Chapter 4

　　The shock of seeing Alpha King Lucien Blackwood standing there froze the breath in Ivy's throat, but the paralysis lasted only a heartbeat. Her restless wolf settled into a defensive growl, the shock as instantly replaced by anger.

　　She stared at the man who had derailed her entire life. Years ago, after he had rejected their fated bond, he hadn't just walked away but had used his absolute authority as Alpha King to publicly declare that Adrian and Ivy would form a Chosen Mate bond instead. He had orchestrated her future, signing her life over to his nephew without so much as asking for her consent.

　　That high-handed arrogance had rankled Ivy every single day since. She was entirely certain that if it weren't for Lucien's high-handed decree that day, she wouldn't be trapped in the humiliating mess she was in right now. Everything was his fault, and he resented him for it.

　　"What are you doing here?" Ivy spat as she took a defiant step forward. "Have you come to inspect the damage you've done?"

　　Lucien stood unaffected by her outburst. He didn't answer immediately, his gold eyes tracked the raw pain and anger radiating from her.

　　"You shouldn't be out here alone, Ivy," he said at last.

　　"Don't you dare lecture me!" Ivy snapped, her composure was completely fractured now. "Are you satisfied now, Lucien? Is this the stable alliance you forced upon me? You pushed me into Adrian's arms, and now I am the laughingstock of the entire werewolf society. Tell me, wasn't it you who once declared that he was the more suitable mate for me? Was this your grand plan?"

　　Lucien kept his expression entirely guarded, though his jaw tightened imperceptibly at her words. He offered no defense, no apology, and no explanation. Unable to bear his silent scrutiny for another second, Ivy turned on her heel and stormed back toward the Pack house, and it was only then that he let her tears spill again.

　　The moment Ivy's scent faded from the clearing, an agonizing roar echoed within Lucien's mind as his inner wolf turned on him, tearing at his conscience.

　　'Coward!' It roared furiously. 'You rejected her once, and now you treat her cruelly on top of it! She is broken, and you stand there like it's not your fault!'

　　Lucien closed his eyes, forcing his wolf back down with all the willpower he could muster. He let his mind drift back to when it had all begun; years earlier, he had first encountered Ivy at a grand Pack gathering. She was still a minor then, attending the Pack assembly for the very first time as the proud heir of Moonfall.

　　She had been naive and passionate; she had spoken at length before the elders in favor of the ancient fated-mate theory. Modern werewolf society had grown highly integrated and commercialized, and fated mates were no longer treated as an absolute or practical truth, they were a liability.

　　He, already ruling as the Alpha King, had criticized her idealistic views. And to the shock of the entire room, she hadn't backed down. They had ended up arguing openly at the assembly, it has been the first time anyone had ever dared to publicly challenge his word.

　　Her bravery had left a permanent impression on him. He'd been intrigued, he had looked into her background and discovered that, despite her youth, she had already made a significant name for herself as a brilliant classical pianist.

　　Lucien had found recordings of her playing, and the music had been unexpectedly beautiful.

　　His wolf had always been restless, but it had calmed instantly at the sound of her chords. He himself had been plagued by chronic insomnia, Lucien soon found that he could only fall asleep by listening to her piano pieces every single night.

　　He had found himself deeply drawn to her from afar, only to learn that she and his nephew, Adrian, were already considered the perfect, widely acknowledged couple by both their families. He had immediately buried his feelings, but the universe had cruelly revealed they were fated anyway, forcing him to reject her.

　　~~

　　Ivy returned to the Pack house. She could hear the sound of raised voices as she crossed the quiet hallway near the private study, her parents were arguing, she couldn't deal with any of this right now but what was being said made her pause.

　　"You are sacrificing our daughter's happiness for the Pack's commercial interests, Richard!" Victoria said sharply. "She is heartbroken, and you are treating her like a commodity."

　　"I am securing our legacy, Victoria!" Richard shot back. "The Silvercrest alliance keeps our market shares stable!"

　　"Don't lecture me on legacy!" Victoria hissed. "And don't forget exactly how you came to hold your current position in this Pack."

　　Ivy's breath caught. Her mother's words finally confirmed the old rumors Ivy had overheard whispered by elder pack members for years: her mother had actually been the rightful heir to the Moonfall Pack. Her father had merely been a highly capable Beta serving the previous Alpha. Out of love, her mother had willingly handed the position of power and heir over to a Beta, sacrificing her own birthright so he wouldn't feel lesser when she chose him as a mate.

　　Knowing things were going to get ugly, Ivy swallowed her emotions and stepped into the study to stop them.

　　"Stop. Please." She said.

　　They turned, startled. Seeing Ivy's red-rimmed eyes, Richard's aggressive posture immediately collapsed and his tone softened. He stepped forward, sighing heavily.

　　"Ivy... I only want what is stable for you. But I will respect your wishes. If you want to put the bond on hold, I won't force you."

　　Ivy nodded tightly, she was relieved that this as settled at least for now.

　　~~

　　Morgana, Olivia's mother, stood over her bedside scowling as she scolded her.

　　"You fool," she hissed. "You should have used the child to force Adrian's hand a long time ago! Look at what has happened now. Adrian is completely refusing to dissolve his bond with Ivy. If she finds a way to forgive him, everything we have worked so hard for will be completely wasted."

　　Olivia was seated in bed, staring at her wrapped wrist calmly.

　　"You don't understand men, mum," she countered easily. "Pressuring Adrian into marrying me right now would only turn his guilt into resentment. I know him. Right now, his guilt and his feelings for Ivy run deepest because he thinks he's losing her. If I force him, he will hate me."

　　Morgana crossed her arms, looking down at her with a skeptical look.

　　Olivia looked up at her, and a small smile curved her lips. "Don't worry, mum. This is only the beginning."