IVY

Rejected. Banished. Executed.

The words carved themselves into my soul, a cruel mantra that wouldn’t stop echoing. They consumed me, growing louder and sharper until I couldn’t bear it anymore.

So, I jumped. I hurled myself off the cliff because I wanted to end it all, letting the wind whip against my skin, and for a fleeting moment, there was silence. Peace.

And then, nothing.

I thought it was over. I thought I was free.

But I was wrong.

My wolf’s agonized howl ripped through me as light pierced my eyelids. Pain seared through every inch of my body as I tried to move, only to realize that I couldn’t. Chains bit into my wrists and ankles, their cold, unyielding grip a harsh reminder that I was still alive.

Or something close to it.

I blinked, forcing my vision to focus, and as the room around me swam into view, I heard it—a voice, smooth and mocking, cutting through the haze.

“Well, well, look who decided to rejoin the living.”

My head snapped up, and my stomach churned as my eyes landed on him. Marcus Stone. Alpha of the Black Fang Pack—and Caleb’s biggest rival.

“You,” I rasped, my throat raw from screaming or sobbing—I couldn’t remember which. “What is this? Why am I in chains? Why am I here?”

He smirked, the kind of smug, slimy expression that always made my skin crawl. “You’re not really in a position to ask questions, now, are you?” His tone dripped with disdain, his eyes scanning me like I was something unpleasant stuck to his boot. “You still reek of him so don’t worry—I’ll keep this brief.”

“Let me go,” I growled, my voice steadier than I expected, even though the pain clawed at me. “Whatever sick game you’re playing, Marcus, I don’t have time for it. Caleb will—”

Marcus’s laugh rang out, sharp and cruel, echoing off the walls. “Caleb?” He mocked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Save your threats, Ivy. Everyone knows you’re nothing now. Rejected. Banished. Disgraced. That’s why you threw yourself off that cliff, isn’t it? Poor little Luna couldn’t handle her fall from grace.”

I bit down on the lump rising in my throat, forcing myself not to flinch. “What do you want, Marcus?”

“Oh, it’s not about what I want,” he sneered. “It’s about what the entire realm needs and I don’t need to ask you if you are aware of the tradition. You see, this year, it’s our turn to send a maiden to Hybrid Alpha King and you just fell right into our hands.”

My heart stopped.

“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

His grin widened, cruel and predatory. “Oh, yes.”

The blood drained from my face as the horrifying reality crashed over me. For years, every pack had been forced to send a maiden to the Hybrid Alpha King, Knox Thorne—a monstrous creature cursed with a wolf so feral, so bloodthirsty, that no one could control.

The maidens sent to him never returned. And so far none has managed to do that and the cycle is never ending.

It was whispered that to appease his wolf, he tortured them, feasted on their hearts, leaving no trace of their existence. A barbaric sacrifice to keep his wrath from destroying the packs. It was a tradition I hated and had tried so hard to stop when I became Luna and had to watch one of our own sent away but there was so little I could do in four years for a tradition that has been for decades.

Being sent to Knox Thorne was said to be a fate worse than death itself.

But no one could stop it. And now I was to be the next victim.

“Marcus,” I croaked, panic tightening my chest. “You can’t do this. You can’t.”

He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my face. “Why not? You wanted to die, didn’t you? Think of this as your chance to do something useful before you go. And the best part?” His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “No one will care.

Your life is worthless now, Ivy. And I’ll relish the thought of sending Caleb’s former Luna to her death.”

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head, my voice cracking as I begged. “Marcus, don’t do this. Please. I beg of you.”

But he was already turning away, his expression hard with finality.

I thrashed against the chains, my wolf weak and silent in my mind, the betrayal and exhaustion weighing me down.

“Marcus!” I screamed, my voice raw. “You’ll regret this! You hear me? You’ll regret this!”

He paused at the door, throwing a glance over his shoulder like my words meant nothing. His next words sent a cold wave of terror crashing through me.

“His men will come for you tonight. And Ivy?” His lips curled into a sneer. “What happens next will be worse than anything you can imagine. He’ll make you beg for death—and when you do, it’ll be a mercy.”

