51

IVY

AT first, there was only darkness.

Then, there was pain.

In my head, I screamed. I screamed so much my voice grew hoarse and my ears rang from the sound. But I knew that was only in my head. That really, I made no sound.

The pain didn’t end, though. It radiated through me, worse than anything I’d felt before. No other explosion of power felt like that.

No, it was wrong. Different.

And it burned .

The darkness dissipated, but I didn’t wake up. Instead, I was in the forest again. The forest from my nightmares. It spanned out around me, but the terrifying feeling that usually shuddered through me never came. This time, I didn’t run.

I turned in a slow circle and took in the giant, fleshy beast that stood over me. It was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. Just a manifestation of all my fears.

“You don’t scare me anymore,” I said tiredly, narrowing my eyes as the beast swayed on its feet. “I won’t run.”

“That is good to hear,” a familiar, rasping voice replied. I spun to find the hooded figure standing behind me. The crown was gone, but it still had its head. “But the fight is not over.”

I exhaled slowly. “You’re the Goddess Nyx, aren’t you?”

The dark shroud disappeared to reveal a woman beneath. She resembled the statues and images all over the palace and academy. She had tanned skin and light grey eyes like the moon. Dark, inky black hair tumbled to her waist, and her red lips formed a serene smile as she ran her eyes over me.

“I’ve always been here,” she said. “Though I had no intentions of scaring you, my child.”

I stiffened, crossing my arms as I took her in. “Why? Why reach me like this?”

“Because it is the only way I know how. I once walked these lands. Once loved them. But now I am but an entity. I have no physical body. I surrendered it when Pandora took her crown.”

A shiver rolled down my spine, and I took a step towards her. “What happened to the magic?”

Her eyes darkened, and her lips twisted into a sneer. “A bastardisation of my power, is what happened.”

I flinched back as the shroud appeared upon her face once more. “The False King seeks my power— our power. He wants it for himself and does not care how he gets it. ”

“He can’t take it...can he?” I whispered, heart racing.

“He will try,” Nyx warned, “but you will have to be stronger. You must make a choice, Ivy Wilson. This is not just about you. This is about our entire world. You were born to rule. Moulded to become Queen. You are the only creature in existence strong enough to carry my power. And should you choose survival, choose being Queen, then you must complete your mate circle. It will be your only way.”

Lightning struck; I looked away for only a moment, but it was enough for Nyx and her beast to disappear. I spun in a slow circle, searching the forest for either of them, but I was alone again.

Alone with the pain.

And I screamed.

~

White dots danced in the corner of my vision as the darkness slowly gave way to light.

Warmth cocooned me on all sides. It numbed the pain, but whispers of it remained in the aches of my limbs, and in the burning of my chest. It felt as though there was a hole in my heart, something missing within me, and the chances of finding it in the darkness were slim.

A groan passed my dry lips; my throat burned from the sound, but the warmth wasn’t enough anymore.

Pain shuddered through me, rolling over my skin, prickling my flesh from the sudden appearance of it.

“You’re okay,” a broken voice said. “We’ve got you, Sweetheart. We have you.”

There was a softness to his tone that made the pain worse. Like somehow, I’d failed. The burning intensified all over again, though now, I couldn’t scream. Couldn’t make a sound pass my lips.

The light started to disappear as darkness pulled me back under.

I was once again alone with the pain.

~

The forest bled like wet ink on a page. I turned in a slow circle, taking it in, my brows furrowed as even the creatures that once tormented me shied away in fear.

“Nyx!” I called. “Where are you?”

I tried to take a step, but the ground swallowed my feet. “Fuck.” Frustration burrowed into me, tightening in my chest. Tears burned my eyes, a lump forming in my chest as I tried to lift my legs.

“I’m always here, Ivy.”

I cursed again as the ground released me and I stumbled, almost collapsing to my knees.

“What’s going on?” I asked, turning to the shrouded figure. “What’s happening to this place?”

The Goddess didn’t lower her cloak this time, not as she stood still amongst the crumbling forest. “This is the result of what happened to our magic.”

