Chapter 20
Ivy’s POVE
The darkness of the bungalow was suffocating, the air thick with the scent of Ethan’s sleep and my own terror. He lay beside me a hemy. muscled presence, finally, blissfully, in a deep sleep. But there was no rest for me. My mind raced, a frantic hamster on a wheel desperate for a way out. He was insane. Utterly, dangerously insane.
I mind–linked, a desperate, silent plea hurled into the vast emptiness. Please help me, Alpha. Please. I poured every ounce of my fear, my despair, into the call, praying that somehow, against all odds, Vincent would hear me. I knew it was impossible. He was miles away, at our wedding, waiting. He wouldn’t be able to pick up my desperate plea, not over such a distance, not with the interference of Ethan’s presence. But I prayed anyway.
I am in the middle of the woods.
Ethan kidnapped me.
My vision blurred with fresh tears. It was useless. There was no connection. No answer. My only hope was myself. I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat, forcing myself to be calm, to think.
I looked around the small, rustic room, my eyes scanning every detail. The rough wooden walls, the sturdy furniture, the single window. My gaze fixed on the window. It wasn’t large, and the glass looked thick, but it was my only shot. If I transformed into my wolf body, with the sheer power of my transformed form, I could surely destroy that window. I could crash through it. And then, I could run.
My eyes flickered back to Ethan. He was still heavily asleep, his chest rising and falling with deep, even breaths. This was my chance. It was now or never.
My wolf, a majestic white creature of instinct and power, surged within me. With a silent command, I allowed the transformation to take hold. My bones shifted, stretched, reshaping themselves with a familiar crackle of energy. My human skin dissolved, replaced by a thick, protective pelt of pure white fur. My hands became paws, my teeth elongated into sharp fangs.8
In mere seconds, I was no longer a trembling woman, but a powerful she–wolf, low to the ground, coiled with desperate energy.
I didn’t care if Alpha Ethan heard it I didn’t care if the sound woke him, if it unleashed his madness. All that mattered was escape.
With a furious snarl, I launched myself at the window, a white blur of desperate power. The glass shattered with a deafening crash, exploding outwards in a shower of glittering shards. I didn’t even feel the cuts. I hit the ground running, my powerful wolf legs chuming. tearing through he dense undergrowth.
My senses exploded. The rich, earthy scent of the forest, the cool night air whipping through my fur, the desperate thrum of my own heartbeat. I ran, faster than I thought possible, pushing my body to its absolute limits. I could hear him. The snarl of his transformation, the furious roar of his wolf, the heavy pound of his powerful paws behind me. He was coming. He was running after me
But I didn’t care. I wouldn’t look back: He was insane. He wouldn’t have me. I wouldn’t let him keep me captive in that isolated bungalow for the rest of my life. My life depended on this run, on outrunning the madness that pursued me.
The treas blurred into a dark green tunnel as I pushed harder, ignoring the burning in my lungs, the ache in my muscles. The forest floor was uneven, treacherous, but my paws found purchase, my wolf instincts guiding me through the darkness. I could hear his angry snarls growing closer, the relentless thud of his powerful wolf body gaining on me. He was faster, stronger, built for raw power. I was smaller, more agile, fueled by sheer desperation.
Then, the scent of fresh, open air hit me, mingling with the earthy smell of damp rock. And a chilling realization slammed into me, forcing a desperate whimper from my throat. The ground ahead of me changed, dropped away. My paws instinctively skidded to a halt, sending me sliding inches from the edge.
A cliff. A sheer, terrifying drop into darkness. A dead end. He had cornered me.8
I whirled around, my white fur bristling, my fangs bared in a desperate snarl. Ethan, a massive dark wolf, burst through the last line of trees, his eyes blazing, his powerful body colled to strike. He saw the cliff, saw my desperate starice, and his own powerful frame skidded to a halt, sending loose earth tumbling over the edge.l
We were both breathing heavily, ragged gasps filling the silent night. The scent of his fury, his desperation, was overwhelming Slowly, I began to shift. My bones crunched and popped, my fur receded, my human skin emerging. It was painful, but I didn’t care He transformed too, his massive wolf form melting into his human body, his eyes still dark and crazed.
I moved to the very edge of the cliff, my bare feet cold against the rough earth. The wind whipped my hair around my face, tugging at my flimsy wedding dress. Below, the darkness was absolute, a bottomless vald K
I turned back to him, my voice raw, stripped bare of all emotion save a defiant despair. “I would rather die, Ethan. I would rather fall and smash into a million places at the bottom of this cliff than come with you.” My wolf, though terrified, stood firm. There was no going
back.
His eyes widened, the madness in them replaced by a sudden, stark fear. A row, guttural sound tore from his throat “What the fuck, Ivy! Come to me!”
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face, mingling with the sweat and dirt. “Never”
We stood there, suspended in time, on the precipice of absolute despair. Me, on the edge of oblivion. Him, on the edge of madness. trying to reach me
Then, a sudden chorus of howls pierced the night. Not Ethan’s, not the lonely calls of rogues, but powerful, organized howls. The ground began to vibrate with the thundering rhythm of running paws.X
Groups of wolves. Not just one or two, but many. Their scents, a powerful mix of familiar pack identities, filled the air. My head snapped up, my senses overwhelmed. And then, through the trees, they appeared. A wave of forms, transforming as they ran, shifting from wall to
9 DE PM
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face, mingling with the sweat and dirt. “Never”
We stood there, suspended in time, on the precipice of absolute despair. Me, on the edge of oblivion. Him, on the edge of madness trying to reach me
Then, a sudden chorus of howls pierced the night. Not Ethan’s, not the lonely calls of rogues, but powerful, organized howls. The ground began to vibrate with the thundering rhythm of running paws.
Groups of wolves. Not just one or two, but many. Their scents, a powerful mix of familiar pack identities, filled the air. My head snapped up, my senses overwhelmed. And then, through the trees, they appeared. A wave of forms, transforming as they ran, shifting from wolf to
human.!
And in the lead, his eyes blazing with a mix of fury and desperate relief, was Alpha Vincent. He shifted instantly, his dark wolf melting into his human form, his clothing shimmering into existence. He saw me, on the edge, saw Ethan, and a roar of pure, possessive rage ripped from his throat.E
WY!
He didn’t hesitate. He launched himself forward, a blur of motion, covering the distance between us in heartbeats. My legs, weak from the tranquilizer and the frantic run, instinctively moved. I ran for him, stumbling, crying, throwing myself into his arms.
He caught me, crushing me against his hard, warm chest. His arms wrapped around me, tightening with a desperate strength that threatened to crack my ribs, but all I felt was safety. His scent enveloped me, the scent of home, of protection, of my mate. He buried his face in my hair, his body trembling.
“Ivy, he whispered, his voice rough with emotion, “I was so scared. So scared I would lose you for real.”
ilclung to him, sobbing into his shoulder, the nightmare of the last few hours slowly, mercifully, beginning to recede.
As I clung to Vincent, I looked around. The clearing was filled with wolves. Not just Nightshade Pack, their familiar scent a wave of comfort. But Snowland Pack, too, their crisp, cold scent filling the air my parents‘ pack. And then… Farah. She stood there, her hands clutched over her belly, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear and a sickening realization. And behind her, members of Foreland Pack.!! Suddenly a voice, filled with furious, righteous anger, ripped through the silence, making every wolf flinch.!
