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.”

IVY

I had to get out.

Maxwell’s words slammed into my mind—your sacrifice will be made—and my chest tightened, making me use every ounce of strength I could muster as I hurled myself at the door of the room he had me kept in in preparation for my sacrifice tonight again, ignoring the ache in my shoulder.

The wood groaned, but it didn’t budge.

I know I tried to kill myself—but it had been my own terms. My decision.

This?

This was madness. I wasn’t about to pay for the sins of a man who brought this curse upon himself with his cruelty.

Mate or no mate.

I closed my eyes, reaching for my wolf. Please, I begged her. Push past the silver. Help me fight. But the haze in my veins was suffocating, and I could feel her struggling, just out of reach.

Frustrated, I turned to the door again, ready to slam my body against it one more time—when it swung open.

And I froze.

The first thing I saw were his eyes, glowing golden in the dim light, pinning me in place with their intensity. It hit me instantly, like a punch to the chest.

The Hybrid King. My mate.

The man whose curse was about to end my life. Literally.

The realization snapped something inside me, and I growled, “Look, I don’t care if you’re days—or hours—away from losing your mind and going absolutely mad. I’m not the reason you’re cursed, and I’ll be damned if I pay for your mistakes. I don’t even know you so tell your people to let me go.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stared at me, his presence suffocating.

Then, with a single step forward, the entire room seemed to shift, like it bowed to him.

My breath hitched.

He was nothing like I expected. The golden eyes, sharp and otherworldly, were framed by dark, unruly hair that fell across his face. His features were sharp yet striking, beautiful in a way that didn’t seem possible.

And he wasn’t centuries-old in appearance, either. He looked like he was barely in his late thirties, a man at his peak, though the weight of his age hung in the air around him like a storm cloud.

Still, he didn’t speak. My wolf stirred, growling softly in the back of my mind, repeating one word over and over.

Mate. Mate. Mate.

It only made me angrier. ‘He’s the reason we’re about to be slaughtered’ I reminded her, but it was no use. Her instincts were louder than my fury, pushing me towards him.

Finally, he spoke. His voice was low, rough, and colder than I expected, “You’re the solution to all of this?”

My mouth opened and closed, the insult hitting like a slap, but I pushed past the suffocating weight of his aura and stepped closer. “Excuse me? Did you just demean me? Did I ever tell you—or anyone—that I wanted to be a solution to anything?”

His eyes darkened instantly, the air around him shifting like a physical force. His aura slammed into me, and I stumbled back despite myself.

“I believe your tongue isn’t necessary for the sacrifice to work,” he said, voice low and cruel. “Watch it—or I’ll remove it myself.”

The words were so calm, so matter-of-fact, that I flinched.

He continued, his tone colder than before. “I came here to tell you to stop irritating me with your restlessness.”

What?

His eyes narrowed. “Since you and I are unfortunately connected, I can feel every pathetic attempt you make to escape. It’s agitating my wolves and, frankly, it’s irritating me.” He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. “So behave yourself, or I’ll bring the sacrifice forward to this very moment.”

His words hit like a punch to the gut, but my mind spun with a sudden realization. The bond. That’s why he could feel me. Why my essence could break the curse.

But what if it was severed?

I didn’t know if it would work, but I had to try.

His eyes sharpened, deadly, like he could sense my thoughts. He stepped back, warning lacing his voice as he growled, “Don’t.”

But I was faster.

“I, Ivy, reject you, Knox Thorne, as my mate.”

The bond snapped like a whip, and the pain was instant—raw and searing. My wolf howled in protest, and I doubled over, gasping as the connection shattered.

Knox froze, his expression flickering between shock and rage. Then his eyes changed. The golden hue turned feral, wild, like I’d seen when he was in his wolf form.

The crack of bones filled the room, and before I could process it, his wolf let out a savage snarl.

And then he lunged.