KIERAN'S POV

She was beauty in chaos. The kind of beauty that made one lose his sense of touch. My heart raced with trepidation, as I took in her features. Her alabaster skin glistened like tiny pieces of diamond were engraved in it. I'd always seen Ivy. But tonight, it was nothing like I'd ever imagined.

Her charming amber eyes searched mine. Well defined cheekbones, long pointy nose, and those toned legs. My pulse doubled, but I quickly got a hold of myself.

Hunter, my wolf snapped his head up, baring its fangs.

My wolf growled with a dire need to wrap its fur around her. I lied. I wanted—needed her. And her scent, gosh her scent! The appealing smell of rose and vanilla dripped from her pores, filling my nose, down to my groin, and my cock hardened with a dire need to feel her delicate part.

Ivy froze, her face turned crimson at my statement. Her head snapped up slightly, as our eyes locked. The gleam of anticipation in her sensual amber eyes, crumbled into hatred, “I hate you…” a groan, “I'll never be mated to either of you jerks!” She spat, pointing at us.

Ivy took three steps backwards away from me, and something in my nerves ripped. “The moon goddess probably made a mistake mating us. I'll break this curse and be free from all of you…” Her voice frayed off with tears, “Whatever my fate is, it'll never be tied to sleazy pricks like you three!”

Her words were like a copper blade slicing in and out of my chest. I concealed the pain with a sly smirk. I tugged at a stray strand of her hair, memories of our childhood rushed through.

The moments we picked on her. One time, Jason had shoved a cone of ice cream straight in her face. I remember the time we were alone in the house, when both our parents had gone on pack duties. We made Ivy do the dishes and locked her out— Yep. It was during winter.

All those times, it was thrilling. It fascinated me to see how far I could stretch this delicate she-wolf to the extreme. It wasn't that we picked on her. It was more about the exhilaration that had come mainly from seeing her snapback. Ivy’s charms had been so ethereal even as a fifteen years old.

I don't even want to start with her aura and charisma, they were out of this world mind-blowing. She couldn't know the reason we picked on her so much, it was our little secret— one she'll never find out.

I lifted a shoulder, holding gazes with her. For a quick second, my eyes dropped to her pouty lips that was the perfect shade of pink and my blood roared.

I gave her my signature smirk, the one that made the girls swoon and she didn't do as much as flinch. She sure knew how to bruise our ego, “Perhaps, the moon goddess figured we weren't done teaching you a lesson—”

She groaned. “I'll never accept this bond!”

“Well you can't reject it either!” I screamed after her. This was my first time, going out of character, still I didn't care.

“Kieran, baby!” Mila's voice reached my ears and my wolf whined. Ivy grunted, and let out a string of curse words before she darted out.

Mila's face was drawn in apprehension, still it wasn't a smidge of the chaos in my head. The mate bond had spiked something in me that I didn't know existed.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw August trailing behind her. He dared not mark her. I'd be damned if I did. Mila grounded her teeth.

“You're not gonna mark her, are you?”

My shoulders bunched with tension. I was about to give her a response, when Mom cleared her throat.

“Sorry to disrupt whatever is going on here,” She turned to face Mila, offering a cold smile. “Can I steal Kieran for a few minutes?”

Mila flipped her hair past her shoulders. “Alright Luna Maria. I'll be waiting for you in the lounge Kay!” She smacked her lips and stalked off, swaying her hips sideways.

“Phew! Sometimes I wonder what goes on in her head,” Mom teased, smiling at her own jokes. Her facial expression turned serious, “Your father wants to see the three of you in his office.”

I groaned. Not the long talks, I wasn't in the mood for that now. “We'll be there soon!”

“Now!” Mom's tone was cold, as she strutted elegantly into the mansion.

I mindlinked my brothers, as I made my way to his office. ‘Dad wants us in his office right now.’

As I made my way to the largest home office that stood at the end of the room, my head floated with different fleeting thoughts. I pushed the door open, and my gaze landed on a bulky figure behind the desk.

“Kieran, where are your brothers?” He demanded, as soon as I settled on the chair opposite him.

I leaned against the chair. “They're on their way here,”

Almost immediately, the thick oak door flung open and Jason walked in, trailed closely by August. “There they are,” father grunted. He pushed himself up from the chair, folded his hands behind him, and paced the length of his magnificent boring office.

Silence pressed in on all sides.

“I'm not going to waste your time, so I'll just go straight to the point,” he began in that signature baritone, he dished out instructions to his subordinates. “It's no news that you found your mate.”

“Did we?” Jason's voice dripped with sarcasm. But the old man didn't seem to buy into that.

He waved him off and continued. “There's danger lurking, and she's the answer to that.”

August looked around the room, and lifted his shoulders. “Where is it? I don't see anything!”

“August, now is not a time to play around. The fate of our pack rests in Ivy hands,” A beat passed, “She doesn't even know how powerful her wolf is yet, and if she plays into the black wolves, we lose our home, and everything.”