I wrapped my arms around myself. “What do you mean?”

“It is not your fault.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I looked away, pressing my lips into a firm line. There were a dozen things she could have been referring to, or a thousand things that really were my fault. I couldn’t tell the difference anymore.

“Someone has bastardised the old spells used to build not only this world, but the last,” Nyx said, her voice hauntingly sad. “A betrayal not even I could have foreseen. And somehow, they have found a way to hurt you with it.”

I swallowed thickly and finally turned back to her. “What does that mean?”

“It means your adversary is far smarter than any of us could have believed.”

“He could successfully take control of Avalon, couldn’t he?” I whispered, crossing my arm as a dark chill rolled through my body. “He could actually take the crown?”

“No.” Nyx dropped the shroud and gone was the beautiful face I’d seen before. In its place was one scarred and broken and strong, wearing a grim frown, eyes hardening. “I did not create the line of Nyx for it to be taken over by a male with no rightful claim. I did not give Pandora my power only for it to be taken by someone who never should have had power to begin with. I swore to the Gods who banished me that I would not let them have control in my world, and that has been the way for over three thousand years. It will not change with you, Ivy Wilson. I will not let it.”

A different kind of fire burned within me from her words, an ancient flame reigniting at the weight of them. My entire body vibrated as my magic purred in my chest.

“You must not let him take you,” she warned. “You must fight. Or everything I have done—everything we have risked—will end in ruin. These worlds will die.”

~

Waking to soft sunlight streaming through my balcony windows and my mates surrounding me seemed to wash away the pain entirely. Gone was the ache in my limbs and the burn in my chest.

The warmth no longer scalded me, but instead gathered around me like a blanket. That safety net didn’t disappear as I blinked tiredly at my window. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, blocking out most of the sun. But every so often, streams of light broke through the bank of clouds to enter the bedroom.

Only the sound of soft breaths broke through the silence. I managed to turn my head just enough to find Maeve beside me, holding my hand to her chest, her eyes closed. Dark circles bruised her eyes, and stress lined her forehead, but she didn’t stir, not as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Pressure at my stomach made me look down to find Rowan sleeping between my legs. If it weren’t for the fact that both my hands were otherwise occupied, I might have trailed my fingers through his messy red hair. One of his hands rested precariously on my upper thigh, while the other clutched my waist like I might be ripped from his grasp.

My throat tightened as I took in Elias. He was in wolf form, wedged between Rowan and Adrian, large head resting on my thigh. Usually, he would wake when I did, but the wolf only released a breath, green eyes remaining shut. I so badly wanted to run my fingers through his fur, but Adrian had claimed my other hand.

He had our fingers entwined, holding onto me tightly, even in sleep. Golden locks fell over his forehead, which brushed mine as I turned my head to face him. Dark lashes skimmed his cheekbones when his eyes fluttered. Our hands were locked between us on the pillow, close to his parted lips.

Tears burned my eyes as I returned to staring at the ceiling. But another figure caught my eye, and though I couldn’t fully take him in, I knew from the shiver of electricity it was Hawk. He, too, slept, head against the back of the armchair, arms folded over his chest. It didn’t look comfortable, but somehow, it made my heart flutter, knowing he was still here.

That he stayed.

“You’ve awoken,” a familiar, bright voice said, cutting through the thick silence. I managed to shift to take in Sable, who moved to the end of the bed so I could see her. “They won’t wake for a little longer. Unfortunately, you’re quite trapped there.”

I cleared my throat, the only part of me that still ached. “How long—”

“Three days and counting,” she replied. “You scared quite a few people with that.”

My eyes shuttered and I sighed. “It wasn’t me.”

“I’m well aware. Someone toyed with the runes in those sparring rooms. It was so subtle, not even your mentor would have figured it out. Didn’t matter that I gave him something to help ward off an attack—unintentional or not—from you. It appeared to have been countered by whatever that little shit set up.” She crossed her arms, violet eyes flickering over me before falling to her son. “You know what you need to do, don’t you, dear?”

