Chapter 184: Memories

IVY’S POV

The moment those words left his mouth, fear gripped me like icy chains winding around my chest. My breath stuttered, shallow and uneven, as old nightmares clawed their way out of the shadows of my mind. Every dream, every terror that had haunted me for weeks…all of them ended with him. With Leo.

The hollow, shadowed eyes that drained me until I was nothing. The faceless darkness pressing me down until I was gasping, helpless.

My hands trembled as I forced air into my lungs. No. It’s not real. Calm down, Ivy.

The sorceress’s voice laced steady steel into my spiraling thoughts. It’s a projection. They twisted your dreams to keep you away from him. Don’t let it fool you.

I tried to cling to her certainty, but my pulse hammered like war drums, drowning out reason.

Wait…where did he go?

One moment he stood before me…imposing, terrifying…then in a blink, he was gone. My heart lurched, my body stiffening. I didn’t need to search with my eyes.

I could still smell him nearby.

That deep, rich scent of blood and wolf, the shadows clinging to him like smoke, intoxicating and wrong all at once. It dragged me forward as inevitably as gravity.

“Hello?” I whispered into the darkness, my voice trembling but carrying.

Every step forward felt like trespassing into a place I wasn’t meant to survive. Yet I walked, pulled by the scent of my mate…the king…thickening in one corner of the room. My instincts screamed ‘don’t run, don’t stop, don’t look back.’

Then—

A sudden whoosh of air behind me.

I froze. My throat closed tight as I turned slowly.

He was there.

Standing just beyond my reach, silent, suffocating, his hollow eyes boring into mine with merciless precision. His presence pressed against me like a weight. My knees weakened, but I straightened, forcing strength into trembling limbs. Do not fear him, the sorceress had said. He is yours to save, to break, to strengthen.

“I… I’m not afraid of you,” I said aloud, as if speaking it could make it true. My voice shook, but I kept my gaze locked on his.

His lips parted. A growl, low and dangerous, rumbled deep in his chest.

“You dare look me in the eye? Are you so eager to die?” His voice was sharp, almost unrecognizable, circling me like a predator studying prey.

I mirrored him, step for step, refusing to cower. “Of course I dare. I’m your mate. It’s what I do.” My mouth curved into a small, defiant smile.

His growl deepened, vibrating through my bones.

Nyxara, I screamed silently, desperation clawing at me. Now’s the time…we planned for this! Take over!

I’m trying! her voice rang frantically. I can’t…something’s wrong. I can’t break free.

Cold panic stabbed through me. What do you mean something’s wrong? Am I supposed to die here?

Before I could brace myself, his hands shot out, iron-strong around my throat. My feet left the ground, air stolen from my lungs as his grip crushed tighter.

“Let me go!” I croaked, nails scraping at his arms, but his hold only constricted.

“You dare lie to me?” he snarled, his voice a raw growl of fury. “You scarred my mate to gain advantage? You want to take the Queen’s place?!”

His rage seared me, venom dripping from every word.

“I am… your queen. I am your mate,” I rasped, but his grip pressed harder until black spots clouded my vision.

And then he threw me.

The impact stole every breath in my body as my spine slammed against the wall. Pain exploded through me, raw and biting.

A cry ripped from me, uncontainable. “Ahhh!” My body throbbed, and rage mingled with agony.

When he comes back to his senses, when he remembers me…oh, I’ll make him pay for slamming me into this wall. I swear it. Petty or not, I’ll make him regret it.

Blood flecked my lips when I coughed, scarlet against pale skin. I froze.

Blood?

The memory jolted me. The same terror from my nightmares. The same sensation of being drained, losing myself to the shadows.

‘It’s a projection,’ Daniel’s voice sliced through, sharper now. ‘He cannot kill you. He cannot suck you dry. It’s fear twisting the truth. Don’t let it rule you.’

Instinct surged. Seeing him now…his broken shadowed self…I didn’t want to recoil. I wanted to touch him, to claim him. Electricity hummed through me, wild and insistent, burning away hesitation.

He lunged toward me again. Nyxara’s howl burst free, a commanding, feral cry that froze him mid-step.

“Leo,” I whispered, trembling but unwavering. “Hey. It’s me. Ivy. Your Ivy.”

He staggered back, blinking as if disoriented.

Step by step, I moved closer, fear thrumming in my veins, but something deeper carried me forward. Memories were fractured, scattered, forgotten, but our bond screamed louder than logic.

“Shhh. It’s okay,” I coaxed, my hands trembling as I reached for him. “I’m here now. Sorry I’m late.”

For a breath, the room shifted. It felt like standing in the middle of a Marvel scene…the way Black Widow steadies the Hulk before he tears everything apart. My heart pounded like Natasha’s must have when she dared touch the beast’s face, knowing he could crush her in a heartbeat.

That was me. Fragile. Fearless. Terrified. Hopeful.

And then I did the unthinkable.

I pressed my bloody lips against his.

His mouth was hot, stunned, tasting my blood, my desperation. He didn’t react at first, rigid as stone. But I didn’t relent. I pressed harder, pulling him into me, pressing myself against his chest, desperate for him to feel it…the bond, the truth.

Then his hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him. His mouth tore from mine and dropped to my neck.

“Blood,” he muttered, voice rough, deep.

Fangs pierced my skin.

The pain was white-hot, electric. My breath tore free in a cry, but then…pleasure, wild and consuming, tangled with it. My veins hummed, alive, vibrating with fire. My body arched helplessly against him, trapped between agony and ecstasy.

He’s marking us! Nyxara roared, ecstatic. He’s making us his! Do you feel it? Our scent merging, our bond locking. This is it! He’s ours, Ivy. Ours!

A dizzying thrill swept me, making my knees buckle, my teeth chatter. I wanted to wrap myself around him, to sink deeper, to never let go.

But then… something shifted.

Nyxara’s voice wavered. Wait…something’s wrong.

Cold fear coiled in my stomach. What do you mean, wrong?

He’s not just marking us. He’s draining us. He’s…he’s killing us! Panic shredded her voice, echoing mine.

“No!” I gasped, clawing at his shoulders, but his fangs sank deeper, hunger wild and unrelenting. My wolf thrashed inside me, claws scraping at my chest, glowing eyes blazing in my mind. This isn’t right! Stop him, Nyxara! Stop him!

Just then, a thought snaked through. What if the nightmare was the truth all along?

The thought shattered something inside me.

The pain, the fear, the bond…all of it fused, ripping me open. Just when I was about to fight for control, it happened.

Memories flooding in mercilessly.

Chains. Black roses. Shadows pressing in. Screams muffled against stone. Helplessness carved into my bones.

Each bite of pain pulled another memory from the abyss, slamming into me until my knees gave out. Tears spilled down my cheeks as reality and nightmare collided, impossible to separate.

And yet…beneath the terror, something else pulsed. The heat of him, the bond, the undeniable claim. As he drank me down, I fought the rush of memories echoing throughout my body.

My body shook violently, caught between remembrance and ruin. Every nerve is on fire. Every breath was stolen.

My vision blurred. The room swam. His face, his shadowed eyes, the curve of his mouth stained with my blood…all of it fractured into shards of light and dark.

Stay awake, Nyxara begged, her voice cracking. We have to remember, Ivy! Don’t you dare—

Her voice cut out.

The world narrowed to the thunder of his heartbeat against my chest, the burn of his fangs in my neck, the rush of blood leaving my body.

And then—

Darkness.

Complete. Utter.