Ivy~

The cold bit into my skin before I even opened my eyes. The floor beneath me was hard and my limbs ached as if I’d been dragged by wolves. I forced my eyes open, blinking into the room that had barely a window near the top of the room. The door had no handle from the inside, and I was locked in.

My wrists stung from the ropes they had used the night before. My head throbbed. Every breath I took felt heavy, like the air itself didn’t want me there.

I couldn’t understand why he hated me so much, apart from what Aunt Celeste had said that my father had betrayed them. I could barely even remember their faces let alone the betrayal.

I tried to sit up, but my legs were weak, trembling as though even they wanted to give up. A small cot lay in the corner of the room with no blanket. Just a single pillow and a ragged bed on the ground. Was this a dungeon?

“Is anyone there?!” I screamed. “Please help me!”

I looked around the room again, trying to stand but before I could, the door opened. The light behind it was blinding. I lifted a hand to shield my face from the sudden bright light.

“She’s awake,” a voice said.

Boots clicked against the floor. Two women stepped inside, both tall, beautiful, dressed in deep crimson that clung to them like armor. Their eyes swept over me as if I were something they’d scraped off their shoe.

The first one, a woman with ice-blonde hair and blood-red lipstick, folded her arms. “So this is the girl?”

“Please help me.” I started, weakly. Holding the head of the dress.

“Shut up, little girl.” She pushed my hands off her.

“This is the cursed mate?” the second snorted. “I expected… I don’t know, fangs or claws. Not this at all.” She spat.

I curled into myself instinctively.

“Stand up,” the first one snapped.

“I—”

“I said, stand up.”

When I didn’t move fast enough, she grabbed me by the arm and yanked me to my feet. My knees buckled. I barely stayed upright.

“Mated or not,” the blonde hissed into my ear, “you are still the daughter of traitors. You’ll learn your place here, Ivy Rune. Or we’ll teach it to you.”

Before I could ask anything, a guard appeared in the doorway. “The Alpha wants her to be presentable for the council. Now.”

The women didn’t waste time. One shoved a tight gray dress into my arms. “Put it on.”

They watched while I changed. I turned my back, but even that small act of decency felt like it cost something.

By the time they were done with me, my hair was scraped back tight, my dress was choking me at the collar, and I was barefoot, but the dress covered it.

“So ugly. Try not to embarrass Alpha Lucien... He’s doing you a favor by acknowledging you at all.” The other said.

“She can’t! Alpha Lucien would spare her life if she so much as tries it.” They barked a laugh.

Then dragged me up and led me down hallways lined with more guards. I caught glimpses of the mansion’s grand interior, paintings of powerful wolves and long-dead Alphas, it was nothing short of grand..

I was led through double doors into a large council chamber. Every head turned as I walked in.

Long tables surrounded the room in a U-shape, filled with men and women in formal robes of council members. At the end of the room sat Lucien Valentini. His expression didn’t change when he saw me.

“Come here, her forward,” he said.

Two guards obeyed, pushing me down the center aisle. I kept my chin up, even though every nerve in me screamed to run. I felt the stares piercing through my back as I moved forward.

Lucien rose, a smile curling on his lips though I could tell it was just for show.

“This is Ivy Rune.” He introduced. “The moon goddess chosen and my beloved mate.”

Beloved?

My breath hitched.

The room erupted into murmurs. Some were shocked, even confused but the man behind him looked somewhat amused.

But none of them are more confused than I.

I glanced at him. Was this some kind of twisted game?

The same man who looked at me with hate only hours ago, who had said he would ruin me, now called me beloved in front of all these people?

One of the guards shoved me again, and I stumbled.

I barely caught myself. Lucien’s eyes snapped to the man.

“Touch her again and I’ll remove the hand you used.” He said in a low tone but low enough for everyone to hear still, “

The man froze, backing away immediately..

Then Lucien stepped down from the dais with slow, precise steps, the room parting like waves before him. The sound of his shoes on marble was the only thing I could hear, and each one made my stomach tighten.

He reached me, and I didn’t dare move.

His hand came to rest at the small of my back.

Possessive and firm but still lacked warmth.

He pulled me closer. My breath hitched again.

And then he pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.

I flinched.

A few in the room chuckled under their breath. A few gasped.

I stared straight ahead, not daring to look at him.

His mouth brushed my ear.

“Smile,” he murmured darkly. “Play along… or I promise, you’ll regret breathing.”

I swallowed hard. His hand tightened slightly at my waist as if daring me to go against his words but I couldn’t even move or hear what he said afterwards.

“I expect full respect for my mate from this council,” Lucien continued, raising his head again to face the crowd. “She may be born of betrayal, but by my word, she stands under my protection now. As my Luna. My wife-to-be.”

Luna?

My legs nearly gave out beneath me.

People were clapping now. Some more than others. Some simply nodded. I could feel the resentment, the judgment, the weight of every eye like claws digging into my skin.

Lucien didn’t let go.

“She will be trained,” he said smoothly. “She will earn her place. But let me make one thing very clear—any harm that comes to her is an insult to my leadership. And I don’t tolerate insults.”

The council straightened, nodding.

He turned to me, his face the perfect mask of calm control. To anyone else, he might’ve looked like a man standing beside his chosen partner.

But his eyes told another story.

“The meeting is adjourned.” He turned to a man who stood behind us. “And about any further contribution about the division speak to Dante.”

With that, he led me out of the chamber in silence, his grip never loosening.

When we were out of earshot, his hand finally dropped from my waist.

I clenched my jaw, swallowing the lump in my throat.

He tilted his head slightly, studying me with disgust.

We walked in silence for a while, his pace faster than mine but I stumbled to keep up until he came to a stop before a thick, iron-banded door at the far end of the east wing.

“This is where you’ll be staying,” he said simply, unlocking it.

The door creaked open.

I looked inside, and it was a bigger room, unlike the cell; it came with a proper bed, a shelf, and a wardrobe.

“Get used to it,” Lucien said, stepping aside. “You won’t be seeing the sun again. Not for a long time.”

My breath caught in my throat. I turned to him.

“Are you… Are you really going to keep me here?” My voice came out small and weak.

“I told you, Ivy. You live as long as I say you can. And where I say you will.”

This time, my stomach growled before I could think of a reply.

I hadn’t eaten all morning. My throat was dry, and my stomach was empty. I hadn’t eaten at all, even before I left home. My body swayed slightly but I caught myself. He noticed.

“Starving already?” his voice dipped in mockery. “I figured someone like you would’ve learned how to survive on nothing.”

I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come. Then my vision blurred, and the light above me seemed to spiral.

The last thing I heard was the dull thud of my body hitting the floor, and the sharp curse that fell from his lips just before everything went dark.