IVY

The scent of blood hit me first. Metallic. Overpowering.

It was everywhere—so thick it clawed its way down my throat with each shallow breath. My wrists screamed in protest as I yanked against the chains, desperation overriding the ache in my muscles.

“He’s worse this time,” one of the men who brought me here from Marcus’ territory had snarled before tossing me into this cell. His voice still echoed in my mind, feeding the terror coiling in my chest. “It’s been months since he’s had an offering. His wolf… it’s completely out of control.”

The other man’s laughter had been sharp, cold, and devoid of mercy. “None of them tame him. She won’t either. Just another carcass for him to feast on.”

I couldn’t stop shaking. My wolf was silent, drugged into unconsciousness the moment I’d fought back. Without her, I was utterly alone.

“Please!” I shouted, forcing my trembling voice to cut through the suffocating darkness. “Let me go! Someone—please!”

The metallic jingle of keys answered me. My heart leaped with hope, but it crashed just as fast when the heavy door creaked open. A hunched older man entered, flanked by one of my captors. His gray eyes swept over me with indifference.

“Bring her,” he said flatly.

“What?” Panic shot through me, and I thrashed against the chains again. The man’s gaze darkened as he frowned.

“I told you to weaken her with silver,” he snapped at the guard. “And clean her up.”

“We did,” the guard growled in irritation. “I don’t know why she still has strength. Should I dose her again?”

“No,” the older man said sharply. “It will dull her wolf too much. Just bring her—we’re out of time.”

“Where are you taking me?” I screamed, my voice raw as I fought harder. “What are you going to do?”

Ignoring my cries, the guard unlocked my chains and yanked me to my feet. His hand clamped around my arm like a vice.

“You’d better behave yourself,” he hissed, his face inches from mine.

Adrenaline surged through me. I acted on instinct. Twisting sharply, I stomped on his foot and slammed my elbow into his stomach. His grip loosened just enough for me to wrench free.

“You little—” he snarled, doubling over. Before he could recover, I spun and bolted down the dark corridor, his furious curses echoing behind me.

“Get her!” the older man barked.

I didn’t stop. My bare feet slapped against the cold stone as the shadows seemed to claw at me. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out everything but the sound of my ragged breathing.

Then I saw it—a door.

My salvation.

I barreled through it, gasping for air as I stumbled into an open space. The cold hit me first, sharp and biting against my skin. My steps faltered as I looked around.

It wasn’t a room. It was something else. Something primal. An arena, though patches of wild grass sprouted from the earth. There was no exit in sight. Just the oppressive weight of silence pressing in on me.

I turned, ready to double back, but before I could even process what was happening, I heard it.

A low growl. Deadly. Savage.

I froze.

I knew I had to look. I knew I couldn’t escape without knowing what was waiting for me. And when I turned—

I forgot to breathe.

The wolf before me was the largest, most terrifying creature I had ever seen. It wasn’t even just a wolf. No, this thing was a monster, capable of standing on its hind legs, muscles rippling beneath thick fur.

But it was the eyes that paralyzed me—amber, glowing with a feral, bloodthirsty rage. The kind of hunger that made every instinct in my body scream to run, to hide, to do anything but stand there.

But I couldn’t move. The air had thickened, frozen me in place as its gaze locked onto mine.

I took one step back, then another, but it was too late.

The wolf snarled, charging forward with a speed that defied reason.

I stumbled. My feet slipped beneath me, and I fell backward, bracing for the inevitable strike. My heart slammed in my chest, the fear surging through me.

I raised my hands in a futile attempt to protect myself. “Please… stop!” I screamed, my voice breaking.

But the blow never came.

I opened my eyes, half-expecting to feel the sharp pain tear through me, but instead, I found the wolf stilled, its monstrous body frozen mid-step. It stared at me, its gaze intense, filled with an emotion I couldn’t name.

I could feel my own wolf stir, weak but present, her presence a whisper against the terror flooding me.

And then—one word. One shocking word even more frightening than the crippling fear.

Mate.

IVY

"Run!"

