Ivy POV
The drive takes four hours.
They leave Seattle at midnight and Rurik drives in silence. Ivy watches the city lights fade and get replaced by dark highway and then darker mountains. The world gets smaller. Quieter. Less human.
"We're getting close," Rurik says around 3 AM.
The road stops being a road. It becomes a dirt path that winds between massive trees. The car bounces over rocks and roots and Ivy holds onto the door handle because the world she knows is disappearing with every mile.
"Once we cross the boundary, everything changes," Rurik says. His hands grip the steering wheel tighter. "The pack will smell you before they see you. They'll know immediately that you're human. They'll know you're mine."
"Okay," Ivy says.
"They'll test you. They'll be cruel. They'll do things that will make you question why you came here."
Ivy looks at him.
"I've survived worse," she says.
He glances at her and his expression is careful.
"You've survived being invisible," he says. "That's not the same as being hunted."
"I'm not afraid."
"You should be."
The car stops.
Rurik kills the engine and they sit in complete silence. Above them, the sky is starting to lighten with the coming dawn. Around them, the forest is absolutely still.
"This is pack territory," Rurik says. "From this point forward, everything is different. The rules that governed your old life don't apply here. Strength matters. Violence matters. Pack hierarchy matters."
He turns to face her.
"You don't have to do this. We can turn around. We can go back to the city and I can figure out another way to—"
"No," Ivy says. "We're not going back."
"Ivy, I need you to understand what you're walking into. My pack will see you as weakness. Some will see you as a threat. They'll push you. They'll try to break you. And if you break, they won't help you back up. They'll just confirm that you don't belong."
She reaches over and puts her hand on his chest.
"Then I won't break," she says.
He covers her hand with his.
"I'll be right beside you," he says. "But there are moments when I can't protect you. When the pack is testing you, I have to let them do it. If I step in too quickly, it makes you look weaker."
"I understand."
He doesn't look like he believes her.
They get out of the car and Rurik takes her bag from the trunk. He keeps his hand on her back as they walk deeper into the forest. The trees get bigger. The darkness gets thicker even though the sun is rising.
"Stay close," he says. "Don't talk unless someone addresses you. Don't make eye contact unless I tell you it's safe. The pack will judge you based on every movement you make."
Ivy nods.
They walk through the trees and the forest starts to change. There are paths now. Worn trails. Signs that creatures have been walking through here regularly. Ahead, she can see buildings. A massive lodge made of dark wood and stone. Smaller cabins scattered around it. This is a compound. A territory.
This is Rurik's world.
The smell hits her before anything else. It's wild. Animalistic. It's the scent of wolves and earth and something primal that makes her body respond even though her mind is screaming danger.
"They know we're here," Rurik says quietly.
The lodge door opens and a woman walks out. She's tall and muscular with dark hair pulled back tight. Her eyes scan Ivy and then move to Rurik.
"You came back," the woman says. "And you brought company."
"Charlotte," Rurik says. "This is Ivy. She's with me."
Charlotte's expression shifts slightly. Like she understands the weight of those four words.
"The pack won't like this," she says.
"I'm not asking the pack to like it," Rurik responds.
More wolves appear. They come out of the lodge. They emerge from the cabins. They step out of the forest itself. At first they're human but within seconds they're shifting. Bodies transform. Fur appears. Bones reshape.
Twenty wolves stand between Ivy and the lodge.
They're massive. All of them. Muscle and teeth and eyes that are completely inhuman. They're looking at her like she's not supposed to exist in their space.
Rurik steps closer to her. His hand is protective at her back.
"Everyone, this is Ivy Monroe. She's my mate. You will treat her with respect."
The silence that follows is heavy.
One of the wolves steps forward. He's older. His fur is grey mixed with black. His eyes are hard and judgmental. He shifts back to human form and Ivy realizes this is Rurik's father.
"This is a joke," the older man says. His name comes to her. Vittorio. Rurik's father. The former Alpha.
"It's not a joke," Rurik says.
"You brought a human into pack territory. A fragile human. A woman. You're telling me she's your mate?"
"Yes."
Vittorio walks closer and Ivy forces herself to hold her ground even though every instinct is telling her to run. He circles her like she's prey. He smells her. His expression goes cold.
"She smells like your desperation," he says. "Not like a mate. Like a mistake."
Ivy speaks before she can stop herself.
"I'm not a mistake," she says.
The wolves go completely still.
Vittorio's eyes snap to hers and he looks like he's considering tearing her apart just for speaking.
"Don't," Rurik says and his voice goes so cold that even the wolves flinch.
A younger wolf laughs. His name comes to her somehow. Gavin. He's looking at Ivy with hunger that has nothing to do with respect.
"A human who thinks she can talk to us," Gavin says. "This is going to be interesting."
He shifts and suddenly he's a wolf again. His massive jaws snap at the air. He takes a step toward Ivy and Rurik moves in front of her immediately but it's too late.
All the wolves are moving now.
They're shifting. They're growling. They're surrounding her and Rurik with a hunger that makes her blood run cold.
She was wrong.
Being invisible was safe compared to this.
Being erased was better than being seen by creatures that want her dead.
Rurik's hand finds hers and squeezes.
"Stay behind me," he whispers.
But she's not behind him.
She's standing in the middle of a circle of twenty wolves whose eyes are reflecting the morning light like predators.
And every single one of them is looking at her like she's their next meal.