Chapter 183: Face to Face With Leo Ashton
IVY’S POV
“Can you stop pacing around already?” I snapped at Daniel, the agitation in my voice barely masking the nervous flutter twisting in my stomach. “You’re making me nervous.”
He stopped mid-step, his jaw tightening in a way I hadn’t seen before, the kind of controlled tension that made my chest clench. “You don’t understand. I’m not supposed to be locked in here. I have things to do,” he said, pacing again, each footstep a drumbeat that seemed to echo against the stone walls of our cell.
Daniel…the joker, the one who could defuse any tension with a quip or sarcastic grin…was serious. Deadly serious. And now I was starting to feel a chill creep up my spine. Whatever was going on is making him this way, has to be very important.
I idly rubbed my chin, pretending to think as I studied him. “Hmmm… weird that you will get serious about something. You’re always the one to throw jokes when things get rough. And now…this? Should I be scared?”
His eyes caught mine, sharp and serious. He scoffed, but it had a weight to it. “How about you start thinking about how to make sure we all get out of here as soon as possible, instead of trying to read my mind, princess?”
I rolled my eyes, but my nerves were tangled. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” Hopefully.
Nyxara’s voice suddenly sliced through the tension, calm yet otherworldly, making me jump. “You can’t fight what you don’t understand, child.”
All heads turned toward her, including Daniel’s. He blinked once, stiffly, then asked, “What will you have me do?” His voice was tighter than gravel, roughened with emotion I couldn’t quite place.
“You expect me to just forget about it, start a family, and make the world a better place?!” he growled, anger threading his words, and I could hear the low, dangerous rumble of his wolf underneath. I stepped back instinctively. This side of him was… new, uncharted.
What on earth are they talking about?
“The goddess is not blind, and neither is she powerless. When the time comes…” The sorceress was interrupted abruptly.
The sharp click of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, and my heart jumped into my throat. The door to our cell rattled, and the beta’s voice boomed. “What took you guys so long?”
The guard and the beta’s woman finally arrived, their movements brisk and hurried. The guard began explaining his actions as he unlocked the cell. “I organized something… special. A mini welcome for the imposter beside the throne,” he said, his voice smooth and unnervingly cheerful. “She’ll find it quite… distracting, entertaining. We want her focused elsewhere.”
I listened, fascinated despite the tension, as he described his perfect distraction. My sister would probably be having a ball right now, not knowing that this was different…calculated, strategic, designed to disarm her.
Finally, the beta’s woman stepped forward, her hands holding a folded garment. “For you,” she said softly, extending it toward me.
I tilted my head. It wasn’t what I would have chosen, not even close. But given the circumstances… it would do. I took it, noting the richness of the fabric…deep sapphire silk with silver embroidery tracing delicate floral patterns. The dress was elegant but understated, meant to catch attention without screaming power.
The others made room, giving me privacy as I stepped behind the small screen they’d arranged. Sliding into the dress, I marveled at how it hugged my curves…slightly thicker than the beta’s woman, yes, but the way the fabric clung, the folds caressing my waist and hips, it transformed me. When I stepped out, the beta’s woman’s mouth curved into a rare smile.
“You look… perfect,” Daniel said quietly, his voice tight but soft.
The king’s beta’s woman nodded approvingly. “It suits you. Better than anything else right now.”
The sorceress stood, her expression no longer relaxed but grave. “My queen,” she said, bowing her head slightly. Her hands cradled mine. “Don’t be scared. He’s yours to save, bend, and straighten. Don’t fear the shadows, the hollowness in his eyes. He’s yours. Make him see that.”
Her words sank deep, and my chest tightened. “The fate of the entire realm lies on tonight. May the goddess go with you,” she whispered, closing her eyes as though invoking some silent, potent chant.
I glanced at Daniel, hoping for reassurance, but his grip on my shoulders was steady. “You’ve got this, princess. Let your instincts lead you,” he murmured, and despite the fear knotting my stomach, their faith anchored me.
Cole stepped forward, his hand gentle on my elbow.
“You have to stay close to me, your highness,” he said, calm and measured, the quiet authority in his voice contrasting the chaos of my nerves.
We moved through the cells and into the corridor, the music and laughter from the distance pressing against us like waves of some foreign world. My stomach churned. My sister…my fucked-up sister…was probably enjoying every moment not knowing it was all a ploy.
As we climbed a flight of stairs, my mind raced. I tried to summon Nyxara’s words, the goddess’s unseen guidance, but it was hard to think with my pulse hammering in my ears.
Finally, we reached the doors. Heavy, gilded, and regal. They seemed impossibly tall, adorned with carvings that gleamed in the dim light, each etching a story I didn’t understand but could feel in my bones.
“This is it, your highness,” Cole whispered, stepping back, his hand hovering near the door but not touching it.
I drew a shuddering breath, feeling Nyxara stir within me.
It’s time, I murmured to her, and I felt her stretch, her smile tugging at the corner of my consciousness, her approval and excitement mixing with the tension that wrapped around me like a cloak.
For a moment, I hesitated. The doors were more than wood and metal…they were the threshold between the world I’ve been dragged into and the one I’d been dreading.
Between the past I’d run from and the future I didn’t yet understand. My heart raced with anticipation, with fear, with a strange thrill I couldn’t name.
Nyxara, I whispered again, my voice trembling. He’s here.
I placed my hand on the cold, ornate handle. My fingers trembled slightly, but I steeled myself. The air seemed to thrum with energy, with expectation, with danger. I could almost hear the king’s pulse, feel the hollowness of the months we’d lost pressed against me, sharp and real.
I glanced once at Cole, who gave me the smallest nod.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the doors. The hinges groaned softly, and the light beyond spilled into the hallway like molten gold, warm and blinding. The music, the celebration, the chaos…all of it paused, as though the world itself held its breath.
And then, there he was.
I froze, caught between disbelief and longing. Leo Ashton. Months apart, and yet the hollowness in his eyes was exactly as the sorceress had said…empty, guarded, shadowed. But the shape of him, the curve of his shoulders, the way his gaze, sharp and dark, locked on mine… it stirred something fierce in me. Something raw.
My breath caught. My fingers tightened around the fabric of my dress. This is it, I thought. Everything we’ve waited for, everything we’ve feared… it’s here.
The king’s eyes scanned me slowly, critically, as though measuring every inch of the space between us, waiting for the right moment to strike.
I felt Nyxara tense inside me, ready, alert, eager. ‘Don’t be afraid, Ivy. Go,’ she urged silently. ‘He’s ours. Don’t hesitate.’
‘Easy to say,’ I whispered back to her.
And then my world narrowed to just him…the hunger, the ache, the pull I could not resist. I stepped forward, feeling the silk of my dress slide against my skin, every step deliberate, every heartbeat loud in my ears.
“Leo?” I whispered, my voice trembling but firm, carrying both challenge and plea.
His eyes flickered, the slightest shadow of recognition…or was it confusion? crossing his features. And then he spoke, his voice low, just above a growl, dangerous and magnetic.
“Do you really have a death wish?”