The single word snapped through my mind, breaking the trance that had frozen me in place. My body moved before I could think, scrambling for the door, feet sliding on the slick stone floor. The connection between me and the monstrous wolf felt like a frayed wire—one that could ignite again at any second and tear me apart.

I barely made it past the threshold when a rough hand clamped down on my arm, yanking me back.

“You’re going to pay for that, you little—” the guard snarled, his face twisted with rage.

“Let her go.”

The words weren’t shouted, but they hit like thunder. The guard froze, his grip dropping instantly, and I staggered backward, gasping for air.

An even older man approached, his stride measured and deliberate. Everything about him exuded authority—his silver hair neatly combed, his dark robes flowing as if the very air obeyed him. Even the guard bowed as he neared, though the man’s piercing gaze stayed locked on me.

“Elder Maxwell,” the guard began hesitantly, “you don’t understand. She’s unstable and we need to get her to the Alpha King now before time—”

“Leave,” Maxwell interrupted coldly, not even sparing him a glance.

The guard hesitated, then ducked his head and stormed off, muttering under his breath.

I barely had time to catch my breath before Maxwell did something that completely surprised me. He bowed his head to me.

“It is an honor to be in your presence,” he murmured, his voice steady and reverent. “We have waited decades for you.”

I blinked and instinctively backed away, “What?”

Maxwell straightened, a small smile on his lips. “You don’t understand, do you?” He glanced briefly at the darkened corridor behind me, where the snarls of the wolf had faded into an eerie silence. “You ordered him to stop. And he did.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “It wasn’t an order. I just… shouted. I was scared—”

A sudden realization struck me like a lightning bolt, “Was that… was that him? The Hybrid Alpha King? Knox Thorne?”

My mate was the cursed Alpha King?”

Maxwell nodded, “Yes. He wasn’t to be in the arena yet and neither were you. At least not until the necessary precautions have been taken but that doesn’t matter now because the Alpha King’s wolf cannot be tamed, cannot be reasoned with—except by one,” He looked straight into my eyes, “His mate and the anchor.”

My knees felt weak, and I staggered back a step again. “The what?”

Maxwell tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “The curse placed on the Alpha King decades ago was for the crime he committed out of his cruelty and so his wolf was bound to an endless, feral rage. A rage that will fester and spread until he completely loses his humanity since his act was inhuman as his punishment and when this happens, he will lose all control and no one will be able to stop him. His wolf will unleash its chaos on the entire realm.”

I swallowed hard trying to piece what he was telling me with what I already knew, “So why does he kill and eat the hearts of the maidens sent to him? What does that have to do with stopping his wolf from going feral and what does this have to do with the fact that I’m his mate or anchor?”

His eyes flickered for a moment, a shadow passing over them, before his lips curled into a grim smile. “You look weak, child. You should rest. We can continue this conversation later.”

“No,” I snapped without meaning too then softened my voice, “No, I… my life just shattered into pieces in the last week. I can’t… I need to understand this. I need to know what being his mate means for me.”

Maxwell sighed, the sound heavy with years of untold stories. “Words have twisted with time, child. The Alpha King does not kill the maidens to feast on their hearts. Their essence… it keeps his humanity in check—if only for a short while.”

I shuddered. “And what happens to them?”

“They live,” Maxwell said, his voice darkening. “They are absorbed into the pack, but only as shadows of what they once were but it is a price we have to pay to stop it from completely destroying us all. But everyday that passes, the more inhuman the King becomes.”

My stomach turned, a sick feeling gnawing at me. “What part do I play in this?”

Maxwell’s expression darkened further. “There is only one way to break the curse. Only one person can do it—a chosen maiden of pure heart. We were spiraling because we didn’t think you would ever show up but here you are and your sacrifice is going to save us all.”

I felt a knot tighten in my chest. “You are telling me that I’m supposed to save a realm? What sacrifice am I supposed to make?”

Maxwell’s smile was empty, reaching his lips but never his eyes. “It is your destiny so you have to accept it. By the next full moon, your sacrifice will be made. Releasing your pure essence is the only way to fix what was lost by his cruelty.”

He paused, his gaze locking onto mine, and his next words stunned me to the depths of my core, me, “To cleanse the land and break the curse, you must die.”