"Wake up, please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please wake up…"
Ryker? Does he regret it? Is he taking me back? "No," the voice said, quieter now. "I'm not Ryker. I should've woken up sooner. I should've protected you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." I opened my eyes. There was nothing around me but darkness. "Who are you?" I asked. "Why are you crying?" "I'm your wolf. My name is Lilith. I saw everything. I'm sorry, Ivy. I'm so sorry." "You're… my wolf? Wow. It's nice to finally meet you, Eros. I thought you didn't like me." "I do. I was just asleep. I woke when you smelled our mate. I'm sorry." "It's okay. You're forgiven," I said with a small smile. "But he rejected us." "I know," Lilith said. "And now…" Suddenly, agony stabbed through my chest and stomach. I screamed. "What's happening?" I cried. "He's with someone else," Lilith growled. "He's having sex. I can feel it. I can't forgive him." Tears streamed down my face. "He rejected us… and just moved on?" "Pack what you need," Lilith said. "But before that, we need to dull the pain." "Where are we going? If we leave the pack, we'll be rogues." "We'll go to our brother," he said faintly. "I don't have a brother," I whispered. "I'm an only child." "Just hurry. If they don't want us, we'll give them what they want." I stuffed money, clothes into a bag. "Do you even know where our brother is?" "Take a breath. We'll think this through." I did what he said. "Alright," I decided. "We leave. I have enough money to survive for a while. No turning back." "Good. Now go to Ryker's room." I didn't know why, but I followed. When I opened his door, I saw him… with Jessica, our pack's biggest flirt. They both stared, startled. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Ryker roared. "Get the hell out!" "Maybe he wants to watch," Jessica sneered. "Let's give him a show." And that's when the pain turned into rage. "I, Ivy Martin accept your rejection. From now on you're no longer my mate." "Shit, dude! She's your mate?" A person spoke from behind me. It was Connor along with his other friends. "Not anymore I rejected her already. Oh, by the way you can have him do whatever you want. But don't kill her. I'm gonna play with her a little and then get rid of her." Ryker said with an evil smile. "Now get the hell out of here!" he looked at me one last time as Connor close the door, I saw his eyes flickering, it might have been his wolf, but I can't say for sure. "Now what do we do with you, little freak." Connor muttered tauntingly. "I haven't done anything to you. Can't you just let me go." I said, but he just laughed at me. "I can't do that. But don't worry. We'll gonna play an exciting game." He stalked towards me while I backed away. "I'm gonna count to ten, and you better pray I don't catch you. Alright, little freak?" I looked at him in fear, and the he started counting. "One…" I began running as fast as I could while him and his friends all laughed as I dashed my way out. "Two…" I don't know how long I've been running but soon I heard footsteps behind me as I sprinted to the woods. I called out my wolf, and I could feel it through our link that she was weakening. "Lilith?" I called again but she didn't answer. I soon stumbled down the ground and their laughter got nearer and nearer, and they were soon standing in front of me, taunting me as they circled around me. "Please, just leave me alone." I pleaded to them, but they treated my words like air. "Now…what do we do with you?" Connor crouched down and grabbed my ankles, yanking me to him. "Your skin is quite soft. Have you ever been touched before?" His question made me tremble in fear. "Please…let me go." I cried, trying to get away from him. But his grip on me was firm. "Connor, dude, what are you doing? Don't tell me you like that freak?!" One of his friends asked, snickering. "Well, just look at her skin, they are soft and nice to the touch. I'm just curious how it would feel." Connor said, and his friends laughed at him. But then he suddenly towered me while pinning my hand above me with his one hand. While his other hand started crawling underneath my shirt. "Connor what are you doing?!" His friends tried to pull him away but he just pushed them and looked at me lustfullly. "Please, don't do this…" I begged. "Shut up! Shut up!" He got angry and punched my stomach making me close my eyes in pain. His friends were now looking worried as they looked around the place making sure no one was around. He slowly pulled my jeans down and when he struggled with it, he ripped it apart and I couldn't do anything to stop him. I cried and cried, and when he got annoyed at me again he punched my side and screamed for me to stay still. "Connor, that's enough!" His friend yelled this time, and then he looked me in the eyes, and as if he finally realized what he was doing, he stopped, and hastily let go of my hands. "Fuck this! If you ever tell anyone about this freak, you're dead! Or better yet, it's better if you just die here!" He said, standing up, kicking my side and walking away. I could only cry as his friends slowly turned to leave as well, one of them muttered an apology but didn't bother helping me, afraid that they will anger Connor. I couldn't move, my whole body was in pain. My heartbeat was also slowing down. Is this it? Am I going to die? "Ivy," I heard Lilith's voice in my head, it was faint and small. "Lilith, I'm sorry. I'm too weak. I don't deserve you." "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. If it wasn't for me laying dormant all these years, you wouldn't have suffered so much." Her voice got quieter and quieter with each word. "I'm weak from the rejection. But don't worry, I will do everything I can to make sure you're well." With that last sentence, I felt something inside me snapped. Our connection was slowly breaking. What is happening? "Lilith?" I tried to call her but she was no longer responding. I close my eyes in pain. I tried to get up but it was in vain as I crashed to the ground my strength leaving me. As I tried one last time, my whole body gave out as I fainted, my surroundings slowly turning darker and darker, until the void completely engulfed me. … I don't know how long I've been out, but I slowly stirred awake when I heard someone shake me. "Selene…Selene please wake up." Who's Selene? "Oh thank Goddess you're alive." The man hugged me. Who was he? I was then lifted from the ground, and I could feel the breeze brushing past my body as he ran through the woods. "Who are you? Where are you taking me?" I asked him. His brown eyes, looking back at me tenderly. A warmth I rarely see from other people. "I'm your brother. And I'm taking you home." It was the last thing I heard before I fell unconscious once again.