---
🌒 Chapter: The Alpha's Legacy
The sun had barely risen when Jayden stepped into the grand hall of his pack's territory. The marble floors reflected the sharp lines of his jaw, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed the storm he'd been holding back.
He hadn't been here in days.
Not since he'd chosen Ivy.
Not since he'd begun ignoring the call of the pack.
And now… his parents were waiting.
The Alpha and Luna of the Red Diamond Pack stood side by side at the head of the long table—majestic, stern, and unimpressed.
"You've been absent," his mother said, arms folded tightly.
Jayden stayed silent.
"You've neglected your duties. The border patrol is lacking. The warriors are unfocused," his father added, voice low but cutting. "And when we needed your command… you were gone."
Jayden clenched his jaw. "I was handling something important."
"You've been off playing house in the human world," his mother snapped.
"Ivy is not—" he paused, too late. Her name had slipped. The entire room grew still.
His parents looked at each other, then back at him.
"Ivy?" his father echoed slowly. "Is that the reason you've been abandoning your legacy?"
Jayden's silence was answer enough.
"I want to meet her," his mother said. "If you're choosing her over this pack, she better be worth the crown you're tossing away."
---
Later that day, Ivy stood before the tall gates of the Red Diamond estate.
Dressed in black with her long hair braided over one shoulder, she looked elegant—but wary. Her violet eyes flicked across the guards at the gate.
They looked at her like she didn't belong.
Like she was a threat.
And that was exactly how she liked it.
Jayden walked beside her, hand linked with hers. "They don't know you. Yet."
"I'm not here to impress them," Ivy muttered, already sensing the judgment in the air.
Two warriors stepped forward, blocking her path.
"She's the human?" one of them sneered. "The one that kept our Alpha from his duties?"
"I'm not just a human," Ivy said quietly.
Before Jayden could react, the warriors stepped closer, their postures challenging.
"Step aside," Jayden ordered, voice full Alpha.
But Ivy gently touched his arm, then turned to the warriors.
"You want to test me?" she asked, stepping into the training courtyard behind them. "Then do it properly."
Within moments, the space was cleared.
Ivy removed her coat, revealing the twin blades strapped to her back. The crowd that had gathered laughed—until she summoned fire into her palms.
Gasps echoed.
The fight began.
She dodged, struck, flipped—her movements a dance of flame, earth, and blade. One warrior lunged, only to be swept off his feet by a wave of dirt that erupted beneath him. The other tried to flank her, but she turned, her palm glowing with wind as she shoved him back with a blast.
Within minutes, both warriors were on the ground.
Ivy stood at the center of the courtyard, eyes glowing with elemental fury. And not a scratch on her.
"I didn't come to fight," she said, her voice low. "But I will never let anyone doubt my strength again."
Jayden's parents had seen everything.
His mother, surprised. His father… impressed.
They stepped forward.
"She is powerful," his father admitted. "But what do you stand for, girl?"
Ivy's violet gaze met his.
"I stand for those who can't. I stand for what I lost. I stand for love—because I've already bled for vengeance."
A long silence followed.
Then the Luna stepped forward and offered Ivy her hand.
"You're not what I expected," she said softly. "But perhaps… you're what this pack needs."
---
That night, Jayden and Ivy sat on the balcony overlooking the moonlit forest. Xander was asleep back at home, safe and loved. Ivy leaned into Jayden's side, quiet and content.
"You didn't have to fight for me today," he said.
She smiled. "I didn't fight for you. I fought for me. For us."
As they looked out at the stars, a shadow watched from the forest edge.
Far away, at a private airstrip on the outskirts of Los Angeles, a man stepped off a sleek black jet.
Jake.
His boots crunched on the asphalt. A silent guard approached him.
"Sir," the man said quietly. "We've found her."
Jake didn't respond at first. His eyes were locked on the skyline in the distance.
"I'm coming, little star," he whispered to the night. "This time, I won't be too late."