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Ivy tightened her hold on Kelly, and before Brian could take her, a warm glow lit the area as Ivy leaned down and kissed Kelly’s forehead. I stood frozen in awe, my mind unable to apply logic as the warmth from the glow slowly dissipated.
A moment later, Kelly’s eye fluttered open. “What’s happening?” She asked with a weak voice as she tried to sit up.
Ivy released a startled cry of relief as Brian swept Kelly into his arms.
“Kelly,” Brain’s voice cracked a little, “I have you baby. I couldn’t find you, but I have you now….”
“There was a vampire…” a sob caught in Kelly’s throat and then buried her face against Brain’s chest. With his bear near the surface, he leaned down, smelled of her neck, and growled.
“I need to get her to my den,” Brian said, cradling Kelly. Then, catching Ivy’s gaze, he continued. “I don’t know what you did exactly…” his eyes fell to the vampire, “but thank you for saving her life.”
Brian turned and headed down the alley toward the street. Ivy tried to follow, but I grabbed her arm. “You can’t, not without permission.”
Ivy yanked her arm away. Fire and fear blazed in her glowing silver eyes. “I don’t need your fucking permission. Kelly is my family and I’m going with them.”
My face softened. “It’s not my permission you need, Ivy. You are a wolf heading into bear territory. You need theirs. And Brian’s bear is too close to the surface. He won’t allow anyone near Kelly, even family.”
Indecision crossed her face. I still needed to make her understand. “Brian will be unstable until he mates with Kelly.”
Sensing Ivy’s dilemma, Brian slowed enough to look back and add, “She’s my mate, Ivy. I will protect her. And I’ll have her call you tomorrow.”
Brian disappeared with Kelly, and before I knew what was happening, a light flashed, temporarily blinding me. A beautiful white wolf with glowing silver orbs stood on all fours. My breath caught at her beauty.
I heard the guys gasp as they stared at Ivy. White wolfs were extremely rare. Like one in every five hundred years rare. Combined with the fact that Ivy had somehow healed Kelly, just as she had healed Devon, it made her not only rare but one of a kind as far as I knew.And powerful.
Her beauty pulled me in, and I could not tear my eyes away. Ivy showed no submissive signs as she held my gaze. I should’ve taken it as a challenge, but any potential mate of mine would need to be powerful. And Ivy was an alpha in her own right.
Anger radiated from her wolf as alpha vibes choked the alley. She sniffed the dead vampire and snarled, nudging him with her snout. Then without hesitation, she ripped his throat out. And then she threw her head back and let loose a long howl full of sorrow and longing, a howl that gripped my heart and tugged until it felt like it might rip right down the center. The guys winced, no doubt wanting to join her.
Watching her mourn her friend broke my heart. That’s when I knew—Ivy was mine. Mine to hold. Mine to love. Mine to protect. There would be no holding back now.
Ivy stretched out in the dark alley and rested her snout on her front paws. Her sorrowful eyes pulled at my soul, and I wanted to ensure she never looked that way again. It took all my restraint not to pull her into my arms and comfort her as a mate should. I knew she wouldn’t be open to it. At least not yet.
“Change back, Ivy, and we’ll take you home.” I didn’t add that it would bemyhome. After what happened to her friend, there was no way I would let her leave my side.
Chapter 11
Ivy
My life sucked! One big sour lemon after another besieged my life as vultures circled, waiting for me to roll over and die. I grew up in foster care before moving to a supernatural home, one that didn’t have soft words, hugs, or kisses. No chocolate chip cookies were waiting for me when I got home from school. No one was proud of me. Besides Kelly, no one in my life ever cared if I made it back home in one piece.
When Luca told me to change back, I wanted to say,Fuck off!He and his friends could go back to their posh life while I lay here and sulked in my guilt for getting Kelly messed up with this shit. That vampire was sending me a message, and it felt like war.
And then I had healed Kelly in front of Luca and two of his men. Even Brian witnessed my strange magic. Everything I’d tried to hide—I didn’t just tell them about it, I fucking showed them! Then, after feeling despair, my wolf took charge and forced the change. She thought she needed to protect me, shield me from the other shifters and I had been too distraught to stop her.
It had been a long time since I had let my wolf out, and she wasn’t in any hurry to relinquish control. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t ready to deal with everyone right now. As I lay there wallowing in guilt and self-pity, I felt Luca’s Alpha power wash over me, trying tomakeme shift back.Oh, hell no!A dominance play wasn’t the best way to engage my wolf. She lifted her head and snarled a warning growl. Neither of us liked being told what to do.
It was strange to think of us as two separate beings, but that’s exactly how it felt. I knew my wolf could feel my fear for Kelly and wanted to keep me safe. So much had happened. First, Kelly had been attacked and could have died. And then, Brian whisked her away and left me behind. That alone conjured up so many forgotten abandonment issues, my heart cracked straight down the middle. And I had used my powers, changed into my wolf in front of the others. What if they marched me in front of the council to be executed? Would I even care or try to fight back? Honestly, I didn’t know right now.
As my self-confidence shattered and one of my worst fears came to fruition, I didn’t have much fight left in me. It took a lot of energy to constantly worry about staying alive, and contrary to my hard exterior, I could only take so much.
I pushed everything away and thought about my terrible predicament. Should I run? Try to start over? My wolf sent mental images protesting. She didn’t want to leave Luca, and she certainly didn’t want to be a lone wolf yet again. We may not belong to an actual pack, but Kelly was ours and I’d done a piss poor job protecting her. A pack of one…two counting me.
Luca squatted down in front of me, making us eye level. “Ivy,” he said tenderly, his voice filled with emotion. “We have to get out of here before the cops show up.”
Cops, I thought with more clarity. Luca had a point. I needed to ghost this place before the cops arrived. I contemplated making a quick trip to my apartment and then running for it. But thoughts of starting over made me feel almost sick. Luca had enthralled my wolf, even though she had given into me initially, I knew she wouldn’t leave Luca again. I could feel her resolve, and if I did manage to run away, it would be one hell of a battle.
“Ivy, you cannot run around town. Your wolf…she’s beautiful, but she will draw a lot of unwanted attention.”
