Chapter 71: The King's Failure

Leo

"Can you all excuse us, please?" Ivy said, her voice calm, collected—too collected.  

The members of her board exchanged glances before rising from their seats. Some murmured under their breath as they exited the room, their whispers grinding against my nerves. But I didn’t come for them. I came for her.  

How could she be here? How could she not tell me?  

I had spent the last week unraveling, losing my mind as I scoured every inch of the forest, every desolate place, searching for her. My men combed through the darkest corners of the city. I even consulted the sorceress, desperate to track her down, to find out if Dina had taken her. But there was nothing. No trace. No scent. Nothing.

The sleepless nights, the hunger, the ache—it all consumed me. The darkness became my companion, pressing into me, sinking into my bones. Every second without her was agony. And now, here she was, seated as though I wasn’t standing right in front of her. As though my very presence didn’t burn through her like hers did to me.  

"Hi," she muttered, not even looking up.  

Hi? That was all she had to say?

Theo, my wolf, snarled in frustration, demanding I pull her into my arms, but I remained frozen.  

I had stationed my men outside her father’s mansion, refusing to give up even when my mind screamed that she could be gone forever. The second they mind-linked me—She’s back—I ran. 

I ran so fast I didn’t even know where I had been before that moment. Some cave, some forgotten part of the woods—I didn’t care. All I knew was that I had to see her.

I probably looked like hell. My clothes were disheveled, my face covered in scruff, my eyes hollowed from exhaustion. But none of that mattered. I needed answers.  

"Mr. Ashton, you know staring at me doesn’t mean you’re saying why you’re here, right?"  

That made my blood freeze. Mr. Ashton? Why was she being so formal? I'm her fucking mate!

Ivy finally lifted her head, and when her gaze met mine, something in her eyes flickered—shock, sadness, pain.  

She smelled different. Nothing entirely wrong. Just... different. What the hell happened to her? 

"Look," she started, "if you have nothing to say, you can just leave. I—"  

I didn’t let her finish. In three strides, I reached her and pulled her to me, crushing her against my chest.  

Her heart was beating softly. She was warm. Alive. Safe.

I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing her in, my arms tightening around her like I could anchor myself in her existence.  

"I thought I lost you," I whispered, my voice breaking for the first time since I stepped inside.  

She stiffened, then slowly pulled away, looking up at me.  

“Are you... crying?" she asked softly.  

Tears slipped down my face before I could stop them. I must have looked ridiculous.

I hadn’t heard her voice in days. Hadn’t felt the steady rhythm of her heartbeat or the warmth of her skin against mine. The absence had been a slow, agonizing torture, gnawing at me with every passing second.  

And now, with her finally in my arms, safe, real—mine—I was the one falling apart.  

More tears burned down my face, my grip tightening as if she might slip away again. How grand, Alpha King. Reduced to nothing but a trembling man, undone by the very thing I swore to protect.

She cupped my face with her delicate hands, her thumb brushing my cheek.  

"Hey, Leo," she murmured, her voice soft yet steady. "I'm alright. I'm safe. It's okay."  

She spoke as if her words alone could stitch me back together, as if she were soothing a frightened child rather than a man who had been unraveling in her absence. But she didn’t understand.

I wasn’t just scared. I was wrecked.

Tears welled in her own eyes, and seeing her cry broke something inside me all over again.  

I pulled her back in. "I'm sorry I didn’t find you sooner. I'm sorry I failed you. I’m sorry, Ivy. I’m so damn sorry."  

She gently pried herself away, searching my face, her gaze filled with something unreadable. She looked fragile. Worn out.  

Rage curled through me at the thought of what she must have endured.  

"Who was it?" Theo growled, his fury clawing at the edges of my control, begging to be unleashed.  

Ivy flinched, but I couldn’t stop.  

"Who took you?" My voice was rough, barely human. "Did they hurt you?"  

The questions tore from me all at once, desperate, unrelenting. My hands hovered over her, skimming her arms, her waist—searching. Looking for anything—everything—that might tell me where they had touched her, where they had hurt her. 

Ivy shook her head, unshed tears making her eyes glassy.  

"I don’t know. The police are still investigating," she said softly.  

That wasn’t enough. I will make sure to have them tracked down by all means and when I do…

"I will kill them. All of them," I thundered, the room shaking with the force of my fury.  

I had one job—one damn job. To keep her safe. And I failed.  

I let someone rip my heart right out of my chest while I was looking. And I dared to call myself the Alpha King?  

"Leo, Leo," Ivy called, tugging my hand.  

I barely heard her. My vampire side was clawing its way to the surface, my fangs pushing through, my vision darkening. 

"I'm safe now, Leo," she whispered.  

Then she said something that made my entire body lock up.  

"Connor came for me."  

Everything inside me froze.  

Connor. Her ex-mate.  

My breath left me in a slow, shuddering exhale. I warned him, didn't I? To let me know, but he didn't. 

He found her when I couldn’t.  

I should be grateful. I should thank him. But all I felt was rage and shame. 

It should have been me. She's mine to protect. Yet I failed.

Ivy hesitated, watching my face carefully. I knew she could see it—the war raging inside me.  

A war I was barely winning.  

"You shouldn't beat yourself up because of this, Leo. It was beyond anyone's control," she said gently, though there was something uncertain in her voice.  

I forced myself to swallow the growl rising in my throat. "It should have been me."  

Silence stretched between us.  

"Leo," she whispered, placing her hand on my chest. "It wasn't your fault. It happened and now, we should put it behind us."  

I wanted to believe her. But the darkness inside me refused to let go.  

Just then, a new scent hit me. One that shouldn't belong here.  

My head snapped up, my eyes instantly honing in on the door.  

Someone was outside. Theo went still, his ears pricking up.  

Ivy must have sensed my sudden change because she pulled back, confusion flashing across her face.  

"Leo, what is it?"  

A beat of silence. Then— A soft knock.  

Then the door creaked open.  

Connor stepped inside, his gaze locking onto Ivy like she was the only person in the room. And the worst part?  

Her eyes lit up. 

Admiration. Relief. Something I hadn’t seen in her since I walked in.  

Something in my chest snapped.  

My vision darkened again, my body tensing, my claws itching to rip through flesh.  

Ivy inhaled sharply beside me.  

"Connor," she whispered, as if in disbelief. “You're here.”

And in that moment, I realized something.  

I didn’t just fail her. I was about to lose her.  

The thought barely had time to settle before the door swung open again.  

Ivy's breath hitched. I felt her body tense beside me.  

And then—just as quickly as that light appeared in her eyes—it vanished.  

The color drained from her face, her lips parting in silent horror.  

Fuck.