Two—Ivy’s POV

Pearl’s eyes flashed with fear as she looked up at me. “Mommy, who is at the door?”

I squatted beside her, taking her tiny hands in mine.

“Shhh. I want you to go back to the room and don't come out until Mommy says so, alright?”

She nodded before turning around and sprinting into the room.

I made sure her pink outfit disappeared out of sight before I gently turned the lock and opened the door. As soon as I stepped outside, a cold breeze swept past me. I quietly shut the door behind me.

Scanning the front of my yard, I noticed a mysterious black Jeep parked just opposite it. Then it dawned on me that whoever had knocked on the door must have parked the car outside. But strangely, I didn't see anyone around.

Just to be sure we were safe, I quickly walked towards the car to see who the intruder was. But still, I didn't see anyone. Just as I was about to peer into the car, I saw a figure hovering behind me in the reflection of the tinted window.

“It must have taken you a very long time to sense that I was standing right behind you. Oh, I must have forgotten that you aren't one of us. Humans don't have the unique ability to perceive threats.” I heard the most arrogant yet somehow calming voice ever.

But I didn't recognize the voice. One thing I was sure I remembered was the scent. This intruder's cologne smelled so familiar and somehow intoxicating.

My eyes widened as I turned back to the stranger.

It was him, Pearl's father— Lycan Zyran himself.

He was nothing like I remembered, and the random pictures of him Willa sent from time to time did no justice to the man standing before me. He still had that dark, thick hair, which looked slightly messy, and those sharp blue eyes that made him look like a god.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. Despite the fact that he was much taller than me, I made sure my eyes remained fixed on him.

“To get my daughter and my wife.” The way he said it made me laugh. His daughter and his wife? Like he ever cared whether I was alive or not.

“Look, Zyran. I'm not your wife, and my daughter has nothing to do with you. Just in case you must have forgotten, you swore never to have anything to do with me or my child.”

I spat the words angrily at his controlling ass.

As I brushed past him angrily, he quickly grabbed my hand, pulling me back to face him. My back made a soft thud as it hit the car, and his face hovered over mine.

“You will behave like a little girl and get your butt into that car. And if you want to do it the hard way, then game on.” He smirked as he pulled closer, his grip tightening around me one more time before he slowly released me.

“You must have consumed so much power that you think every living being is expected to dance to your tune. But you know what? You are damn wrong, Zyran. And if you think for even a second that you can use that on me, then it's best you stop feeding your head with nonsense.”

If there was something I had learned about Zyran over the past years of my life, it was that he hated being told what to do. He hated seeing that it was his fault another person was badly hurt.

But I guess I never really knew him.

“I'm sorry, Ivy. I know how badly I treated you and how painful it was for you over the past years. But please, I will explain everything to you if you agree to come with me just for our daughter's sake.”

His eyes instantly fell as he pleaded with me.

“You are not going to be part of my daughter's life. You are not her father, and if you show your damn face in this place one more time, I will make sure I blow your head off. I don't care if you supernatural beings are immune to death.”

I warned him, while he just stood there, shocked by my outburst. I was still caged under his arms, and he didn't give me any chance to move. He just stood there, staring at my face.

“Can you move?” I asked, hitting his hands gently, but he didn't utter a word or move his eyes from mine.

“Mommy, is that Daddy?”

Hearing Pearl's voice made me realize that I hadn't locked the door on my way out. She must have come out of the room because I was taking too much time.

“N—”

Before I could reply, Zyran beat me to it. He quickly pulled his hands away and frantically sprinted towards Pearl. He swooped her up into his arms.

“Hey, my little angel. This is Daddy.” He flashed a smile at her, and she giggled like that was the most exciting word she had ever heard.

I stared at them with mixed feelings. What if he was just doing it because we had nowhere else to go? What if he was just doing it out of pity?

“Daddy, this is Harper. Harper, this is my Daddy. He just got back from a very longggggggggggg trip.” She stretched the “g” as she introduced her teddy to him.

“Hi, Teddy Harper. I'm Pearl's daddy,” Zyran said as he shook the teddy's hand. Pearl nodded her head in affirmation like they had just completed a formal introduction.

The two of them continued chatting while I just stood in one spot, watching the scene in front of me. And I could tell it was the cutest thing I had ever seen in my life.

Pearl chatted away about basically everything, like she was giving him a summary of the past three years of her life.

“Alright, Pearl, time is up. Your Daddy needs to get back to work, and we are going over to Aunty Willa's place. Daddy will meet us there,” I said, cutting off their little conversation.

Standing in front of them, I expected Pearl to quickly drop down from his arms and run into mine.

But instead, she clung onto him and muttered, “Mommy, why can't you go alone? Me and Harper will come together with Daddy.” I felt my whole world crumble as she said those words, while Zyran flashed me a happy smile like he had won.

