KADE'S POV
My wolf's howling wakes me up. Not an actual howl, but the desperate scratching and clawing inside my mind that means danger.
My eyes snap open. I'm lying on a cold stone floor, my head pounding like someone hit me with a hammer. The taste in my mouth is bitter and wrong.
"The drug," I mutter, pushing myself up to sitting.
Everything comes flooding back. Serena. The wine. The way her eyes changed when I started to collapse.
My wolf paces frantically inside me, snarling and snapping. He saved me. Somehow, his connection to me fought off whatever they gave me long enough for me to wake up.
I look around. I'm still in the guest room, but it's different now. The candles have burned down to stubs. The food is cold and congealed. How long was I out?
"An hour, maybe two," I whisper to myself.
I struggle to my feet, my legs still unsteady. My head spins, but I force myself to stay upright. Whatever Darius is planning, it's happening soon.
I take the door out, still feeling a bit weak. I need to see Darius and ask him why the hell he did that. I need to see Derek too.
He is right about this pack.
I take a random turn, then another, trying to lose them in the maze of corridors. The pack house is larger than I thought, with passages that seem to go on forever.
My strength slowly returns as the drug works its way out of my system. My wolf is fully alert now, helping me navigate through the darkness.
Then I hear a sound that stops me cold.
It is a scream, high-pitched, desperate, filled with pain and terror.
"What the hell was that?" I whisper to myself.
I follow the direction of the voice down a dark hallway I hadn't explored before. The screaming gets louder as I move closer. My hands are shaking as I approach what looks like a dungeon. The tiny room is tucked away in the corner, almost hidden from view.
I stop outside the heavy wooden door. Should I go in? What if I'm walking into trouble? My mind races with questions, but another scream from inside makes my decision for me.
I reach for the door handle when a voice stops me cold.
"Disobey the Alpha once again and you will be made to join your silly parents in death!"
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. A shiver runs down my spine and I quickly step back. My heart is pounding so hard I think it might burst from my chest. I hide behind a molded fence just as the door opens.
A tall man steps out, his face twisted with anger. In his hand is a cane filled with thorns, blood dripping from the tips. I hold my breath as he walks past me, his heavy boots echoing in the hallway.
"That should teach her some respect," he mutters as he disappears around the corner.
I wait until I can't hear his footsteps anymore. The hallway is quiet now, too quiet. I step out from my hiding spot and walk back to the door.
"Hello?" I call out softly. "Is someone in there?"
No answer.
I knock gently on the door. "Are you okay?"
Still nothing.
I'm torn. Part of me knows I shouldn't be here. I'm in this pack for a reason, and it isn't to make friends. Our packs have been enemies for years. That's exactly why I'm here – for alliance, but I can't just walk away from someone who might be hurt.
"I'm coming in," I announce.
I push the door open slowly. The room is dark and smells like blood and fear. As my eyes adjust, I can make out a figure huddled in the corner.
It's a girl, half-dressed and trembling. When she sees me, she gasps and tries to cover herself with torn fabric.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I say immediately, raising both hands in a slow, open gesture. “I heard screaming. Are you injured?”
She stares, breath hitching. Her eyes search mine—looking for lies, maybe, or for some flicker of threat. But then… something shifts. She tilts her head, just slightly.
A familiar gesture.
Too familiar.
And for a moment, the breath freezes in my throat.
Her eyes—storm-shadow green—strike something deep inside me, something primal. Recognition lances through my chest like a blade. It’s impossible, but… she looks like her. The girl from the vision. The one I saw beneath moonlight and snow.
It can't be.
Yet standing here, I feel it again. That aching pull. That instinctive, impossible knowing.
“Wait,” she says, her voice stronger now, a spark flaring behind her gaze. “You’re the Fenrir Prince?”
I nod, slowly, uncertain. My heart pounds like war drums in my chest.
“Yes.”
Her gaze sharpens, locked on me like I’ve stepped out of her own dream. I want to ask her name. I want to step forward and close the unbearable distance between us.
But I don’t.
Because I don’t know what’s real anymore.
Is she the girl from my vision? Or am I seeing only what I want to see?
I take a breath, fighting the madness clawing at my thoughts.
“Who are you?” I ask.
Because I need to know.
Because if she says Ivy, I don’t think I’ll ever recover.
She studies my face carefully. "Do you know my father, Thomas?"
The name hits me like lightning. Thomas. Where have I heard that name before?
"Thomas?" I repeat.
"Thomas, the former Beta of this pack," she continues, watching my reaction closely.
The same Thomas Derek spoke about on our way to Whitedove. I had no idea who the girl was so I shake my head slowly. "I'm not sure. Should I know him?"
Before I can say anything else, she grabs my hand. The moment our skin touches, an electrifying jolt shoots through my entire body. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. My wolf stirs inside me, recognizing something I don't understand and instantly, the weakness in my disappears.
"What was that?" I breathe.
She felt it too. I can see it in her eyes, the way they widen with shock and recognition.
"You have to leave immediately," she says urgently, still holding my hand.
"What? Why?"
She glances around the small room in fear, as if someone might be listening. Her grip on my hand tightens.
"Because they plan to kill you," she whispers. "Leave now."
"Kill me? Who wants to kill me?"
"Alpha Darius."
My blood runs cold. "How do you know this?"
"Because I heard him talking to his guards. They want to prevent the prophecy, they believe you are here to make the prophecy come to pass."
I stare at her in confusion, unsure of whether to believe her or not.
"It's a trap," she continues, reading my thoughts. "They're letting you think you're safe while they execute their plan. Tonight, they plan to kill you."
"Tonight?"
She nods and I stare at her, trying to process everything she's telling me. This girl, who I've never met before, is risking her own life to warn me.
"Why are you telling me this?" I ask. "Why help me?"
She looks down at our joined hands, still feeling the electric connection between us.
"Because," she says softly, "I think you might be the one."
"The one what?"
Before she can answer, we hear heavy footsteps in the hallway outside. She drops my hand immediately and pushes me toward the door.
"Go," she whispers urgently. "Go now before it's too late."
"But what about you? What will they do to you?"
"Don't worry about me. Just go. Please."
The footsteps are getting closer. I can hear voices now, multiple people heading our way.
I look at the girl one more time. "What's your name?"
"Ivy," she whispers. "Now go!"