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.
