Chapter 118
Chloe's POV
I returned to my room, curled up on the bed, and didn't sleep all night.
My father's cold face replayed in my mind over and over, along with that vial glowing with silvery-blue light.
Three days.
Only three days to make a choice.
I closed my eyes, and from deep within my consciousness came Flashwing's faint whimper.
She sensed her mate's pain—the black magic spreading through Ivan's body.
"I know," I responded to her softly in my mind, "I feel it too."
The mate bond connected our suffering. I could clearly feel that strange, piercing pain in Ivan's body, and his stubborn determination not to make a sound.
What should I do?
Betray Lightning, sell out the friend who saved us all? Or watch Ivan die?
I buried my face in the pillow. Just then, a soft knock came at the door.
"Chloe?" Grace lowered her voice. "It's me."
I quickly got up and opened the door.
Grace slipped nervously into the room, shut the door behind her, and leaned close to whisper in my ear: "I heard from my father. Alpha Tyler has secretly contacted a group of beast tamers."
"Beast tamers?" I frowned.
"The kind that use magic to control creatures." Grace gripped my hand. "Chloe, your father doesn't expect you to actually tame the lightning element at all. His real plan is to have you lure the elemental spirit out so those tamers can capture and refine it!"
God! How could I have been naive enough to think Father was actually giving me a choice?
He'd been using me as a pawn from the start.
"Your father knows you have a connection with that elemental spirit, so he wants to use you."
Grace's voice carried anger.
I slumped onto the edge of the bed. Right now, the only option was to play along—pretend to agree to Father's demands, then go see Lightning and secretly warn it to leave quickly.
After that, get the medicine and run away with Ivan.
Run where? Silver Moon? Blood River? Or somewhere farther?
"Chloe?" Grace looked at me with concern.
"I know what to do now." I stood up, my voice firmer than I'd expected. "Thank you, Grace."
She hugged me, then quietly left.
I changed into simple clothes and slipped out of the pack house under cover of night. I had to see Ivan, had to tell him the truth and discuss our options.
The gym door was ajar. I pushed it open to the sound of heavy breathing and a wooden stick striking the floor. My heart clenched. Ivan was struggling to support himself with a thick wooden stick, limping as he practiced walking. His forehead was covered in sweat, each step making him grit his teeth, his face pale.
"Ivan!" I rushed over.
He looked up, forcing out a smile when he saw me. "Hey... I'm practicing... the sooner I can recover, the less I'll hold you back..."
I couldn't hold back anymore and rushed over to hug him tight.
Ivan's body stiffened for a moment, then the stick clattered to the ground as his arms wrapped around me, holding me even tighter.
"I'm sorry..." I choked out. "This is all my fault... if I hadn't dragged you into this..."
"Don't cry." Ivan's voice was weak but gentle as his hand stroked my hair. "We'll find a way."
I took a deep breath and helped him sit on the bench.
Then I told him everything—Father's threats, the marriage coercion, the demand to tame the lightning element, and the news about the beast tamers that Grace had brought.
Ivan listened in silence for a long time.
"So..." his voice was low, "your father is using my life to force your hand."
"I won't let him succeed." I gripped his hand. "I'll take you away, we'll run—"
"Run where?" Ivan interrupted, his dark eyes looking straight into mine. "Chloe, I'm a rogue wolf, you're an Alpha's daughter. The entire werewolf world will hunt us down."
I opened my mouth but couldn't speak.
"There's another way." Ivan squeezed my hand. "I'll go find Lightning and ask for its power."
"What?!" I stared at him in shock. "You want to become an elemental bearer? Ivan, your father said it himself—inheriting elemental power is incredibly dangerous, no one knows what will happen!"
"If I possess elemental power, I can protect you." Ivan's gaze was unwavering. "And heal myself. By then, your father will see me differently too."
Deep in his consciousness, Zeus let out a low growl: "I'm willing! For my mate, I'll do anything!"
Ivan felt his wolf spirit's determination, his eyes growing even more resolute. "And... I have a feeling Lightning will help me."
We stared at each other.
The air filled with tension and something deeper—desire.
I spoke slowly, my voice barely a whisper: "Ivan... take me."
Ivan's face flushed, his breathing quickening. "Chloe... are you really sure?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I kissed him.
It was a kiss filled with desperation, longing, and determination. Ivan stiffened at first, then responded passionately, his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me closer.
We fell onto the mat beside the bench, our breathing intertwined. Ivan's kisses moved from my lips to my neck. I felt his fangs gently grazing my skin, the sensation making my whole body tremble.
"I want you," I whispered in his ear. "Now."
His trembling fingers unbuttoned my clothes, his fingertips trailing across my collarbone, my chest—every inch of skin felt ignited.
"Are you sure?" His voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable. "Chloe, once we mark each other... there's no going back."
"I've never been more sure." I grabbed his hand and pressed it where my heartbeat was strongest. "Not going back is exactly what I want."
When our skin pressed completely together, I cried out and Ivan groaned as our wolf spirits stirred simultaneously.
"Chloe..." Ivan buried his face in my neck, his breath scorching. "I love you. I love you so much I'm going insane."
"I love you too." My nails dug into his back, feeling the tension and trembling of his muscles. "From the first time you protected me, I..."
We consumed each other like two flames, collided like two bolts of lightning.
Pain, pleasure, fear, ecstasy—all emotions mixed together, crashing through our entangled bodies.
Ivan's movements were careful. I could feel him holding back, trying hard not to hurt me.
But I didn't want restraint. I wanted all his wildness, all his possession, all his love.
"Don't hold back." I bit his shoulder. "Ivan, don't hold back with me."
He finally released all restraint.
In that moment, the whole world shook.
I heard the creaking of the wooden floor, the howling of night wind through the window frame, the roar of our two heartbeats overlapping.
Flashwing shrieked in my mind, Zeus roared within Ivan, the two wolf spirits chasing, tearing, entwining frantically in the depths of our consciousness.
When the climax swept over us like a tidal wave, we simultaneously bit each other's necks.
Ivan's fangs pierced my skin as mine sank into his flesh. Agony and ecstasy exploded together as our souls were bound forever by an invisible chain.
From this moment on, we were no longer two separate beings.
We had become one.
Afterward, we collapsed on the mat, gasping for breath.
Ivan held me tightly, his lips pressed to my forehead. I could feel his lips trembling. My fingers gently traced the purple-black magical marks on his leg.
They had spread deeper than before.
"I won't let you die," I said quietly. "Ivan, I swear, I won't let you die."
Ivan kissed my forehead, then my eyes, then finally my lips. "And I won't let you marry anyone else. Even if it means making the whole world my enemy, I'm keeping you by my side."