Chapter 60: The Hunt For Ivy

It's been two days.  

Two long, agonizing days for Leo, and there was still no sign of Ivy.  

Leo was losing his mind. He had turned over every inch of the city, organized a special squad with the police to search every possible hiding place in the city, and scoured every lead, but nothing. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.  

But he knew better.  

Someone had taken her.  

And every instinct in his body told him exactly who that someone was.  

Dina.  

Something about the black rose and the envelope had triggered a memory buried deep in his mind. It was the kind of signature move Dina would pull—subtle yet taunting, poetic in its cruelty. But what solidified his suspicion was the talisman. Ivy’s protection had been left behind, as if whoever took her wanted her vulnerable. And that reeked of Dina.  

The problem was, Dina was like the wind. She had no real home, no place to track her down. She appeared when she wanted and vanished just as easily.  

He had ordered Zane to gather their strongest warriors and launch a full-scale search for her around the kingdom, but even with all their efforts, Dina remained a ghost.  

The police had no leads. No witnesses. Nothing.  

Meanwhile, Ivy’s father and uncle had somehow caught wind of her disappearance, and they were raging. Leo had tried to keep it from them, but it was only a matter of time before they found out. 

They had been calling him nonstop, demanding answers, demanding action. But there was nothing they could do—no flights were allowed to leave the city due to the lockdown, trapping them miles away, powerless.  

And Leo hated feeling powerless. He felt ashamed of himself and his throne. 

“What is the use of a king if he can't protect his queen?” He muttered to himself as he paced angrily, searching for answers.

Desperation clawed at him, rage simmering beneath the surface. He needed a lead. He needed something.  

Which was why he now found himself in Connor’s pack.   

Leo stormed into the packhouse without warning, his energy crackling like a brewing storm. The moment Connor saw him, he barely had time to brace himself before Leo’s hand was around his throat, slamming him back against the wall.  

“My mate is missing,” he growled with barely restrained fury. “Should I be worried about you having a hand in it?”

“Wait, when did this happen? But I ran into her—”

Connor didn’t get the chance to finish before Leo’s grip on his throat tightened, cutting off his words.

“What are the chances, huh?” Leo growled, his grip tightening. “That you’d just happen to run into Ivy in town? How convenient.”  

Connor’s jaw clenched, his wolf stirring beneath his skin. But he didn’t fight back. Couldn't fight back.

Leo’s eyes were burning with fury, his golden irises practically glowing. “Have you been following my woman?”  

Connor didn’t answer.  

The punch came fast. A sharp, brutal strike to his ribs that knocked the wind out of him.  

“I told you to stay the hell away from Ivy.” Leo’s voice was low, deadly.  

Connor coughed, catching his breath before muttering, “You gonna listen to me or keep throwing punches?”  

Leo hesitated, his wolf raging for more blood, but after a tense moment, he released him. “Talk. And it better be a lead.”

Connor exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “Yeah, I ran into Ivy in town. I was leaving the café when I saw her.” He paused, gaze darkening. “But after she left… someone else approached me.”  

Leo frowned. “Who?”  

“A woman. Hooded. She came out of the shadows, like she’d been waiting.”  

Leo’s hands curled into fists. “What did she say?”  

Connor’s expression darkened. “She told me that Aria—Ivy—is destined to be without a wolf. That it’s not a mistake, but fate. And if Ivy ever gets her wolf… it would disrupt some kind of balance.” 

Leo’s entire body went rigid. His teeth gritted as one name escaped his lips.  

“Dina.”  

Everything clicked into place.  

This wasn’t just about Ivy. This was about something bigger.  

And Dina had been behind it all along.  

His jaw clenched angrily, his mind racing. Dina’s last words to him echoed in his head like a haunting whisper.  

“Sacrifice your light.” 

Has she gotten to Ivy?  

“What if…” he began but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

His blood ran cold.  

‘What if she had hurt her?’ he thought to himself quietly.

No.  

No.  

Ivy was still alive. He could feel it. Somehow.  

His sharp gaze snapped back to Connor, who was watching him carefully.  

"Can you let me go now?" Connor muttered.  

Leo released him almost instantly, stepping back without a word.  

Connor rubbed his throat, eyeing Leo warily. “Who is this Dina you’re talking about?” he asked cautiously.  

But Leo didn’t answer. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched in frustration.

He took a step closer to Connor, his voice a quiet but dangerous growl. “I’ll say this once. If Ivy sets foot in your pack, even by accident, you bring her back to me. Do I make myself clear?”  

Connor’s wolf bristled, but he bowed slightly under Leo’s Alpha command.  

Leo stormed off, his mind a storm of chaos.  

Meanwhile, Connor stood there, his wolf pacing anxiously inside him.  

Ivy was missing?  

Is that why his wolf had been so restless? Why the past two days had felt wrong?  

Has something bad happened to her?  

And what about that strange woman, Dina, or whatever Leo called him. Could she have something to do with this?  

Or worse…  

Connor’s steps slowed, his body tensing as a sickening thought struck him.  

No.  

No, it couldn’t be.  

His eyes darkened as he ground out a single name.  

“Lila.”  

Without another second of hesitation, he turned and marched out of his study.  

“Get me Lila. Now,” he ordered a passing guard.  

Within minutes, she was dragged into his study, kicking and resisting against the guards.  

“Well, well, Alpha,” she purred, flipping her hair as she smirked at him. “If you wanted me so badly, you could’ve just mind-linked me instead of having me dragged in here like a criminal. Or do you like it rough?”  

Connor wasn’t in the mood. He hadn’t been since Ivy reappeared.

His wolf snarled at her pathetic attempt to seduce him.

In a blur, he was on her, his hand wrapping tightly around the back of her neck as he pushed her against the wall.  

“Oooh, feisty,” she teased, licking her lips. “I like it.”

His grip tightened.  

The playfulness vanished from her eyes.  

“Wait—what are you doing?” she asked, her voice rising slightly.  

His voice was dangerously low. “Where is Ivy?”  

Lila blinked in genuine confusion. “What?”  

“I’m not in the mood for games, Lila.” His claws lightly pressed into her skin. “Tell me where my mate is!” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she shrieked. “I haven’t seen her in weeks! You told me to leave her alone, remember?”  

Connor’s patience snapped.  

His grip tightened, a warning. “I’ll say this one more time. Answer me.”  

She trembled slightly now, her confidence cracking. “I swear I don’t know! I had nothing to do with her disappearing!”  

Connor’s wolf was practically snarling in his mind, but after a tense moment, he released her abruptly.  

She stumbled, yelping as her hand hit the table.  

A heavy silence settled over the room.  

"Leave," he growled, his voice low and edged with barely restrained rage as he turned back toward the window.  

Then came a dark, chilling chuckle.  

Connor stiffened.

“You know…” she muttered, her voice dripping with amusement. “I might not have seen her in weeks,” Lila continued, her voice teasing. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know who took her.”  

Connor turned sharply, his eyes flashing.  

His wolf snarled as he saw Lila smirking. 

Lila’s smile widened ever so slightly, her eyes gleaming with something dark.  

A cruel kind of amusement.