Chapter 172: Protect Her or Die

Daniel’s POV

Marcus’s voice cracked through the hallway like a whip.

Both our heads turned in perfect sync.

I froze, Ivy limp in my arms, her hair spilling over my shoulder like midnight silk. The weight of her small body wasn’t heavy, but the pressure in the air suddenly was. Ezra tensed beside me, one hand brushing the hilt of his blade.

Marcus’s eyes…icy, furious…snapped from Ivy’s pale face to me. His jaw flexed. “What the hell is going on? Why are you carrying my niece like she’s some broken doll?”

Staff scattered back, whispering. Curious eyes lingered. This was exactly the kind of attention we were trying to avoid.

I forced my voice steady. “Marcus, calm down. Richard gave his permission. This has already been…”

“Permission?” His voice thundered, cutting through mine like a blade. “You think throwing that word around makes this look any less insane? This is a corporate building. People are watching! What will they say when they see Ivy Blackwood being hauled away like some crippled princess?!”

Heat crawled up the back of my neck. “Marcus…”

He stepped forward, rage vibrating through every inch of him. His fists clenched, teeth bared. “Why the hell is she even unconscious? What happened to her?”

My throat went dry. The words tangled before they left me. “I… I just… I had to make her unconscious so we could—”

“You what?” His voice was pure venom. “Make her unconscious? Is that supposed to be some kind of safe word? You knocked her out?!”

His roar echoed off the walls, sharp enough to split glass. Staff froze, gasps rippling around us.

I felt the weight of their stares and snapped at them, forcing steel into my tone. “Back to work. All of you! There’s nothing to see here!”

They moved fast, the corridor clearing within seconds, some even flinched as they scattered like mice.

But Marcus didn’t budge. His fury burned hotter, teeth gritted as he jabbed a finger at me. “You’re not dragging her anywhere until Richard confirms this with me. I don’t care what excuse you spin. You’re not taking my niece like this.”

Ezra muttered under his breath, voice low but edged with steel. “You’re causing a scene, sir.”

Marcus didn’t even look at him when he answered, his tone cold enough to freeze the air. “And who the hell are you supposed to be?”

“I’m the King’s Beta,” Ezra replied, rolling his shoulder with slow precision, like he’d been sitting too long but was more than ready to move if pushed.

Marcus snapped his glare to him then, his eyes burning with anger. “Stay out of this, Beta. You think flashing your King’s name lets you parade an unconscious girl through a damn office hallway?”

My patience thinned. “Marcus, listen to me. If we keep arguing here, we’ll blow everything. Call Richard. Confirm it. But do it outside. We’re already attracting too much attention.”

His chest heaved. For a long moment, I thought he might swing at me. But then his nostrils flared, and he spat the words out cold. “Fine. Outside. Now.”

He spun on his heel, heading for the private elevator. Ezra and I exchanged a glance. I adjusted Ivy in my arms, holding her closer, and followed.

The ride down was suffocating. No one spoke. Marcus’s fury filled the small space, pressing in from all sides. I could feel it burning into the side of my face, but I kept my gaze on Ivy…her lashes still, her lips parted in shallow breaths.

Within minutes, we reached the garage. The air was cooler here, less suffocating, but Marcus’s eyes stayed sharp, locked on me like he’d gut me if I twitched wrong.

I shifted Ivy carefully against me. “Call Mr. Richard. Confirm it yourself. He knew this would be today. He told me to go with her. He told me to keep her safe. It’s all been taken care of.”

Marcus’s nostrils flared again. Slowly, he pulled out his phone, his gaze never leaving me…especially not when it flicked to Ezra at my side. Distrust radiated from him like poison.

He stepped away, phone pressed to his ear. “Richard.” His voice was clipped, cold.

I eased Ivy into the back seat, lowering her as carefully as if she were glass. Strapping the belt across her, I steadied her head, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. My chest tightened.

She’s never going to let me off the hook for this once she wakes. I could already picture the fire in her eyes, the storm of her outburst tearing into me. The thought made me shut my eyes for a fleeting moment, bracing myself, before I finally stepped back.

“Why are you putting her into the car when I’m not done?” Marcus’s voice cut through, sharp as ice.

I stiffened but didn’t answer. He turned away again, his voice low into the phone…low for human ears, anyway. But our kind? Our hearing was sharper. A hundred times sharper. Even whispers were daggers.

“Listen to me, Richard,” Marcus hissed quietly. “She doesn’t want to go. She’s scared of these people. Why are you forcing her to meet Ashton when she doesn’t want to?”

I froze, every nerve strung tight. What if he talked Richard out of this? If Richard pulled back now, Ivy wouldn’t leave…and I’d lose my only way into the realm. That couldn’t happen. I couldn’t let it.

Richard must have replied, but Marcus’s tone only sharpened, his words growing louder…loud enough for all of us to hear.

“She’s been through enough already. If anything happens to her, I’ll make you all pay one way or another.” His voice was lethal, vibrating with a promise that sent even Ezra rigid beside me.

Then…click. Call over.

Marcus shoved the phone back into his pocket, his glare like a blade as he stalked past us. “Remember what I said.” His voice was death itself. “If she suffers because of this…every last one of you answers to me. Even your damn king.”

Ezra moved. Probably to defend the king but I held him back.

Marcus took one last lingering look at Ivy, and then he was gone, footsteps echoing into the distance.

The silence that followed was a living thing.

Ezra exhaled, shoulders loosening. “He’s overreacting. The King’s only in this state because she went missing in the first place. He won’t hurt her.”

But I caught it…the hesitation in his tone. The shadow in his eyes.

I’d heard the rumors too. How the King had once lost control…how his curse had driven him to kill his first mate.

Ezra might deny it, but I knew the truth. The danger was real.

I glanced at Ivy, fragile and pale in the back seat. My fists clenched.

I owed Richard. I owed my clan. But most of all, I owed her.

I wouldn’t let anyone…King or demon…lay a hand on her.

“Shall we?” Ezra muttered.

I climbed in beside her as the car rolled away, convoy close behind.

The city blurred past, carrying us closer to the place I was forbidden to tread. The realm.

And with every mile, the memories I’d buried clawed their way back, sharp and merciless.