(Ryker’s POV)Pain.That was the first thing that registered to me the moment I started regaining consciousness. A sharp, throbbing pain stabbing through my skull like a hammer cracking stone.I groaned, shifting slightly as I massaged the back of my head. My entire body felt like it had been dragged through a grinder.What the hell happened?As I opened my eyes, the hazy outlines of the infirmary came into view. I blinked a few times to focus. My breath caught.How many times have I visited the infirmary this month?“Fuck!” I groaned as an aching pain shot through my side.This really has to stop. I can’t keep getting beaten up this badly.“Hmmm~” I froze, hearing a sound beside me.I turned my head slowly, and when my eyes landed on the person beside me, my heart stopped. For a moment I forgot to breathe.Beside me was the one person I never thought I’d ever come close to again. Or rather, the one I didn’t deserve to see again.Ivy.Her head rested gently on her arms, folded across
(Ivy’s POV)It had been almost a week since we arrived at Blood Moon Pack. The training we conducted with their warriors had been intense, brutal, even. We didn’t sugarcoat anything. As promised, we didn’t go easy on them. And though some of the warriors grumbled under their breath about the relentless drills and bone-deep exhaustion, none dared to challenge us. They knew better.They were no longer just training for strength. They were training for survival. Every moment counted now. Every bead of sweat could mean a life saved.Still, watching them improve was satisfying. Even if they resented us now, even if they hated the pain, we knew this was what was best for them.That afternoon, the air felt different.The sun was dipping low behind the trees, casting long golden shadows over the grounds as we finished a final round of weapon drills. My clothes stuck to my back with sweat, and my muscles ached, but there was something oddly calming about the discipline of it all.I remembered
(Ivy’s POV)I locked the door behind me and let my back press against it, my legs giving out as I slid down to the cold floor. The silence wrapped around me like a heavy fog, thick and suffocating.I tried to keep it together—tried to breathe, to calm my mind—but it was no use. The haunting voices, the humiliation, the pain… they clung to me like shadows I couldn’t shake.My eyes found the mirror across the room, and I flinched.I looked wrecked.My face was pale, my eyes red and glassy. My hair was a mess. But none of that hurt as much as the way I looked…lost…Tears slowly slipped from the corner of my eyes, cascading down my cheeks, then faster, no matter how hard I tried to stop them. I buried my face in my knees, muffling the broken sobs that tore through me. Everything I’d been holding back came crashing down in waves. The past. The pain. The confusion. The ache in my chest that is so hard to get rid off.Why couldn’t I just move on?I don’t know how long I stayed like that, mi
(Ivy’s POV)The air around me had grown heavier.It was just him and me in the ring now. My heartbeat echoed in my ears, and the crowd’s noise seemed distant, like a dull buzz. I was preparing and analyzing how to make my first move when all of a sudden, he spoke.“How are you?” he whispered, enough so only I could hear him.“What?” I asked mindlessly, taken aback."Begin!” Ronan suddenly yelled, his voice sharp. I focused on the fight again and calculated his every moves. I moved first, fast and sharp like I had always practiced. I gave him a quick jab, then a sweep toward his legs. He blocked it effortlessly. His movements were smooth, though I expected it since he has been training since he was four years old after all. I then threw another punch, and he leaned back, dodging it.As we went on, I noticed that all he ever did was block my attacks, he never did try to throw any attack my way.“You’re quite strong? You must have trained so hard.” He said, complimenting me.I blinke
(Ivy’s POV)The morning sun bore down on us as we all gathered at the pack’s training ground. The air was cool, but there was something heavier beneath it. Tension, anticipation, maybe even doubt. I stood in the crowd, my heart steady as my gaze swept across the sea of unfamiliar and wary faces of the warriors in front of us. Some were older and some were unbelievably younger.In the center of the ring stood Jace, Theo, Ronan, Celina, and me.“All right,” Jace began, his voice firm and commanding, “if you’re here, then you already know what’s expected. You’re here to learn how to fight. No one’s getting a free pass.”Theo crossed his arms beside him, his expression dark. “This isn’t a playground. Out there, rogues don’t go easy on anyone. They won’t care if you’re young, old, male, or female. You screw up—you die. Or worse, someone you care about does.”Ronan stepped forward, clapping his hands once, loud and sharp, the sound echoing across the field getting everyone’s attention. “I
(Ivy’s POV)Gabriel walked ahead, holding the front door open as the rest of us stepped into the inner house of the pack house.The air was warm, filled with the faint scent of herbs, and wood since the building was mostly built in wooden material, and there’s something else I feel that I couldn’t quite place, something that stirred a dull ache in my chest. Nostalgia, maybe. Gab didn’t say much. He kept glancing at me awkwardly, his lips parting like he wanted to say something, then hesitating. I smiled each time he did, even stifled a chuckle at one point. Why was he being so shy? I didn’t remember him being this polite, or this meek when I was still around here.He gestured for us to follow as he led us down the hallway. My eyes scanned every inch, the framed photographs lining the walls, the worn carpet with dips from years of use, even the faint sound of voices drifting from upstairs.It was strange being back. Everything here was familiar, though it was anything but comforting.