Chapter 1

I was Ivy Montgomery, the last one standing to seek vengeance for the Hartleys' blood debt.

The Moon Goddess bestowed upon me a fated bond, only to throw me into the captivity and ravages of the Alpha brothers.

The silver glass wall couldn't hold back my hatred, and the Mate Bond couldn't restrain my thirst for vengeance.

I swore on blood and wielded my inner wolf as my blade.

I was determined to make those who murdered my parents and shattered my world pay the price in blood.

Even if I had to drag them down with me, I would never yield.

*****

Cain Hartley's roar echoed down the corridor.

I stood behind the glass stiffly. All I saw was his lips moving, calling my name again and again. "Ivy!"

His palm slammed hard against the cold barrier, but his desperate face was a mere scene from a painting, utterly irrelevant to me.

Evan Hartley stood right behind me.

His breath brushed against my neck, steady and warm, but that heat made my stomach twist. A tight, breathless feeling coiled through me.

I knew exactly what this place was: the Hidden Chamber, a secret compartment behind the command room. It used to be where they interrogated traitors and locked away top-secret military intelligence. Now, it had become the cage that trapped me.

The silver glass wall split the world in two. Outside was Cain. Inside, it was Evan and me with the wild, inescapable pull of the Mate Bond, filling the Hidden Chamber.

My father was Alexander Montgomery. He infiltrated the Blackthorne Pack only for revenge.

Eleanor Hartley personally slaughtered my mother. My father spent seven years lying in wait, biding his time for vengeance, only to fall at Evan's hands.

As for me, I spent three years hiding my true self. Using an engagement as my shield, I drew closer to Cain step by step, setting a snare that would catch him.

Tonight should have been the eve of the Bonding Ceremony. I thought I still had enough time.

"Ivy," Evan said, his voice deep and heavy, like thunder rumbling underwater

I didn't turn around.

He slipped his arm around my shoulders. His fingers hooked the necklace Cain gave me when he proposed. It was a platinum chain with a luminous moonstone pendant. I'd worn it for eight months, never taking it off.

Evan gave it a sharp tug, snapping the chain. The metal bits struck the silver glass wall and then hit the floor with a crisp, piercing ring.

"You belong to me," Evan growled. "Not him."

I finally turned to face him for the first time.

He was half a head taller than Cain, with chiseled features, short dark hair, and cold, grey eyes.

My father said before his death, "There's nothing in Evan Hartley's eyes, only the prey he's set on capturing."

"You killed my father," I said, my voice calmer than I expected. "Do you think breaking a necklace wipes away your sin?"

"I think..." He leaned in, his warm breath mixed with the heavy Alpha dominance. "You should be grateful that I've let you survive this long."

The Mate Bond's presence flooded the Hidden Chamber, wild and overwhelming.

I took a step back.

His Alpha dominance slammed into me. It wasn't only about Evan. It was the same force that took my mother's life, shattered my father, and ruined everything I was meant to have.

I raised my hand and shoved at his chest, but he didn't budge.

I shoved with everything I had, but he caught my wrist and slammed me hard against the silver glass wall again.

The glass bit into my back, cold enough to sting.

Outside, Cain's shadow stretched long in the light. He kept pounding and calling my name, but he couldn't hear a single sound from within.

"You think you can fight me?" Evan looked down at me. There was no anger in his tone, only a more lethal calm.

I glanced down at his hand gripping my wrist, then bared my teeth and sank them deep into his flesh.

His skin split under my bite, and the metallic tang of blood burst through the air in the Hidden Chamber.

Evan let go of me, not because it hurt, but because he was stunned.

I took advantage of that fleeting moment, twisted free, and darted to the far corner of the chamber.

The broken necklace lay on the floor. I bent down, grabbed it, and squeezed it tightly in my palm. The jagged, sharp edge cut into my skin, but I didn't feel any pain at all.

Evan zeroed in on the necklace in my hand, his expression changing instantly. "Why hang onto that useless thing?" he said, stepping closer. "Everything he gave you is worthless in my eyes."

He reached out and forcefully pried my fingers open.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to let go, but he wrenched each finger apart one by one, snatched the necklace, and flung it across the room carelessly.

The moonstone pendant hit the wall, rolled into the shadows, and vanished without a trace.

I lunged for it as if I'd lost my mind.

His boot slammed down, crushing the back of my hand. Severe pain shot up my arm. I couldn't help but let out a muffled cry. It felt like my throat was being ripped apart.

"Let go," he said coldly.

My fingers dug hard into the floor, but all I touched was the icy patterns. He pressed down harder, and I collapsed, powerless to resist.

"I'll mark you right in front of Cain." Evan leaned in, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I'll let him see everything for himself through this glass."

I collapsed on the floor, numbness and pain still shooting through my hand.

Cain had always been nothing but a pawn to me.

I spent three years plotting. He was the nail I hammered into the Hartleys, the tool I needed to take Evan down.

If Evan marked me tonight, Cain would no longer be of any use. My whole plan would collapse, and the vengeance for my parents would be lost forever. It would be another case closed and forgotten.

I looked up at the glass wall.

Cain was still outside. He was no longer pounding but resting his forehead against the icy glass. His gaze fixed on me as he desperately searched for a way to enter.

I shot to my feet.

There was a shelf in the corner stacked with a few decorative vases.

I rushed over and slammed my shoulder into it. The shelf crashed down. Vases fell onto the floor, sharp shards flying everywhere.

I went down, too, landing hard in the pile of shards. My knees and palms hit the floor at the same time. The pain was so intense that my vision went black.

My fingers found a sharp shard, and I gripped it tight. I got back up, backed into the corner, and pressed the shard to my own throat.

"Cain!" I shouted hoarsely, putting all my strength into the cry.

The man outside the glass looked up with a start.

Evan froze two steps away, staring at the shard pressed to my neck. For the first time, something I'd never seen before flickered in those cold, gray eyes.

"You wouldn't dare," he said affirmatively.

"You really think so?" I said.

Evan walked over to me and snatched the shard from my hand effortlessly.

I had already expected this. Holding another piece in my other hand, I dragged it across my throat ruthlessly. My skin tore open instantly. Blood gushed out, hot and sticky, running down my neck and splattering onto the floor.

Evan's expression changed dramatically. In two strides, he swept me up into his arms.

"Lucas?" he roared, his voice hoarse. "Lucas!"

I slumped against his chest, feeling his hand clamped tightly over the wound on my neck.

My vision began to blur as the lights in the Hidden Chamber faded into a harsh, ghostly white.

The Mate Bond lingered heavily in the air, filled with the scents of pine resin and wilderness, along with a deep pull in my wolf soul that I could never forget.

I slowly closed my eyes.