Chapter 6

　　The morning mist as thick as Ivy made her final preparations for the trip to Stormvale Valley Nursing home. Her initial intention had been entirely straightforward: she would drive to the nursing home, spend a quiet afternoon with Adrian's grandmother, and bypass any further emotional entanglement with him. But Adrian had intercepted her near the garage, saying they needed to go together.

　　"She's slipping away, and her mind connects the two of us together," he had pleaded. "Seeing us detached or being hostile towards each other may be too much for her."

　　He managed to convince her that they put on a convincing act or his grandmother's sake, just or the period of the visit. Ivy reluctantly agreed to the charade.

　　Before walking out to the vehicle, she found her mother in the study to let her know where she was headed.

　　Soon enough, they were on the road. Ivy kept her gaze fixed firmly on the passing scenery outside her window, deliberately trying to block out Adrian. Yet, despite her anger and resentment, she couldn't help but notice that Adrian looked unwell. His skin was pale and the veins beneath his temples kept throbbing visibly against his skin.

　　"You don't look good." She pointed out.

　　He let out a heavy breath, keeping his eyes locked onto the winding road ahead.

　　"I haven't slept in three days. There are serious troubles hitting the pack borders right now. A highly organized group of Rogues has been systematically targeting the Silvercrest Pack's peripheral distribution centers. They are led by an old enemy of mine, Alex."

　　Ivy frowned slightly, recognizing the name. Silvercrest had absorbed his family's business holdings last winter.

　　"The one from last winter?" She asked. And he nodded.

　　But Adrian hadn't included the fact that he had a personal grudge with Alex because years ago, he'd cornered Olivia and tried to force himself on her; Adrian had intercepted him and beat the man so brutally that he had left him nearly dead on the concrete.

　　The corporate absorption that followed had simply been the final nail in Alex's coffin. Between handling the escalating pack border attacks every single day, managing the fallout of his ruined mating ceremony, and trying everything in his power to win Ivy back, Adrian was running himself completely ragged.

　　The tires crunched over the gravel driveway of the Stormvale nursing home, a secluded brick estate surrounded by weeping willows. Adrian's phone began buzzing just as he pulled over, he snapped the device up and his face instantly drained of what little color it had left as his Beta's frantic voice flooded in to inform him about what had happened.

　　The Rogue group had broken through the medical center's perimeter. Alex had personally kidnapped Olivia and Noah, and the pack guards were demanding Adrian's immediate return to head the extraction team.

　　Adrian's breath faltered as he locked eyes with Ivy across the console. He was completely torn at the moment.

　　He knew with absolute certainty that if he admitted he was abandoning her yet again to rescue Olivia, the thread holding them together would permanently snap and he'd lose her for good.

　　"What happened?" She asked.

　　He forced down the lump that had ended in his throat.

　　"It's my mother," he lied. "The Rogues... they just ambushed her convoy near the border town. She's been taken. I have to turn back immediately."

　　Ivy understood the urgency. She understood that she had to leave. So she nodded.

　　Adrian hesitated, not wanting to leave her, but with the critical situation at hand, he had to pull himself together. He started the ignition again as Ivy left the car, and he pulled back onto the driveway quickly, letting Ivy go into the nursing home alone.

　　Ivy let out a shaky breath, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. She walked through the glass sliding doors of the facility, thinking about what excuse she was going to give the old lady for not coming with Adrian.

　　The lobby was quiet, she walked toward the elevators leading up to the private residential wing on the fourth floor.

　　She stepped into the empty elevator, turning around to face the sliding metal doors, but just as the panels began to glide shut, a hand suddenly jammed into the gap, forcing the doors to snap back open.

　　A tall man wearing a dark service uniform slipped into the small space, blocking the control panel. Before Ivy could even process the intrusion, a handkerchief was violently shoved over her mouth and nose. A sharp chemical smell hit her senses immediately, burning her throat. Within three seconds, her body went entirely weak, her knees gave out as her vision blurred into darkness.

　　~~

　　Her head was aching badly and my mouth tasted bitter as Ivy slowly regained consciousness. She gasped, trying to move her arms, only to realize she was tightly tied to a rusted metal pillar in the far corner of what seemed like an old repair shop. The floor was stained with old motor oil, and the dim afternoon light filtered through cracked skylights far above.

　　"Ah, the beautiful heir finally wakes," a mocking voice came from the shadows.

　　She blinked quickly to clear her blurry vision as a man stepped forward. He tossed a heavy wrench onto a steel table with a deafening clang, causing her to gasp. She recognized him from the news; it was Alex.

　　He stood over her with his eyes gleaming with a manic satisfaction. He had been waiting for this exact moment for years, ever since Adrian had destroyed his life and family over Olivia.

　　"You think your pathetic fiancé is coming for you, don't you?" He sneered, leaning down until Ivy could smell the stale tobacco on his breath.

　　He laughed dryly.

　　"Let me let you in on a little secret, princess. Olivia and that bastard child of hers were never the real target today. They were just the bait. It was always you." He said.

　　The words hit Ivy harshly. The pieces of the puzzle slammed together in her mind almost immediately and she realized Adrian had lied to her by claiming his mother had been abducted. He'd gone running to save Olivia, he'd chosen her again.

　　"Exactly," Alex grinned on seeing the look on her face. He pulled a sharp, gleaming knife from his belt. "Destroying Olivia would only make Adrian angry. But destroying you? Taking away his chosen mate because he was too busy playing savior to his mistress? That is the only way to make that bastard suffer for the rest of his miserable life."

　　Ivy's instincts flared. She screamed and twisted violently against the thick ropes, attempting to kick her legs outward to break his stance. But the sedative was still lingering in her bloodstream, it slowed her reactions.

　　Alex lunged forward with a snarl. Using his massive weight to crush her chest back against the pillar. He pinned her left hand flat to the oil-stained concrete ground, the cold steel of his blade caught the dim light as he raised the knife high above her chest.