Chapter 150: The Intruder

Ivy’s POV

I snapped towards the figure looming over me, baring my fangs before I could think. The person flinched, then held both hands up, retreating with a cocky grin.

“Woah, tigress. Easy now. It’s me,” he said. “Daniel.”

Daniel?

That smug, irritating guy who teased me constantly. The one I didn’t remember knowing but always had something sly to say. My eyes narrowed, watching his every breath. But my wolf... she responded differently.

“You look… majestic. Glorious,” he whispered, almost reverently.

Nyxara purred under his gaze.

I swear to the Moon, she tilted her head and posed. She actually posed.

“Okay, now try changing back,” Daniel said, his tone dipping into something serious. “It’s important you do that now. We can’t risk anyone else seeing you like this.”

I tilted my neck, uncertain. How? How do I change back?

My tail twitched. I looked down at my paws and then back at him, feeling the first trickle of panic rise in my chest.

“Hey,” he said gently, kneeling. “It’s okay. Focus on your breath. Think of your human form—your fingers, your face, your heartbeat. Feel it. Anchor to it. Let it pull you back.”

I took in a breath, trying. But—

Then I smelled him.

Dad.

My ears perked. Nyxara's tail started wagging violently.

“No, Ivy—don’t run—” Daniel warned, but I was already in motion, claws skimming over wood.

The scent grew stronger as I turned a corner—and then stopped short. Daniel was faster. He blocked the door, raising his hands so I can see he’s not a threat.

A door.

Wait. Bedroom?

How…? I was downstairs. I remember the couch, the cocoa, the voices—the cuffs.

What the hell happened?

“Ivy,” Daniel’s voice softened again behind me. “Listen to me. I moved you up here after I found you. You were drugged. There were intruders, but they’re gone. You’re safe now.”

Safe?

The word rang hollow in my chest. My wolf snarled low.

“Calm down,” he said again. “We don’t want the servants finding out about this and talking. So just follow my voice and shift back.”

Before I could respond, the door burst open.

My father and Marcus stood in the frame.

My father froze, eyes wide. The door clicked shut behind him as a single tear slid down his cheek.

“Princess?” he said, voice breaking.

And just like that, I couldn’t hold back.

Nyxara lunged forward and leapt into his arms, licking his face, nuzzling under his chin. He laughed—deep and real—and wrapped his arms around me.

“My little girl,” he breathed, clutching my fur like he’d never let go.

Marcus crouched down beside them, reaching out to stroke my side. “Wow… She’s beautiful.”

“I told you,” my father said between kisses, wiping his tears.

Daniel, ever the jackass, chimed in. “I mean, her fur would sell for a fortune if we—”

Nyxara spun her head, bared her fangs, and snarled. Loud.

“Easy now,” Daniel chuckled, backing up. “I was joking.”

Can we twist his neck and say it was a joke too? Nyxara growled inside my head.

No. I answered firmly. He’s a friend. Not a threat. Not all men are threats, Nyxara.

She huffed but backed off.

Daniel cleared his throat. “Richard, can you drop a robe on the floor? We’ll give her some privacy.”

My father obeyed, placing a thick white robe beside me and stepping back.

Daniel turned. “Okay. Everyone, face the wall. She needs space.”

They turned.

Now or never.

“Alright, Ivy,” Daniel said quietly. “Deep breaths. Focus. Feel the edges of your form—your human self is still there. Buried under all this power. Reach for it. Slowly.”

I closed my eyes. Took in a trembling breath. And dove in.

It was chaos.

My bones shrieked. My spine twisted like a snapped rope. My jaw ached as my teeth retracted. Limbs crunched and pulled into new shapes. Claws split back into fingers. My fur retracted with a shivering slither.

Fire roared down my nerves. Lightning kissed every muscle. It was a rebirth wrapped in agony.

And then—

I was gasping.

Back.

Naked.

Shaking.

I lunged for the robe and wrapped it tightly around me, collapsing to the floor, forehead damp with sweat.

“Tap your foot when you’re done,” Daniel said gently.

I did.

They turned.

My father was the first to reach me. He knelt and wrapped me into his arms, burying his face in my hair.

“You did so well,” he whispered, voice raw.

I swallowed thickly and nodded into his chest.

Marcus leaned on the wall, glancing at Daniel. “Now talk. What happened? The message you sent us was terrifying. Who the hell did you say was in this house?”

His voice sharpened.

“And who almost zipped Ivy into a damn body bag?”

Daniel’s jaw clenched.

His eyes flicked to me.

And the temperature in the room dropped.

Hard.

Daniel’s jaw tightened again as Marcus’s question hung in the air like a blade.

He didn’t speak at first.

But when he did, his voice was calm—too calm. The kind of calm that came just before a storm.

“I came by this morning,” he began, brushing a hand through his dark curls. “Just like you asked. You both were leaving, and you didn’t want her to be alone. She’s still… adjusting.”

He glanced at me.

I gave a faint nod.

His voice dropped lower. “When I got to the gate, I knew something was wrong. There was this scent—faint, but off. Familiar and… wrong.”

Marcus’s shoulders stiffened.

Richard’s hand found its way to grip my shoulders, as though to make sure I was still breathing properly.

Daniel went on, pacing now. “It wasn’t just the scent. The silence. The air. You know that kind of stillness before something ugly happens?”

We did.

Then his tone hardened.

“When I got inside, I found her.”

His gaze locked on mine.

“A maid. One of yours. On the ground. Blood everywhere. Knife shoved straight through her chest.”

My stomach lurched. My head throbbed violently—just above my temple. I winced, fingers moving instinctively to the side of my head.

It hurt.

A deep, angry ache.

Daniel’s eyes flicked to the motion, then back to Richard. “There was someone else there. A hooded figure. He had Ivy. Over his shoulder. Wrapped. Like she was nothing.”

Richard’s breath caught.

“He was headed for the back door. But when he saw me—he bolted. Slipped on the blood. Dropped her. Hard.”

The dull pain flared, like confirmation. I could almost hear the crack of my skull hitting the floor again.

“He was fast,” Daniel said. “But not fast enough. I could’ve caught him. I should’ve.”

His jaw flexed.

“But I couldn’t leave Ivy. Not for a second. I checked her breathing. And when I saw the cuffs, the drugs in her system—” His voice broke for a fraction of a second before he reined it in. “I called the guards. They chased after him.”

“And?” Marcus asked tightly. “Did they get him?”

Daniel shook his head once. “He got away. Knew every gap in the perimeter. Every turn. Every guard’s blind spot. It wasn’t random. He’s been watching the mansion for a long time.”

A low growl built in Richard’s chest.

Nyxara stirred within me, her hackles rising.

Someone dared to try and take us?

A fucking coward in the shadows?

Let me out. Let me hunt.

“I don’t know who he is,” Daniel said. “But he left something behind.”

He reached into his jacket and pulled it out—a small object wrapped in cloth. The room’s tension turned molten in a second.

Marcus took a step forward.

Richard’s face went deathly pale.

Daniel unwrapped it.

It was a ring.

Silver.

Engraved with a snake swallowing its own tail.

Time froze.

Richard muttered something under his breath, the words bitter as poison.

Marcus stepped closer and stared down at it, his voice low. Cold. Final.

“It’s him again.”

Silence.

Then Marcus turned, eyes burning. “I think it’s time we—”

A loud crash erupted from the hallway.

All three men turned in an instant.

But I was already moving.