KADE'S POV
I'm about to leave Ivy's tiny room when she suddenly grabs my arm.
"Wait," she says urgently. "Don't go yet."
"What's wrong?"
She signals to me to remain mute as we hear the guards walk past the dungeon. When they are gone, she pushes me further in and walk to the exit.
“I need to check something first. Stay here while I find out what they're planning."
I want to tell her about being drugged, about Serena and the guards chasing me, but she's already moving toward the door.
"Ivy, listen to me. They already tried to—"
"I'll be right back," she interrupts, slipping out before I can finish.
The door closes, leaving me alone in the cramped space. I have to hunch over because of the low ceiling. The room smells like fear and old pain.
I pace back and forth, which isn't easy in a space this small. My wolf is restless, wanting to get out of here. Every instinct tells me we're in danger.
"She shouldn't have gone alone," I mutter.
Minutes tick by. Each one feels like an hour. I keep listening for footsteps in the hallway, for voices, for any sign of trouble.
Then I hear running footsteps. Fast and desperate.
The door bursts open and Ivy stumbles in, breathing hard and looking terrified.
"They're going to poison you," she whispers, her chest heaving.
"What?"
"I saw Darius walking out of the meeting room," she continues, still catching her breath. "So I fled back here as fast as I could."
I stand up slowly, my head nearly touching the ceiling. "Tell me exactly what you heard."
"They're planning to kill you during the welcoming feast tonight," she says, the words tumbling out. "Darius wants to poison your food. He thinks if he kills you, the prophecy won't come true."
The news doesn't surprise me. After what happened with Serena, I already knew they wanted me dead.
"He said they have a healer in the dungeon," Ivy continues. "That's me. He wants to use my healing powers to help their warriors if there's a fight."
"Interesting," I say, nodding thoughtfully.
"Interesting?" She stares at me like I've lost my mind. "They want to murder you! How is that interesting?"
"Because now I know what to expect," I reply simply. "Thank you for this information."
I move toward the doorway. It's time to confront Darius directly.
Ivy blocks my way. "Wait. You can't just go back out there knowing they want to kill you."
I look down at her. Even in the dim light, I can see the worry in her eyes.
"Be careful," she mutters, her voice barely a whisper.
Something about the way she says it makes me smile. "I will."
I step around her and walk out of the room. As I move through the corridors, I can hear my guards calling my name in the distance.
"Prince Kade! Where are you?"
"Over here," I call back.
Captain Ryan appears around a corner, relief flooding his face. "Your Highness! We've been searching everywhere for you."
"I'm fine, Captain. Gather the men. We need to talk."
"Yes, sir."
Within minutes, my six guards are assembled around me. I explain the situation quickly.
"They drugged me earlier," I tell them. "Now they're planning to poison me at tonight's feast."
"We should leave immediately," Captain Ryan says.
"No. We're going to face this head-on."
"Your Highness, that's suicide."
"Maybe. But I won't run from these cowards."
Before we can discuss it further, I hear shouting from outside.
"Come with us," a rough voice demands.
"What's wrong?" A familiar voice responds. Ivy's voice. "What did I do?"
My blood runs cold. They've found her.
"Captain, with me. Now."
We rush outside into the pack grounds. A crowd has already gathered. In the center, I see two Whitedove guards dragging Ivy by her arms.
"Please," she begs as they pull her along. "I haven't done anything wrong."
"Quiet, girl," one of the guards snaps.
Rage fills my chest. My wolf snarls, demanding action.
"Let go of her," I command, my voice carrying clearly across the crowd.
The guards stop but don't release her.
"The Alpha Prince asked us to bring her," one of them replies, tightening his grip on Ivy's arm.
I smirk, feeling something dangerous flash through me. "I said let go of her."
Without waiting for my order, Captain Ryan and my men draw their swords in one smooth motion. The sound of metal sliding from sheaths fills the air.
The Whitedove guards immediately release Ivy and step back, their faces pale with fear.
"That's better," I say calmly.
The crowd around us starts murmuring nervously.
"What's happening?"
"Why are they protecting the slave?"
"This doesn't look good."
"Should we get Alpha Darius?"
Ivy stands in the center of it all, looking confused and terrified. I can see the question in her eyes. Why am I protecting her openly?
The truth is, I don't entirely know myself. Something about her calls to my wolf. The electric feeling when we touched. The way she risked everything to warn me.
"Form a circle around her," I tell my men quietly.
They move into position, creating a protective barrier around Ivy.
"Your Highness," Captain Ryan says under his breath, "this is going to start a war."
"Maybe it's time for one."
More Whitedove guards appear at the edges of the crowd. They're armed but hesitant to act with my men's swords drawn.
"Who the hell stopped my men from delivering that slave?" a voice interrupts, cutting through the tension like a blade.
Everyone turns to look at the newcomer. My wolf growls low in my chest.
It's Darius.
He's walking toward us with long, angry strides. His face is twisted with rage, and his eyes are locked on me.
"I did," I say firmly. "And she is not a slave!”