CHAPTER 6

My pride was already a jagged mess, but I wasn't about to let the lie stand.

"She claimed my bloodline was a curse and said my mother deserved to burn," I snapped, the words tasting like copper. "That’s why I struck her."

I don't know why I felt the need to justify myself to Cole. We were barely more than strangers bound by a night of heat and a whiskey contract, yet I didn't want him seeing me as some feral, unhinged omega. But as the silence stretched, I realized how futile it was. Blake had known me for years, and he’d chosen the lie. Why would the Ice King of the West Coast be any different?

Frustrated and blinking back stinging heat in my eyes, I turned and bolted toward the hospital elevators. I didn't see Cole's expression shift into something dark and tectonic.

"Did you hear her?" Cole’s voice drifted after me, cold enough to crack bone. "The girl spoke the truth. Your little scavenger deserved the blow." He shoved Blake’s hand away with enough force to make the younger wolf stumble.

Blake’s jaw worked, but he stayed silent. No one in the lineage dared to challenge Cole when his shadow began to lengthen.

Talia, face flushed with shame, tried one last desperate play. "Alpha Ryder, you can't just take the word of a fallen Mercer over mine!"

Cole’s golden eyes pinned her to the spot. "And who are you? Do I require your permission to see the truth?"

Talia withered under his gaze. Blake remained a coward, refusing to offer her even a shred of support. Cole looked at them both with pure disdain.

"This is your first time in the North Wing, and you’ve already turned it into a circus. Don't bring her back. She’s an embarrassment to the name."

He didn't just scold Blake; he dismantled Talia's standing in a single sentence. She burst into tears of pure rage, but Blake just bowed his head. "I understand, Uncle."

As Cole walked away, Blake stared at his back. His uncle never meddled. He was a statue of indifference. A click sounded in Blake’s mind—a realization he wasn't quite ready to face.

Talia grabbed Blake’s arm, interrupting his thoughts. "Blake... my stomach. It hurts."

"Stop the theatrics," Blake snapped, shoving her hand off. "She slapped your face, Talia. Your stomach is fine."

Deep down, Blake didn't feel a spark for her. He’d only defended her because the Brooks family held the coastal territories the Ryders needed.

"No, it really hurts!" Talia insisted. She saw the way Cole looked at her, and she knew if she didn't anchor Blake now, he’d drift back to Ivy. "Blake, please... take me for a scan. I feel like something is wrong."

Impatience radiating from him, Blake finally dragged her to the imaging ward. The news that followed turned his face the color of ash. Talia was pregnant.

"Talia, I... I’m not ready for a pup," Blake stammered.

"Are you telling me to get rid of it?" she hissed.

Blake didn't answer directly, but his words were a dagger. "I still can't get Ivy out of my head."

Talia felt her heart shatter, but years of being the "other woman" had sharpened her resolve. She wouldn't lose. "The healer said my womb is fragile, Blake. If I lose this pup, I might never carry again. Don't be a monster."

Blake walked out without a word. Later, his mother, Diane, visited Talia. She wanted the mating ceremony moved up immediately. Diane didn't care about Talia; she just wanted to ensure Ivy Mercer was permanently locked out of the Ryder bloodline.

When my shift finally ended, I walked out into the cool evening air, only to freeze. A black Koenigsegg was idling at the curb. The tinted window slid down, revealing Cole’s sharp, handsome profile.

"I dealt with them," he said. "If they cross the line again, don't hesitate. Strike back. I’ll handle the fallout."

I stared at him, my pulse fluttering. Was this genuine protection, or was he just enjoying the chaos between me and his nephew?

"Get in," he commanded.

"No, thank you. I’m taking the tunnels," I replied. The hospital was a hive of gossip; being seen in his car was professional suicide.

Cole didn't argue. He just kept the car in gear, crawling along the curb at a walking pace. His presence was like a magnet, drawing every eye on the street and nearly causing a pile-up of delivery vans.

Mortified, I yanked the door open and slid into the leather seat. "What is wrong with you? Do you want the whole territory talking?!"

"Is there a problem?" he asked smoothly.

"Nothing to you! I'm just another 'contract' to you," I hissed. "But if people see me with Blake’s uncle a week after the breakup, I’ll lose my reputation and my residency!"

Cole unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned across the center console, trapping me against the seat. His hand caught my chin, his thumb brushing my lower lip. "Are you trying to exile me already, Ivy?"

Before I could breathe, his mouth was on mine. It was a punishing, possessive kiss—a reminder of who owned the whiskey contract and the woman behind it. I fought for a second, then surrendered to the pine-and-snow scent of him.

We were lost in the heat until a sharp voice cut through the glass.

"Uncle Cole?"

My heart plummeted into my stomach. I shoved Cole back, frantically trying to smooth my hair and straighten my medical coat. If Blake saw me like this, I was dead.

But Cole looked amused. He wore a taunting smirk that made me want to scream. "Why hide? Let’s let him see exactly how I claim what’s mine."

"Don't you dare," I whispered, shaking my head.

He reached out and pinched my side mischievously, causing a sharp yelp to escape my throat. I clapped my hand over my mouth, looking up to see Blake bending down, peering through the dark tint of the window.

The terror in my eyes only seemed to fuel Cole’s playfulness. He lunged, pinning me beneath him on the seat. I buried my face in his chest, hiding from the window, and bit down hard on his shoulder in pure desperation.

Cole let out a low groan of genuine pain. "Careful, little wolf. That draws blood."

"If you don't stop, I'll bite harder!" I hissed into his shirt.

Outside, Blake frowned, listening to the muffled sounds and the low groans coming from the interior. Through the slight gap in the window, he could see a tangle of limbs and the back of a man’s head.