Three—Ivy’s POV

With a forced smile on my lips, I passed the chatting group and went inside to grab our bags. The moment Zyran saw me with the bags, he quickly dropped Pearl to the ground and retrieved them from me.

That was the only opportunity I got with Pearl, but it quickly ended when she trailed behind us, screaming at the top of her voice that her Dad was Superman.

Zyran was basically enjoying it as he flaunted his muscles.

After carefully tugging her into the car and placing the luggage in the boot, I called Zyran over for a talk.

“I never wanted you here in the first place, but seeing my daughter this way would make it difficult for me to deny her the right to see you from time to time.”

“But let me be clear with you. The moment you or any pack member disrespects her, I'm pulling out, and you will never set eyes on her again. Mark my words, Zyran. I'm damn serious,” I warned him because my daughter was my first and only priority.

I knew she wouldn't be accepted in the pack, but if he chose to protect her just like my father protected my mother when she was pregnant with me, then we would both be safe.

“Come on, it's not like anyone chased you away, Ivy. You chose to leave all by yourself. Look, you have to believe me. No one is going to hurt her. I promise.”

“Oh, you have the guts to tell me that, Zyran? You pushed me out of your life and chose Blair over me because I was what? A common maid to you? Or is it because I'm not a Lycan? Or is it because people would call you weak if you did?” I raised my voice slightly as anger coursed through me.

How dare he? How dare he speak as though he had no idea how much his actions had affected me?

“Can we talk when we get home? Please. Let us not do this here.” He pleaded before ushering me into the car. I obliged, not because I had no more words to say, but because of the genuine look on his face.

Throughout the ride, I kept quiet and simply listened to their chat. Most of the time, I caught him stealing glances at me through the rearview mirror. And every time he did, I simply rolled my eyes at him.

“Daddy, can you come to my school? I want to show all my classmates that my Daddy is Superman. Please, just this once,” she pleaded, flashing him her puppy eyes—the kind no one could resist.

“How about you go to a much bigger and better school? In this school, everybody will treat you like a princess because you are a princess.”

Her eyes widened as she gasped in shock.

Then she turned to me for the first time during the entire ride and asked, “Mummy, is it true that I'm a princess? And do I have my own kingdom like Sophia the First?”

Her innocent and curious look made me chuckle.

“Yes, sweetie. You are a princess, and you have your own kingdom. And that is where Daddy is taking us to.” She gasped even louder as she swung her legs in excitement.

“Now that wicked landlord won't disturb us, Mommy. Daddy has finally come to save us.” I quickly placed my hand over her mouth as if it would stop her from saying what she had just said.

“Ivy, what's going on? Do you have any problem with the landlord?” Zyran asked in a concerned tone. I eyed him without saying anything.

“We will talk about this when we get home.”

The way he said the word “home” made me recall all the fantasies I used to have while we were dating. I used to fantasize about the day I wouldn't have to work as a maid anymore, but instead, I would have tons of maids serving me.

The rest of the ride passed in silence, as if everyone could sense the awkwardness hanging in the air. Pearl kept quiet, her eyes fixed outside the window, while Zyran continued driving, his eyes shifting between the road and the rearview mirror.

Everything happened so fast. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the airport, where the private jet Zyran had brought to pick us up was waiting for us.

Once we boarded, Pearl couldn't stop staring around in amazement, her little eyes widening as she took in everything around her. She kept going, “Wow!” and “Daddy, look!” as she explored the jet with her eyes.

And just like that, we were on our way back to the pack.

Soon, we got to the pack, and the first thing I noticed was how civilized it was. Unlike the last time I was here, there were good roads and proper facilities.

A cheeky smile spread across my lips as my eyes scanned the structures in front of me.

“Seeing that satisfaction on your face means I did a good job renovating the entire city. You don't have to say it out loud. Thanks for your regards,” Zyran said as he crept up behind me with Pearl in his arms as usual.

“Oh, please, don't flatter yourself. I wasn't admiring anything.” I turned my face away, a blush crawling across my face and making it red instantly with embarrassment.

Then we got down from the jet.

Zyran whispered something into Pearl's ear, and she nodded, sticking out her pinky finger. When they were done, he finally dropped her.

“A guard will escort you to Willa. She must have heard about your arrival,” he stated, stuffing his hands into his pockets, his face turning serious.

“Okay,” I whispered.

A car pulled over, and within seconds, our bags were packed inside. As we pulled away, heading toward the exit of the airport, I couldn't bring myself to look back at him. I wanted to check if he was watching us as the car disappeared.

Then I saw it.

He pulled a woman who had appeared out of nowhere into his arms, burying his face in her hair. A moment later, his eyes found mine.

And without looking away, he pulled her closer and kissed her.