I gave her a shallow nod and released a breath. “I need to complete my mate circle before he takes my power,” I whispered. “That’s what the Goddess told me. She said he did all of this.”

“He knew, in some way, that you would be weakened. That you had a missing link in your circle. I think you’ll find that link will reveal himself soon.” She offered me a coy smile, similar to the ones she’d give us when it was clear she knew something we didn’t. “This False King is in a place I can’t see him. And he’s hiding from Nyx. That makes him dangerous.”

“Nyx said he was smart. Smarter than she or anyone else realised.”

Sable shrugged. “Or just arrogant. He doesn’t realise the magnitude of his betrayal. And that will destroy us all, won’t it?”

~

The hours blurred together until the others woke. One by one, they startled awake like they’d been released from a nightmare. Hawk almost fell off his chair with a harsh gasp. At my side, Maeve shot up, wide eyes searching the bedroom like she expected the enemy to be hiding in the closet. At my other side, Adrian pushed up onto his side, bright eyes finding mine.

“You’re awake,” he stated, hand tightening around mine.

I nodded. “I have been for a while,” I replied.

Rowan twisted so he was kneeling between my legs, a look of tired shock playing out across his face as he took me in. “Thank the fucking Goddess,” he breathed, bowing his head.

The only one who didn’t move was Elias, though now his eyes were open. He remained perfectly still, the wolf still in control, watching me. Like if he moved, I would slip back into sleep.

I wanted to reach out to him through the bond, but my chest burned, and the bonds themselves remained weak. Pressing my lips together, I pulled my hand from Adrian’s and ran my fingers through Elias’s fur.

“Come back to me,” I whispered. “Please.”

The wolf whined but closed his eyes. I got the barest impression of fear through what was left of the bonds.

“As soon as we got you back to the palace, he shifted. He hasn’t changed back since,” Maeve explained, bringing our joined hands up to her mouth. She gently kissed the inside of my wrist, before pressing my hand against her heart. “We were so worried.”

“I know,” I said. With a groan, I tried to push myself up into a sitting position, which earned me several worried glares. I might not have felt the pain anymore, but my body was still weak.

That’s what I get for sleeping for three days , I thought, wincing at the stiffness in my legs

Adrian slipped in behind me like a backrest, letting me lean into him for support. My head pounded from the exertion, breath harsh in my own ears.

Goddess, I felt weak. Powerless. And so, so fucking tired. Part of me wanted to return to the damned nightmare forest, because at least there, I knew my enemy.

But here, in the real world, I knew nothing.

No one did.

Not even the Goddess.

My eyes slipped shut, and I released a heavy breath. “I’m so sorry.”

Adrian’s arms tightened around me, and he kissed my temple, hesitating before pulling back. “You did nothing wrong. You did nothing , Ivy.”

“That’s the problem.” A lump formed in my throat. “I feel like I’ve already failed.”

Rowan shook his head. “You have not. Okay? We can find this asshole. We can stop him still.”

“And you are not alone,” Maeve added. “You never have been.”

My throat tightened with the rush of emotions. But I knew what I needed to do. The Goddess had at least given me something. A place to start.

And it was time to stop hiding it from my mates.

“I need to find…I need to find the others.”

Behind me, Adrian stiffened. “Others?”

“My other mates,” I whispered. “I know where— he is. I know he ’s at Oberon.”

Rowan’s jaw clenched, while Maeve’s eyes closed. Only Elias seemed to perk up, though his ears flattened against his head, and he growled softly.

I sighed. “I know. I know. But he’s there. I need to go back. I need to find him. And I need to complete all my bonds. ”

My eyes met Rowan’s, and though he was disappointed, hope filled his expression. “You’re sure?”

I nodded. “If any of us are going to survive this battle, then yes. I want to, ” I said, gaze straying to Hawk’s.

Something in his eyes told me he already knew what I meant. I hadn’t wanted to see it before; denial had run so deep that I’d refused to catch on to the obvious. I hadn’t wanted to think it possible, but after what happened, I was sure.

And it was time to claim them.