IVY
34 years later…
Today was supposed to be one of the best days of my life. Today, my brother was supposed to be crowned as the new Alpha, a day we both have been waiting for since we were kids. My brother’s biggest dream was to claim his throne as an Alpha, and mine was to see him as one. And today was the day it was supposed to happen.
But now he lay here, on the cold hard floor.
Dead.
“Ivan!” I shook him violently, my body burning with unspeakable pain, blood trickling down the corner of my lips and from almost every part of my body. But I could not care about any of that at the moment.
“Ivan! Please wake up!” I sobbed, hoping, praying with all I got to the Moon Goddess that by some miracle he would wake up.
But he lay there, still and silent, his body slowly turning cold. Coughing and fighting to keep myself from falling apart, I gazed around and all I could see was destruction, my pack burning to the ground.
A few hours ago, this place was bustling with people ready to celebrate; my mom, dad, brother, his mate, and all the pack members. And now…everything was just destroyed. Just like that.
I didn’t know where everyone was. The only thing I could see were dead bodies and everything destroyed to the ground.
“This is the girl.” I gazed up and two gigantic men loomed in front of me, staring down at me with a steely gaze. One was platinum blonde with piercings and the other one had caramel hair.
“Take her,” the platinum guy said. “Alpha must be waiting for her,” the caramel one leaned down to grab my arm, his eyes deadpan. I quickly moved away and shot him a glare.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” I sneered, tears spilling down my eyes. “Who the fuck are you?!”
The platinum one looked bored, and giving me a look, nodded to someone behind me. I whirled around and blinked, a blinding pain shot through my neck as someone stabbed me with something sharp.
And before I knew it…the world turned dark.
When my eyes opened, I found myself in a plush bedroom, lying on an enormous bed. My entire body ached as I pushed myself into a sitting position. The room was dimly lit, but once my vision adjusted to it, I froze as unfamiliar hazel eyes peered back at me. He had a crystal glass in his hand, which he twirled around as he sat back and appraised me in silence.
“Who are you?” I hissed, discreetly moving back. I immediately felt repulsed by whoever this guy was, half of his face visible and half hidden by the darkness. “Where am I?”
“Ivyanka…fascinating name you got there,” his voice was heavy and deep.
Slowly, like a wolf ready to pounce on his prey, he moved closer, emerging from the darkness. I blinked and I can’t remember ever seeing him before. He had a sharp face, an extremely sharp face, messy sandy-blonde hair, piercing hazel eyes with hues of gold, and deep-set dark eyebrows.
“What do you want?” I repeated. “Did you attack my pack? Where is my family?” He stood up with a graceful movement and walked over to sit down beside me. I shot him a dirty look when he ran his knuckles on my cheek. His hands were icy. And his scent... there was something not right with it. Something repealing.
“Yes, I am the one who attacked your pack,” he answered, locking his hazel eyes on mine. “You are now in my pack and your family…is dead. My men killed them, all of them.” I froze, my entire body recoiling as I blankly stared back at him.
“I am alpha Killian Price, beautiful,” he added.
Killian Price? Who was that? I have never seen or even heard of him before.
“What do you want?” I sneered, my hands itching to hit him. But somehow, I felt too weak. “I am going to kill you, whoever the fuck you are.”
“Hmm, I thought you’d be more interested in negotiating how you can save your father who is…still alive.” I blinked at him, a brief glimmer of hope rising in my heart.
“Daddy…” I whispered. “Wh…where’s my father?”
“Safe…for now. And it depends on you for how long he will stay safe. Rather…how long he would get to live,” he replied, cocking his head to the side.
“What do you want?” I repeated. “Why are you doing this to us?”
“Your father refused to accept my proposal earlier, little Alpha, against my warning. Typical Alpha ego got in the way, I believe. But Killian always gets what he wants, does not matter how.”
“Why would you want our pack? We aren’t big or wealthy or even powerful. We are just a small pack of warriors…that’s all.” His lips twitched a bit while his eyes darkened as he leaned closer to me.
“Who said I wanted your pack?”
“Then what is it you want?” The stranger reached out and ran his icy thumb across my bottom lip.
“You. All I wanted was…you, little Alpha,”
What?
“Why?”
“Because you are going to help me with something I have been waiting years for. If only your father had listened to me, your pack and your family would be safe. But look at what his stupid ego did. I hope you won’t repeat the same mistake, Ivyanka. If you do as I ask, I will make sure your father stays alive and well, in return.”
“What do I need to do?” I whispered.
“You are going to help me destroy my biggest enemy ever, one of the strongest and largest packs in the world. I have some old accounts that need to be settled.” I blinked at him, not sure if I heard him right.
“Wh…which pack?” I demanded. Killian’s eyes darkened, and his lips sneered evilly.
