Chapter 3

　　Ivy could already hear the voices on stepping into the house.

　　"It is a minor public relations hurdle, Victoria, nothing more," Helena, Adrian's mom, spoke smoothly. "The media can be bought. The mating ceremony can be rescheduled. They can simply go back to living their lives like nothing happened once the dust settles."

　　Ivy rounded the corner impatiently.

　　"There will be no rescheduling." She said the very second she stepped into the room.

　　The room fell dead silent. Victoria stood near the fireplace, her face drawn with tight lines of exhaustion and suppressed fury. Helena sat on the sofa looking as if her son's betrayal hadn't just been exposed.

　　She offered Ivy a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. Privately, Helena had always resented Ivy's fierce pride, finding her far too headstrong for a future alliance. Helena preferred the pliable, quiet obedience of Olivia, who had not only proven her devotion but had also given her a grandson.

　　But for the sake of the massive corporate and political power the Moonfall Pack held, Helena kept her disdain perfectly masked.

　　"Ivy, don't let your temper dictate the future of two great packs," she said. "You are overreacting without any thought for our shared reputation. Men make mistakes, but a Chosen mate bond is a solemn vow. You should be careful before casting it aside on a whim."

　　Ivy couldn't believe her ears.

　　"A whim?" She asked in disbelief. "He has a child!"

　　Helena sighed like Ivy was exhausting her.

　　"Adrian is still willing to be your chosen mate and stand by your side. Honestly, Ivy, you should treasure his commitment rather than acting betrayed. Let's not forget that to you have already been rejected once before."

　　The words hit Ivy unexpectedly, ripping open a scar she had spent years trying to cauterize.

　　The memory flared, she recalled years ago, before her wolf had even awakened, she had stood at the global Pack Assembly, passionately defending the ancient sanctity of fated mates. She had been young, bold, and naive. But Adrian's uncle, Alpha King Lucien Blackwood had dismantled her in front of everyone.

　　He had publicly belittled her views, declaring before every ruling pack that she lacked the basic maturity and capability to ever inherit her pack's title. Ivy had despised him from that exact moment.

　　Then came the cruelest twist of fate, when her wolf awakened, she learned that Lucian turned out to be her mate. And instead of accepting her, Lucien had publicly rejected her, severing the connection before it could even fully root, leaving her inner wolf permanently wounded.

　　"Adrian is offering you a fresh start, a stable alliance," Helena continued, her voice pulling Ivy back to the bitter present. "Given your history, you cannot afford to be so picky."

　　Ivy's throat tightened painfully as tears stung her eyes.

　　"Get out," she whispered. "Leave."

　　Helena stood up, her expression hardened but she kept her smile in place. "We will let you calm down, Victoria," she said, completely ignoring Ivy as she made her way out of the room.

　　The moment the front doors clicked shut behind her, the tension holding Ivy together snapped and gave way to exhaustion and all the suppressed emotions. Victoria hurried forward and engulfed her in a comforting hug.

　　"Oh, my sweet girl," she murmured. She sounded just as pained as Ivy was.

　　The armor Ivy had worn all day crumbled, and she choked on a sob, burying her face into her mother's shoulder as she finally broke down. For a long time, there was only the sound of her crying and Victoria gently comforting her. They stayed that way until Alpha Richard arrived.

　　Ivy pulled back, wiping her face as her father entered the room. He looked exhausted, his shoulders were tense from spending the last several hours damage-controlling the press and the hundreds of confused high-society guests.

　　Richard stood silently for a moment, his gaze flickering from his wife's to Ivy, and then he sighed.

　　"I have managed to stall the media," he said, loosening his collar. "But we need to issue a statement. Ivy, you must accept taking custody of the child."

　　Ivy stared at him in disbelief. Had he truly just said that?

　　"What?"

　　"A Chosen Mate bond cannot be broken so easily, Ivy," he continued, his tone was more of an alpha talking to a subject than a father talking to his daughter who had just been betrayed. "Doing so right now would completely destroy the commercial and political alliance we have spent years building with Silvercrest. It would make our pack look unstable."

　　She shook her head, unable to find the right words.

　　"You will claim the child as yours, let Adrian handle Olivia quietly, and we will move forward." He concluded.

　　Ivy finally found her voice.

　　"I refuse," She said. "He lied to me for a year. He left me at the altar to tend to Olivia. I will not raise his illegitimate child just to protect your stock options."

　　"This is about the pack's survival, not stock options!" Richard snapped, stepping forward. "You are the heir, Ivy! You are expected to make sacrifices for the greater good of this family! You will swallow your pride and you will marry Adrian!"

　　"I would rather strip myself of my title than bind my soul to a liar!" Ivy screamed back. With everything that had happened today, she'd be damned if she let anyone tell her how to react.

　　"You will do as you are told!" Richard's eyes flashed with the raw anger of having his authority challenged by his own blood.

　　Before her mother could intervene, Ivy turned on her heels and stormed out of the house, ignoring her father's booming commands to get back inside.

　　She ran past the lawns, past the security gates, and deep into the dense, dark forest that bordered the Moonfall Pack's territory. This was the stretch of ancient woodland she had retreated to since she was a child, a place where the noisy world of modern werewolves faded into nature.

　　She eventually collapsed against the base of an old oak tree, pulling her knees to her chest as the exhaustion settled in.

　　The night air was freezing, but she barely felt it. All she felt was how defeated she was.

　　She wasn't sure for how long she stayed there, but eventually, she began to feel a chill running down her spine. It wasn't from the cold, though, it was deep inside her chest. She felt her scarred wolf suddenly stir. It was a sensation she hadn't felt in years; a heavy magnetic pull that made her blood run hot.

　　Confused and startled by the sudden pressure in the air, Ivy forced herself to stand up. The forest had gone completely quiet now; even the crickets had stopped.

　　She looked up, and her breath caught as she watched a tall, unmistakable figure step out from the dense canopy of the trees. His dark coat was immaculate, and he radiated an aura of absolute authority that crushed the air out of her lungs.

　　Alpha King Lucien Blackwood stood before her with his golden gaze fixed on her in the dark.