2. The real heiress

Ivy’s POV

I open my eyes and my first thoughts are: I’m not dead and how are my babies? I look around the room and that’s when I see Theodore next to me holding my hand.

“Oh thank the Moon Goddess you’ve woken up!” he says, relieved. He smiles and I smile back. I’m happy he’s there.

I try to sit up. Theodore stands and lifts me, positions the pillows.

I’m surprised I feel very little pain. As I look around my body, it looks fine. No bones seem to be broken, there are a few scratches but nothing serious. I guess even without wolf I’m pretty tough.

“Is that alright?” he asks positioning the pillows in a better way. I nod. “How are you feeling? I’ve been so worried.”

“I’m feeling alright actually.”

As he moves away I see Tiffany standing behind him in the doorway. It’s clear she’s not pleased I’m alive. She glares at me, her mouth a slit of annoyance.

“Oh the Goddess has shown us mercy!” she says.

When Theodore turns and sees her, the face she had for me has disappeared replaced with one full of care and love.

“Ivy, we’ve been worried sick! What a blessing that you are finally awake. The Silver Claw pack would be devastated to lose their Luna. Everyone has been praying for you.”

I feel a shudder run through me and then I see her face again as it was just before everything went black, her face smiling at me as she forced my car into a tree. Then I remember it all.

“Get away from me!” I shout. “Don’t even come near me! I know what you did! And so do you!”

Tiffany stops in her tracks and Theodore looks at me confused.

“What’s going on, Ivy? Tiffany has been sick with worry. Why are you saying this?” Theodore says. “You’re saying crazy things.”

“Yes she was worried I might wake up from the coma. Sorry to ruin your plans, Tiffany!”

“Ivy, stop it right now!” the Alpha demands.

“I don’t know what she’s told you, but she was the one driving the car that hit me! I saw her face clearly. She was smiling!”

Tiffany gasps and Theodore goes to her and puts his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. I’m furious.

“Listen, Ivy, I think the crash has mixed up your thoughts in some way. Tiffany saved you! That road is deserted and has no cameras. You might have bled to death out there if she hadn’t come along on her bike and got you out of the car and called the ambulance. You should be thanking her not accusing her! I think you need to apologize to Tiffany.”

Apologize to that bitch who tried to kill me?!

“My thoughts are crystal clear and my mind is working fine. Tiffany tried to kill me! Check her car!”

“Ivy, I don’t have a car. I never even learned how to drive, “ Tiffany says.

Does this woman have any other thing to say besides lies?!

“I’m sorry you’re saying all of this,” Tiffany says. “Now that I’ve returned I really wanted us to work on getting closer and being true sisters. I’ve always dreamt of having a sister.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “Ivy, I came back but I didn’t come here to cause you any harm. I don’t want anything from you. The accident really showed me just how much you mean to me.”

Theodore holds her tighter as she cries softly into his chest. My body shakes with anger.

“You’re a great actress, Tiffany! Good job! But you and I both know what you did!” I scream.

“You need to calm down, Ivy. You just now woke up from a two day coma. I’m certain this is unhealthy,” Theodore says.

“Oh Ivy, how you misunderstand me. You always have. I suffered so much in my life. I only thought now that I finally found my family I would be able to be relaxed and finally know the beauty of a family’s love.”

My anger is so much I fear I’ll explode. How can she stand there and say that!?

“All I want is to love and be loved,” Tiffany whines. “I don’t want to take anything away from you, Ivy. I promise you.”

“Ivy, it’s clear that you’re confused. Why on earth would Tiffany want to kill you? And in any case, as she said, she doesn’t even know how to drive. I think you need to give your body and mind a chance to heal,” Theodore says.

I know that look on Theodore’s face because it was there on our wedding day, another day full of Tiffany’s lies and games. The day she disappeared.

The ceremony was about to begin when Jonathan, Tiffany’s brother, Ivy’s ex brother, burst into the room where we were getting ready.

Jonathan and I had been very close when we were growing up, but when I turned eighteen everything changed. When I couldn’t shift, and it was shown that I had no wolf, he became suspicious of me.

Then when Tiffany arrived and proved that she was the real heiress of the Silver Claw Pack Beta family, Jonathan changed completely. He told me that he had no love for liars and that he would no longer see me as his sister.

It was one of the most painful parts of the entire episode of my life. It was a deep and lasting betrayal, my heart still aches in the spot where Jonathan had once lived. That day he really showed me how much he hated me.

“Tiffany is gone! What have you done with her, Ivy. You really are the most evil, conniving bitch I’ve ever known!” Jonathan said, glaring at me.

“Me? I did nothing. I’ve not even talked to her. If you haven’t noticed I’m a bit busy with my wedding,” I said.

Jonathan pushed a piece of paper at Theodore, who read it and looked at me with the same disappointed look he had on his face right then in the hospital.

“What is it? What does it say?” I asked.

Theodore read the note: “Sister doesn’t want me at her wedding so I won’t be showing up. Don’t worry about me.”

“How did I not want her at my wedding? She’s one of the bridesmaids!” I protested. “She just wants to cause drama. I’m sure she’s around somewhere.”

“Obviously that was all a show for us, choosing her as a bridesmaid, acting like you cared about her, while in the background you were busy terrorizing the real heiress in the hope that she would disappear,” Jonathan said. “And now she has. Are you happy, Ivy?”

“None of that is true. It’s just Tiffany causing problems like usual.”

“No!” Jonathan said. “It’s you lying like always!”

I looked to Theodore for support, but he turned and left. Jonathan followed him leaving me all alone. Tiffany wasn’t seen — again until now, three years later.

Who knows where she went? People still believe that I was involved in her disappearance. It’s all lies.

It’s clear now that it’s also all been orchestrated by Tiffany in her plan to be rid of me, to unseat me as Luna.

I see Nicole passing outside the hospital room. She motions to say she’ll be right back. I don’t know the status of my babies and I don’t want Tiffany here when I find out.

“Can you leave?” I say to Tiffany.

She nods. “I’ll leave but before I do, Ivy, I love you and if it’s useful or helpful for you to believe that I caused your accident, it’s fine. I hold no grudges against you. I’ll still love you.”

If I could I’d have fly at her and slap that false humility right off her self-righteous face!

Theodore sits back in the chair by the bed but doesn’t take my hand.

“I think all of this, everything from you realising that you have no wolf inside of you, the Sterlings chasing you out of the family, to Tiffany arriving and taking her rightful place, our wedding, this accident — all of it has been too much for you, Ivy. Far too much to bear. I think you’ve become untethered. You might need to move from here to a residential hospital.”

“A mental hospital? You think I’m crazy?”

“Ivy, I never said crazy. Stressed. Mentally stressed.”

“I’m not stressed, mentally or otherwise. I’m trying to make you and everyone else understand the truth, to hear the truth about Tiffany!”

Theodore sighs. “How can anyone know the truth when all you tell us is lies? No one trusts you any more.”

Theodore stands and readies to leave. He’s done with me, it’s clear.

“What will it take for you to believe that Tiffany tried to kill me?”

“I don’t know. Probably nothing.”

“What if I told you she wasn’t only trying to kill me? What if I told you that she was trying to kill our babies too? Would that change your mind? ”