“GrayCrest,”
Asher3 months later…I let the window of my car down and took a deep breath. The air felt fresh, immediately bringing in a sense of familiarity with it. It has been months since I have been away from home because of my training at the BlackRiver pack in Spain. It was an integral rule for an Alpha to train at another pack to gain more knowledge and experience that was needed to fit the role.The past eight months have been great, and it was amazing training at BlackRiver. But I was so glad to be back home, GrayCrest. “It’s good to have you back, brother,” I whirled my head around and Noah gave me a smile. He was my elder brother and one of those saints who didn’t belong in this cruel world. “It’s good to be back,” I agreed. "The pack is eager to greet you. And so are Rose and Cora."I smiled, realizing how long it has been since I saw my family. The two women Noah mentioned were my brothers' mates. Rose was No
Ivy “Mate,” Silver, my wolf, mumbled, giving me goosebumps all over as I aimlessly stared at the man in front of me. “Oh my, that’s him again!” He was tall, very tall, with dark eyes that seemed to pierce through my soul. His extremely sharp face was covered in a stubble paired with a shock of unruly, unkempt curly dark hair. And beneath his fitted white T-shirt, sticking to his body like glue, I could already see the fine line of muscles and abs and tattoos peeking out from the deep v-neck. He wore a diamond stud in his right ear and there was a piercing on his left eyebrow as well. “Asher!” Alpha Noah called, strolling over to us while the two of us stared at each other like robots. Shock was an understatement for what I felt at the moment. Especially after knowing who this man was. This was Alpha Asher Gray, the youngest Alpha of GrayCrest, one of the most powerful packs in the world. This was…my mate. And a man I met very briefly a long time ago. The more I focused on him, t
Asher What were the odds that in the whole freaking world and after spending eight fucking months in an unknown pack filled with hordes of female wolves… I found my mate right in my home? My mate… I was already starting to feel nauseous. This was so not my thing. I had next to no interest in finding a mate. I loved women. That was not the point. But only as long as my cock was nestled inside them, and they were moaning my name. That was all, nothing more. Matebond meant love…and love wasn’t my thing. I don’t believe in this whole concept of two people being randomly bound by some unseen bond. That’s forced. Fuck no. I DO NOT want a mate. And especially not this one with her smart mouth. Who was this woman, even? Where did she come from? And how in hell was she the same woman whom I ran into in a club almost two years ago? “She is,” Mac confirmed. “It’s her… I will never forget the scent. There is no scent like hers!" Oh fuck. Approximately two years ago, I was on my usual club
Ivy“No, I will not reject him!” I wasn’t sure if I heard my wolf right. Did she just refuse to reject this asshole?“What?” I mumbled. “What did you say?”“I will not reject him. I get to have a say on this too and I want my mate! It’s been so long and I had almost given up the idea of ever finding one. And now here he is and you know I have longed for him. I am not giving him up…no. I want a mate!” Silver retorted, sounding petulant.“Even if he is an asshole like that? Silver…he ran away from us, remember? Remember the way we felt? That intense feeling, the longing and how crazy it drove us? How could you accept a man like that? He’s a freaking coward,” I protested.“I know, but he admitted it…it was a mistake. And mistakes happen. You didn’t try to stop him either, did you?” “I was shocked!”“So was he…”“Stop this nonsense right away,” Alpha Joseph grimaced, shooting a glare at his son. “The whole pack is
Ivy My mind wasn’t ready to process this. There was a reason I came to GrayCrest. There was a mission I needed to accomplish. And there was no way I could afford to fail. The stakes were too high. I have lost most of my family, watched them die right in front of my eyes. My father was my only family now, and his life hung in the balance that I was holding. One little slip and everything will fall apart. What Killian wanted from me, I wasn’t sure of that yet. All I knew, as of now, was that I was kind of acting as his spy here. I needed to keep an eye on the pack, on every little thing, and report it back to him when he asks for it. Ask how? I wasn’t sure of that either. Did I think it was going to be easy? No, of course not. Regardless, I was prepared to face whatever comes my way. I was an Alpha's daughter and a warrior by blood. There wasn’t much that scared me. But I think I gave myself too much credit too fast. Because now I was scared. GrayCrest was the last place I ever exp
Asher This was fucked up on a whole other level. “You are being unreasonable,” Mac said flatly as I stormed into my room and slammed the door shut. “Just accept it. You have a mate now. How long do you think you can run? Isn’t it pretty clear you can’t? It’s fate, Ash. Otherwise, you won’t run into her again. Mates are for life, just accept it. She is the one for you.” “Shut up! Shut up!” I growled, my mind spiraling. I just…I had no idea how to process this. That night when I ran into Ivy, I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t in my senses and out of no fucking where I had a mate. My mind was so fogged, those sudden hits of emotions weren’t something I could handle. My reflexes made me turn and run for my life. I was scared. I was so damn scared for whatever reason. Maybe it wasn’t the obvious reaction when you find your mate, but this was me and that was exactly how I felt. And still do. I wasn’t ready for a mate. “It isn’t a big deal,” Mac assured me. “Just let her in, and you will see h
Ivy I stared at the clear water of the small pond built within the pack, fighting the urge to cry. This was one of those intense moments where I just wanted to run away. Weren't things hard enough? Did this whole mess with Asher have to happen? A mate was the last thing I needed at the moment. And a mate who was literally the Alpha of the pack. Like it or not, that made me the Luna of GrayCrest, the very pack I was betraying. It was a sin of the greatest degree, but I had no choice. Didn’t the moon goddess have enough already? Why did she have to do this to me now? “Maybe a mate was exactly what you needed at the moment?” Silver offered. “No!” I grimaced. “This will make everything worse, Silver. If I accept Asher, I would have to marry him and accept his mark and once we have the mindlink, it will be impossible for me to do whatever Killian needs me to do. My every thought will be privy to him and if he finds out why exactly I am here and the lies I told to Alpha Noah and Logan…it
IvyThe lake house was at the far end of the endless forest that stretched out around the GrayCrest territory. The lake was beautiful, stretching out as far as eyes could see, and built on its bank was a pretty wooden lake house. As Eli told me, it was recently rebuilt because the old one was burned down in an accident not too long ago. Whatever it was, it was a pretty and peaceful place, which I would often visit when there wasn’t any training or anything else to do.But it looked far from peaceful at the moment.The thundering music could be heard all the way to the primary perimeter, that is the area closest to the pack house, and the lake house was near the final perimeter, which was at the very end. As we got closer, I could hear a lot of noises, people shouting and whistling, those annoying lights they have at the clubs and, of course, the stench of alcohol. It immediately repulsed me, not because of the alc