It's an Ambush

It's an Ambush
Chapter 57:

Ivy’s POV

I didn’t sleep much that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again–the figure in the trees, the way it just stood there, watching, before disappearing like it had never even been there in the first place. My mind replayed the scene in endless loops, each one scarier than the last.

By morning, I’d convinced myself I was imagining things.

Mostly.

Still, the unease clung to me as I dressed and made my way downstairs. Maren was already in the kitchen, slicing bread with her usual calm. She didn’t glance up when she said, “Coffee’s ready." She paused at slicing to add, “You look like you just saw a ghost. Did you see one?”

“Something like that,” I muttered, grabbing a mug.

Jason was there too, leaning against the counter, arms folded. His expression was carefully neutral, but something about the tightness in his shoulders made my stomach twist. Damian wasn’t in sight, which was probably for the best. After that shouting match and his whole ‘caveman rescue routine’, I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I saw him this early.

Jason pushed off the counter. “Are you up for another session today?”

I took a long sip of coffee. “If by ‘up for it’ you mean ‘physically capable of only lifting my arms,’ then sure."

“Good,” he said, ignoring the sarcasm. “The Alpha wants to… evaluate your progress."

The way he said evaluate made something uneasy flicker through me. “He wants to watch me trip over my own feet, doesn’t he?”

Jason’s mouth twitched. “You could say that."

\---

The training grounds were empty when we arrived, the morning fog still covering the grass. The silence made the place feel ominous somehow like the forest was was a living breathing being watching us.

Jason motioned for me to stretch, pacing a few feet away. I watched him out of the corner of my eye; he was restless, more alert than usual. His gaze kept flicking toward the treeline.

“You’re jumpy,” I said, stretching my shoulders. “Expecting someone else?”

He didn’t answer, which was answer enough.

After a few minutes, he said, “Start with what we practiced yesterday. Basic defense."

I frowned but didn’t argue. I moved through the motions; stance, guard, shift, pivot, each one still clumsy but improving. Jason circled slowly, correcting angles, murmuring short instructions that sounded more like commands.

“Don’t look at your feet,” he said sharply. “They’ll go where you tell them. Focus on what’s in front of you."

“I’m trying."

“Try harder."

I gritted my teeth, throwing another punch that barely grazed the target pad he held. “You’re really good at motivational speaking, you know that?”

“Again.”

So I did. Over and over until my arms burned. The rhythm became hypnotic, breathe, strike, block, recover—until something in my peripheral vision flickered.

Leaves. Movement. Fast.

I turned instinctively. “Did you see that?”

Jason didn’t look. “Eyes forward."

“No, seriously. Something’s the–”

A sound cut me off. Low. Rough. Like growling.

I froze, heart thudding. Jason didn’t move, but his posture shifted subtly, like he was listening. “Stay behind me,” he murmured.

My stomach dropped. “Jason…”

He didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes tracked the trees, sharp and calculating. Then the silence shattered.

Something darted out of the woods with dark fur, at an impossible speed. I didn’t even have time to scream before Jason shoved me hard to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of me as the creature collided with him.

Wolves. Two of them. Massive, their coats rippling with muscle, eyes glowing faintly red in the morning light.

I would have made a joke about them being who Jason had been waiting for but…they were not like the ones I’d seen training. These were wrong. I didn’t know how I to say this, but they looked… wild.

Jason shifted mid-motion, his form blurring into that of a massive gray wolf that slammed into one of them with a sound that made my bones rattle. The air filled with snarls, claws scraping dirt, the scent of fur and earth and blood. I scrambled backward, my palms slipping in the dust.

“Jason!” I shouted, but he didn’t respond. The fight was vicious, fast, brutal. One of the wolves lunged toward me, its teeth flashing, and instinct took over. I grabbed the nearest thing I could reach, a training staff–and swung wildy, praying I wouldn't miss.

It connected with a satisfying crack. The wolf yelped, stumbling sideways. My heart was hammering like a drum and my hands shook, badly, but I raised my arm and swung again, harder this time, and it went down, snarling, before Jason’s massive form crashed into it and pinned it to the ground.

The other wolf darted back into the trees.

Jason stood over the first one, snarling low, teeth bared. Then, slowly, it stilled. The forest went silent again.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. My brain refused to catch up with what had just happened. My chest heaved, my throat burned, and the staff trembled in my grip.

Then Jason shifted back, his human form returning in a blur of motion. He crouched next to the downed wolf, no, not a wolf. My stomach turned as I saw its body begin to change, bones cracking, fur receding.

A man. A stranger. Unconscious.

“What the hell,” I breathed. “Jason…what–?”

He cut me off, standing quickly. “You’re not hurt?”

“I…no, but–”

“Good.” He glanced toward the treeline, scanning for movement. “We need to go.”

I stared at him. “Go? What about…him?" I gestured to the unconscious man on the ground.

“Damian will handle it,” he said shortly. “Now move."

His tone leaving no room for argument.

\---
We didn’t speak the entire walk back. I could feel the tension radiating from him, he was hunched like a predator scanning for more threats. My own pulse hadn’t slowed, my mind replaying every detail, the red eyes, the speed, the sound of claws tearing into the dirt.

At the edge of the courtyard, I finally found my voice. “What were they? Rogues?”

Jason didn’t look at me. “Maybe.”

“That’s not an answer."

He stopped walking then, finally meeting my eyes. “It’s the only one I have right now.”

I didn’t believe him. Not entirely. But I didn’t have the energy to push.

He nodded toward the main house. “Go inside. I’ll talk to Damian."

“About what?” I asked, frustration creeping in. “Because I feel like I deserve to know what’s happening here."

“You’ll know when Damian deems it so.”

And with that, he was gone.