Chapter 21: Scorched Trust

Chapter 21: Scorched Trust
Ivy’s POV

I was awake before dawn.

My body ached from yesterday’s rescue at the lake, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to slow down. Not when I was still under watchful eyes. Not when Mira was still lurking with secrets I hadn’t uncovered.

So I skipped breakfast and headed straight to the training grounds, tying my hair up and wrapping my hands. The field was quiet, dew still clinging to the blades of grass, mist curling like breath over the earth. I breathed in deep and began.

Strike. 
Block. 
Pivot. 
Again. 
Fasster. 

I repeated the moves over and over, letting muscle memory take over until my body felt lighter and my thoughts sharper.

I didn’t notice Hadley until her shadow merged with mine.

“Early start,” she said, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

I nodded, wiping sweat from my brow. “Wanted to run through my drills.”

She didn’t say anything at first, just stared. Then, without warning, she tossed me a practice blade. “Spar with me.”

I blinked. “Now?”

“Unless you’re too tired.”

I caught the blade and slid into position. “Bring it on.”

We circled each other. Hadley was Lucien’s second best warrior after Dorian. She moved with precision, every blow sharp and intentional. I was already worn, but I refused to back down.

Her strikes landed hard, but I didn’t falter. I took a a lot of hits, bruising ones, but managed to land two soft but clean blows. One to her side. The other just beneath her chin.

She stepped back, lowered her blade, and gave a single nod. “You’re learning. Fast.”

I met her eyes, breathless. “Thanks.”

A beat passed. Then she muttered, “Didn’t like you much when you got here. Thought you were soft. Or sly. Maybe both.”

I didn’t answer.

“But maybe you’re not that bad.”

She walked away before I could say anything, leaving me standing in the middle of the field with a strange warmth spreading in my chest. Was that respect? From Hadley?

I made my way to the nearest pack bathroom, muscles sore and skin slick with sweat. The shower taps weren’t working, again, so I grabbed one of the buckets the cleaning staff had filled and left behind. The water inside was still cool, a little murky but passable.

I tipped the first bucket over my head, sighing as the water ran down my back. It felt refreshing, reviving. I reached for the second one and poured it over my body.

Then I screamed.

The burning hit me like fire, like acid.

My skin lit up in pain as if I’d been doused in flames. I stumbled back, knocking the bucket over as I clutched my arms. My towel clung to me, but I barely noticed it, I was too busy scratching, scraping, trying to claw the pain away. Blood welled beneath my nails.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

I burst through the bathroom door in a panic, stumbling out into the open air, my voice raw as I screamed again.

Dorian was the first to see me.

Then Hadley.

Their expressions shifted from confusion to alarm in seconds.

“Ivy?” Dorian’s voice was sharp, already moving toward me.

“What happened?” Hadley demanded.

“My skin...” I gasped, “it’s burning....I used the water and it.....it.....”

They didn’t ask more questions.

Dorian swept me into his arms while Hadley ran ahead to clear the path. I didn’t know who carried me into the clinic, I was too focused on the blistering agony spreading over my chest, my back, my legs.

Everything. Burned.

The clinic was cold and sterile, but the pain didn’t ease until the healer poured a salve over my skin that numbed everything instantly.

They asked questions, what water, where, how it happened. I told them everything I could between gritted teeth.

Wolf's bane, the doctor said later. Laced into the water. A strong enough dose to cause burning and open wounds.

Someone had meant to hurt me.

Again.

Hadley stood by the doorway, arms crossed, face unreadable.

Dorian paced near the foot of the bed.

I leaned my head back against the pillow, heart thundering in my ears.

Another attack. Another near miss.

This wasn’t about petty jealousy anymore. This was war.

Someone in this pack wanted me destroyed, and they were getting bolder.

The pain had dulled into something manageable by the time the infirmary doors burst open with a loud crash.

Lucien stormed in, his power rolling off him like a wave of fury. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched at his sides, and for a moment, the air itself seemed to tremble. Dorian moved to speak, but Lucien held up a hand.

“Tell me,” he barked. “What happened to her?”

The doctor stepped forward, glancing at me, then back at the Alpha. “Wolfsbane. A heavy dosage. Slipped into the water she used for bathing. Her skin took most of the damage, but had she inhaled it.... or ingested even a drop, she’d be dead by now.”

Lucien’s eyes narrowed, sharp and deadly. “You’re telling me someone tried to kill her.”

“It wasn’t just a warning,” the doctor said. “It was a death sentence. And yet…. her body fought it off. Her wolf…. Alpha, it’s stronger than anything I’ve seen. Her skin should've melted off within minutes, but it didnt.”

I turned my head, locking eyes with Lucien.

His were stormy, filled with fury, and something else. Guilt? Worry?

He dismissed the doctor and everyone else with a single command. The room emptied swiftly, leaving just the two of us and the hum of tension that hadn’t left since I stepped into this pack.

Lucien dragged a chair beside my bed and sat, elbows on his knees, fingers laced tight together like he was restraining the beast inside him.

“This wasn’t just an attack on you,” he said, voice low and rough. “This was a direct challenge to me. I warned everyone to leave you alone. I made it very clear. Yet, someone dared to disobey me”

“And they will pay for it.”

He meant it. I could feel the promise in his aura, vibrating with restrained violence.

I hesitated, then then spoke, “I know who did it.”

His eyes snapped to mine.

“It’s Mira,” I said. “I’ve suspected her for days now. But she’s not acting alone, there’s someone else pulling the strings, but she’s the one doing the dirty work.”

Lucien leaned back, expression unreadable. “Do you have proof?”

“Not yet,” I admitted. “But I have a plan. I can draw her out. Her and whoever’s behind her. But I’ll need your help.”

His brow twitched, and for a long moment, he said nothing. Just stared at me like he was reading something I hadn’t written out loud.

Then he nodded once. “Tell me what you need.”

Relief pulsed through my chest, but I kept my voice calm. “I’ll bait her. She won’t be able to resist. But when she moves, I need you ready. No interference. Just eyes in the shadows"

He stood then, towering over me for a moment, something fierce and ancient glowing in his eyes.

“Very well, Ivy,” he said. “Let’s draw the snakes from the grass.”

He walked toward the door, then paused and looked back. “But next time, if you come this close to dying again, don’t expect me to be this calm.”

And then he was gone, leaving only the scent of his power and the low thrum of war building in my veins.

Mira wouldn’t see it coming. Neither would the coward hiding behind her.

They wanted to play games?

Let's play then.