to me. To feel her warmth but when our lips collided, I knew that I wanted more.The taste of Ivy’s blood still lingered on my tongue, and the hunger roared within me like a beast awakened. The taste had rejuvenated me in a way I hadn’t expected. My strength, which had worn out over the last few weeks, had surged back with the ferocity of a storm. I could feel the power coursing through me, as though I were whole again—recovered, renewed. I felt ten times stronger than I’ve ever felt.But it wasn’t just the physical strength. There was something darker that had come to life, something raw, deep within me that wanted more. More of her, more of that blood.I could almost feel the temptation clawing at me, urging me to sink my teeth deeper, to take her in a way that would bind her to me forever. I fought it, gritting my teeth, my body tense as if holding onto a
Meanwhile, inside the palace.Raul’s eyes widened as his sorcerer’s spell faltered. He stared at the empty space where Ivy had stood, and then back at the guard who shot the arrow.“How dare you shoot an arrow at your Luna?! My queen?!” He roared.“I’m sorry…Alpha. I—”But he never got to finish his statement. Raul tore through his throat with his claws and watched with empty eyes as the man struggled to breathe.“She's gone...” Raul whispered in defeat, his voice shaking, as though the very idea of her escaping was too much to bear.His sorcerers cursed, their eyes darting frantically around the room. “She... She’s strong. But she’s wounded.” The tone was unsettling. There was both fear and reverence in the man’s words.“And you, Anto,” he barked, turning to look at the new sorcerer that came in. “I sent for you two nights ago. Why are you just showing up now?”“Your majesty, I wanted to make sure that…”“What now?” Raul demanded, cutting him off, his voice dangerously cold.“We will
Ivy’s POVRaul stepped in front of me like a shield.Pathetic.“She came to kill you, my Nyxara," he snarled, voice booming off the stone walls. "But I won't let that happen. I won't lose you. Again. You must be mine.”His hand lifted, two fingers snapping sharply.A low rumble answered.From the smoke outside, figures entered — this one robed in red and silver, face obscured by a bone-white mask.Another of his personal sorcerers? Or some kind of demented cult leader?"Seize her," Raul commanded.The new sorcerer, together with the one from earlier, raised their staff. Runes carved in old, forgotten tongues shimmered to life, burning through the air in spirals of light and sound.Chains of searing blue magic shot toward Dina.But she only laughed — a cruel, knowing laugh that made the walls seem to shudder."You fool," Dina hissed, her arms thrown wide as if embracing the chaos. "I only came to help you. But instead, you just dug your own grave!"The chains wrapped around her wrists
IVY'S POVNo. This can’t be happening. The figure drifted forward through the shattered doorway, her form blurred by the black smoke that oozed from her steps, as if the shadows themselves bowed to her. The air grew thick, sour with memory. I knew her. How can I forget?Every night since the forest, she had crept into my dreams—no, my nightmares. The Keeper. The one who had chained me, broken me, left scars on my spirit deeper than any wound to my flesh. The child in me, the Aria I once was, shrieked and recoiled, curling into the farthest corner of my mind, clutching invisible knees to her chest, sobbing without sound. But not Nyxara. No. Nyxara straightened, her lips curling into a feral grin. The Keeper drifted closer, the folds of her dark robe trailing embers along the floor, black flames licking the stone, humming that lullaby. That cursed lullaby. The one that had driven me to madness when I was nothing more than a helpless, trembling girl.Nyxara bared he
IVY'S POV“No!” I thrashed, every limb rebelling as I strained against the chains. “Get your filthy hands off me! You’re all monsters!”The burn of the restraints cut deeper, but I didn’t care. My voice tore through the chamber like a wounded beast. “You think this makes you powerful? You think having your way with a chained woman makes you a king? You’re nothing, Alpha. Nothing but a coward too weak to accept rejection. Your mate despised you. I despise you too!”The Alpha stood in front of me, unshaken. His eyes gleamed—not with rage, but something worse. Hunger. Satisfaction. Humor.He turned to the sorcerer, his voice low, almost casual. “If I spill my seed into her… will it hold?”The sorcerer’s breath caught, then his face lit up as if struck by divine revelation.“Oh… oh, my King,” he murmured, sinking to one knee. “You are brilliant beyond compare. A true leader. Of course! Of course! If she bears your heir, the bond will be forever weakened. No Alpha would dare claim a woman
