Ivy’s POV
"You’re spending the summer with your father."
My mother’s words hung in the air as I folded clothes into my suitcase. A smile tugged at my lips - this was what I had been hoping for. My escape route from this house of horrors.
"I know you’re not disappointed," Mom said, sitting on the edge of my bed. "But I want you to be careful. Your father has changed since we… separated."
I tucked my favorite sweater into the corner of the suitcase. "Changed how?"
"He’s harder now. More calculating." Her amber eyes, mirrors of my own, clouded with concern. "But he loves you, Ivy. Never doubt that."
The bedroom door crashed open, banging against the wall. Jade stood in the doorway, her face flushed with rage, her broken finger still in a splint.
"You’re his mate!" she screamed, pointing an accusing finger at me. "You’re Warren’s fated mate!"
My mother rose to her feet, immediately on guard. "Jade, that’s enough."
But my stepsister was beyond reason. "I knew it! That’s why he can never fully commit to me. I’ve seen how he looks at you during pack gatherings!"
I continued folding my clothes, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. "Shouldn’t you be somewhere else? Like therapy?"
"You think you’re so clever," Jade snarled, lunging toward me. "But you won’t have him!"
As she reached for me, I moved with a speed and precision that surprised even myself. My hand connected with her face in a perfect backhand, sending her sprawling onto the floor.
"Ivy!" my mother gasped, though I detected a note of approval beneath her shock.
Jade held her reddening cheek, tears welling in her eyes. "You hit me! Mom! DAD!"
On cue, my stepfather Faith burst into the room. "What is going on in here?"
"She attacked me!" Jade wailed, pointing at me with trembling fingers.
Faith’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me. "Is this true, Ivy?"
I zipped my suitcase closed with deliberate calmness. "She came at me first. I defended myself."
"Ivy doesn’t lie," my mother said quietly, her stance protective beside me.
"Well, neither does Jade," Faith retorted, helping his daughter to her feet.
The tension in the room was suffocating. Four wolves, each with their own agenda, circling an unspoken truth.
"How did you know?" I finally asked Jade, curiosity getting the better of me. "About Warren and me supposedly being mates?"
Jade’s mascara streaked down her face. "Because he only wants me when I wear your clothes!"
The room fell silent. Even Faith looked uncomfortable.
"What?" my mother asked, her voice dangerously low.
"I’ve been taking your things," Jade confessed, her voice breaking. "Your scarves, your sweaters. When I wear them, he can’t keep his hands off me. But then—" Her face crumpled. "Then he always pulls away, like he’s disappointed somehow."
I should have felt violated. Angry. Instead, I felt nothing but cold resolve.
"So you’ve been stealing my clothes so my scent would attract him to you?" I clarified, each word precise as a scalpel. "That’s pathetic, Jade. Even for you."
She collapsed onto her knees, her pride finally shattered. "I love him! He’s supposed to be mine! We’ve been together for two years!"
I knelt down to her level, making sure she could see the truth in my eyes. "Listen carefully. I don’t want Warren. I never have, and I never will."
"You’re lying," she whispered.
"I’m not." I stood, addressing the room at large. "I refuse to be with a man who treats women like interchangeable accessories. A man who can’t tell the difference between loving someone and being attracted to their scent."
Faith stepped forward. "Now wait just a minute—"
"No, you wait," I interrupted, surprising everyone with my authority. "For years, I’ve lived in this house being treated like an unwelcome guest. I’ve endured Jade’s jealousy, your favoritism, and the constant reminders that I don’t belong."
My mother placed a hand on my shoulder, but I wasn’t finished.
"And now I’m supposed to care that the mighty Warren might be my fated mate?" I laughed, the sound sharp and unforgiving. "I would rather claim the Lycan King himself than spend one minute as Warren’s Luna."
Jade’s eyes widened at the audacity of my statement. The Lycan King was feared throughout the werewolf world – choosing him would be like choosing death itself.
"You can’t reject a fated mate," Faith argued. "It’s not done."
"Watch me." I grabbed my suitcase. "In fact, let me be perfectly clear about this." I drew myself up, feeling power course through my veins. "I, Ivy Hayes, daughter of Alpha Cody Hayes, publicly renounce any mate bond with Warren Wright. I reject him completely and irrevocably."
The formal language of the rejection hung in the air, heavy and undeniable.
"All those girls fighting to be Lunas," I continued, shaking my head. "What idiots. Being trapped with a man just because fate says so? No thank you."
A car horn sounded from outside – my ride to freedom had arrived.
"That’s my cue." I hoisted my bag over my shoulder. "Jade, keep the clothes you stole. I won’t be needing them where I’m going."
My mother hugged me tightly. "I’ll call you tonight," she whispered.
I nodded, took one last look at the room that had witnessed my rebirth, and walked out without looking back.
For the first time since I’d awakened in this second chance at life, I felt truly free. Warren, Jade, and everything they represented were behind me now. Ahead lay the Silvermoon pack territory, my father, and the training I would need to survive what was coming.
This time, I wasn’t walking blindly toward my fate. I was running straight at it, eyes wide open and fangs bared.