MAEVE’S POV
"Ivan and I are not resisting the ritual," I said, rising to our defense. Even though it felt strange vouching for Ivan’s intentions, I still felt inclined to do it. "It’s just like the priest said—the ritual is still missing so important parts. Once Revierrie figures it out, the ritual is bound to work."
"Or maybe—" Francis drawled stubbornly, "the Moon Goddess values your bond and doesn’t want you to break it."
"And why would Selene feel that way?"
"Because there’s a great possibility that you and Ivan could still be together. This ti around, it would definitely be better between you two. All you need to do is give it a chance."
"No," I countered firmly. "I refuse to talk about this any further. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Francis, but there’s no way Ivan and I are ever getting back together. He made his bed with Serena five years ago, and now he has to lie in it."
At the ntion of Serena, Francis grimaced. For a mont, he wouldn’t et my eyes.
"I understand your inhibitions about Serena," he continued apologetically. "I know the issues it presents right now, but if you could just give Ivan so ti and a chance to—"
"I’m not giving him a chance to do anything," I snapped, losing so of my temper. "I don’t care about what you believe, Francis. I only care about what I know. And I know for a fact that Ivan doesn’t care about . He never has, and he never will."
That wasn’t entirely true.
There was a ti when Ivan had cared—a ti when I felt happy and actually believed things could work out between us.
But of course, my hopes had been dashed brutally.
The sa Ivan Francis was trying to vouch for now was the sa Ivan who had crushed my dreams.
More than that—he had accused of things I had never done, choosing to believe Serena’s lies ti and ti again. He stuck with her because, according to him, she was the better choice.
And even when his parents mocked , antagonized , and abused , not once did he rise to my defense. His biting coldness and indifference had broken my heart more tis than I cared to count.
The hurt had been too much to bear. It blinded , made my heart feel sick—so sick I feared I would erupt into flas of rage and despair.
It drove away from Ash Creek and straight into my accident. An accident that could have cost my life... if Devon hadn’t shown up.
Devon—my white knight in shining armor. My ray of hope. My safe space.
I didn’t need Ivan’s morally gray intentions when I had soone as solid and stable as Devon.
My eting with Francis ended shortly after. My answer remained the sa—there was nothing he could say to change my mind.
Ivan could lose his goddamn mind for all I cared; it would be the least of what he deserved in the end.
I made my way back to the pack house. In my chambers, Nina was still awake, cleaning a small blade in front of the fireplace.
She straightened when she saw and put the blade away.
As an afterthought, I recalled how I had spoken to her yesterday morning when I found out Ivan had taken Asha on a spontaneous flight.
I had been livid with blinding rage. I yelled and accused her—then regretted it almost imdiately.
After I returned from the airport, I had pulled Nina aside and apologized for my rude behavior.
In typical Nina fashion, she rely shrugged and asked about my earlier search for the black book.
"How did the ritual go?" she asked now, studying my face closely, trying to guess the results. "I’m guessing it didn’t go well?"
"No, it didn’t," I answered simply.
I walked toward my bed and saw Asha already fast asleep in the center of the mattress, his lips slightly parted with a thumb tucked in his mouth.
I smiled at the sight of him. When I ran my fingers through his tresses, his hair was soft and comforting against my palm, soothing so of my tension.
I kissed his temple and finally leaned away from him.
When I returned to the fireplace, Nina had a glass of water waiting for . She handed it over, watching empty it in seconds.
"Thank you, Nina. I needed that."
She nodded and retrieved the glass from . "So, now that the ritual has failed yet again, what’s next?"
"The priest is going to return to his research. There’s also a chance that the coronation—slated to comnce during the next full moon—might be postponed in favor of the ritual."
"Wow. It would be great if the coronation gets shifted." Nina’s eyes glinted for a mont. "You’ve really got to find the black book, Your Highness. Most of our plans are riding on it."
"I will," I reassured her. "Like I told you, I searched the Luna’s rooms, but I don’t think the book is in there. Not to worry—I’ve got a bunch of other places lined up to search. I lived here in Ash Creek for a long ti, so I’ve got a hunch or two about where to look."
"Okay then." Nina gave a firm nod. "I’ll pass all of these details over to Marlo first thing in the morning."
"How’s she going to manage to get the information to Devon?" I asked seriously. "I don’t an to deter you, but the other day I overheard so of the guards discussing the council’s decision to strengthen security across Ash Creek Pack. Apparently, there have been sightings of spies around the marketplace."
"You’re right about all of that." Nina smirked. "But then, Marlo is quite resourceful. She’ll find a way."
"Okay then." Just then, my eyes flashed. At the sa mont, I could feel the walls of my heart hardening.
"One more thing, Nina."
"What is it, Your Highness?"
"I need you to find a way to spread a rumor around the pack starting tomorrow."
"What kind of rumor?"
"The rumor should carry actual urgency and state that Ivan’s wolf is unstable."
"Is he? Really?" Nina’s gaze narrowed in surprise. I could tell this was news to her.
"Yes, he is," I confird. "I heard it from his beta earlier. This is information that’s been kept secret for the last five years. Now, it doesn’t have to be a secret anymore."
I gave her a pointed look, hoping she caught my aning.
"I’ll spread the rumor," she assured . "I’ll start at the crack of dawn. By midday, all of Ash Creek will know about this. They’ll know exactly how much of a liability he is to the throne."
Her glee was evident, and for so reason—despite the hardening of my heart—sothing inside twisted. I didn’t care to figure out what it was before passing Nina a matching smile.
"Thank you, Nina. I knew I could count on you."
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