The estate loomed into view like a palace of memories she wanted to bury. The towering gates, the long marble driveway, the manicured hedges. To anyone else, it looked like luxury.To her, it looked like a trap.A trap that could destroy all her plans.The moment they stepped inside, staff rushed to greet her. She didn’t recognize any of them despite their attempts to be friendly. They all wore the same annoying expression—concern mingled with curiosity.As if wondering what had really happened to Miss Ivy.Lila smiled.Fake. Perfect. Practiced.She had no choice now.“It’s good to be home,” she said smoothly.Richard narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.They led her up to her room, the unfamiliar halls pressing in around her like the walls of a tomb. The maids bustled in behind her, changing the sheets, restocking the drawers, pretending not to notice the tension radiating from her.When they left, she stood in the center of the room, staring at her reflection.Ivy stared bac
The scent of antiseptic hung thick in the air, cold and suffocating, clinging to the sterile white walls like a ghost that refused to leave. The room, though bathed in daylight streaming through a narrow, barred window, held no warmth. The only sounds were the distant echo of shoes on tile and the low, mechanical hum of machines monitoring the fragile boundary between sanity and madness.In the center of it all lay Lila.Or as the staff here knew her: Ivy Blackwood.Her brown hair was disheveled, matted to her forehead with sweat. Her pale skin, once radiant with carefully curated poise, now looked wan and haunted. Her eyes, wild and rimmed with exhaustion, flicked around the room like a cornered animal searching for an escape. But there was none. The straightjacket bound her arms tightly to her torso, and leather restraints anchored her ankles to the bed frame.She hadn’t spoken since the screaming stopped.The nurses whispered when they thought she couldn’t hear. Said she was mad. T
Leo’s POVThe battlefield quieted, save for the crackling fires and the groans of the dying. My pulse still thundered in my ears, but the bloodlust began to ebb, leaving behind a sharp, aching clarity.I stood among the ruins of Malrik’s failed rebellion, blood soaking my skin, teeth still stained from the life I had ripped from their veins. The night was far from over—I could feel it, like a splinter in my mind. Something dark was coming.The air shifted.Colder. Heavier.Even my warriors sensed it. Their post-battle roars died out, one by one, and an unnatural silence swallowed the clearing. Connor’s lips curled into a snarl, Zane’s claws still dripped red, but their eyes darted to the treeline.Then I saw her.She stepped out of the shadows like smoke made flesh.Dina.The last time I saw her, she stood in front of my throne room, asking me to sacrifice my mate. She hadn’t changed—still dressed in her dark robes that rippled like oil in the wind, her face pale and ageless, her eye
Ivy’s POVThe fourth day turned out to be the worst.Worse because I am still alive. Worse because every time Alpha Raul marked me, the pain got sharper. Deeper.And every time, my wolf—valiantly, defiantly—rejected him.The room stank of sweat, old blood, and Alpha Raul’s scent—thick and clinging like rot. My body was raw, my neck a patchwork of torn flesh where Raul had tried to mark me over and over. But my wolf—the last spark of resistance I had left—rejected him every time. And each rejection felt like death.The mark was slow to heal, and before it could fully fade, Alpha Raul would sink his teeth into the same spot—reopening the wound and claiming it all over again.Each time he sank his fangs into me, it was as if my soul was being torn in half, only to be stitched together by burning wire. I would scream until my voice gave out, until my throat was ragged and raw, until the pain folded me into unconsciousness. But every time I came back, chained and shivering, he would try a
Leo’s POVThe air crackled with energy as I stepped onto the battlefield, the scent of war thick on the wind—blood, sweat, steel. The moon hung low, bloated and red like it was thirsty for carnage. Good. It would feast tonight.My boots crushed charred earth as I led my warriors across the eastern border of the palace, where Malrik’s pathetic rebellion had gathered like a swarm of diseased rats. I could hear their howls echoing in the distance, could hear the roar of their chants—wild, desperate, undisciplined. Fools.Zane met me at the front lines, blood already staining his cheek and his blade. “They’ve broken through the outer ring,” he said breathlessly, “but they’re sloppy. No formation. Just brute force.”I sneered. “Then let’s show them what real force looks like.”I shifted.Bones cracked, flesh tore, and a searing fire ignited in my veins as my wolf burst free. My muscles expanded, fur black as shadow blanketing me, claws gleaming like blades. But it wasn’t just my wolf—my va