Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Ivy
M y head is fuzzy and filled with pressure when I wake up, and although the ache between my legs is relieved, it’s been replaced by one hell of a throbbing. It’s not necessarily painful, but I feel like I’ve been stretched to my limit, and I suppose I have.
I stretch, and my fingers prick with an odd sensation. I suck in a breath when I open my eyes and glance down.
Claws.
The moment I glimpse them, they shoot right back into my fingers, and I shake my head, convinced I’m seeing things. I’ve never shifted. I can’t shift.
I’m not a real wolf.
“She’s waking up,” Florian states, and the mattress beside me sinks with the weight of the two men.
“Ivy,” Ewan breathes, placing his hands to cup my cheeks. “Are you alright?”
I nod, noticing Florian staring at me. His eyes are this deep brownish gold, and his hair is the same shade, falling down in soft waves around his shoulders.
He’s beautiful. They both are.
“I’m fine,” I promise, giving him a small smile. “A little sore, but I’ll be okay. How long was I out? Is Oli—I mean, Drake home yet?”
Florian winces when I start to say Oliver, and my stomach tightens in a knot, hating that I caused him any pain.
“He’s not here yet, but Flor and I have been discussing a plan of action for when he returns.”
“A plan?” I question, sitting all the way up in the bed. “What kind of plan? Can’t we just leave?”
“You mean run away?” Florian asks, his brows furrowing in clear frustration. “This is our fucking home. This is Olly’s home. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Ewan gives me a somber glance. “He’s right. We made a promise to one another that we would stay here. That we would get rid of him eventually, even if it killed us.”
Ewan reaches out and grasps Florian’s hand, and the man leans in, giving him a kiss. It’s tender and makes my heart swell. It’s clear there’s a lot of love between the two of them, and I know I should feel awkward being here in the middle of it, but I don’t. Instead, I feel at home.
“Alright. I can understand that,” I respond. “Then how do we get rid of him?”
“He’s going to smell that you’re going into heat the moment he walks through those doors,” Florian replies with a shake of his head. “And he’s going to want to fuck you.” The last part comes out more like a growl, and Ewan squeezes his hand.
“But we won’t let that happen. Drake should bring Florian up to make sure it happens, and that’s when we’ll kill him.”
“K—kill him?” I sputter. “You can’t kill him. We can’t kill him.”
“Yes, we fucking can,” Florian states. “He murdered Olly, and he deserves to die. He’s only keeping the two of us alive in order to find you and breed you. Gods, Ivy! Don’t you get it?”
His voice is raised, and I instantly cower back from the hulking man, despite my warmer feelings toward him before.
“Shit, Flor!” Ewan curses, hurling himself onto the bed and scooping me up into his arms. “She’s been through a lot. More than we have.”
“Fuck! I’m sorry,” Florian pleads, kneeling in front of the bed. “I’m so sorry, Ivy. I didn’t know.” He runs his hands through his hair, dragging them down his face while tears form in the corner of his eyes. “I just don’t know how to keep on going if he’s not dead. I just… I just need this.”
I know what he means… more than he realizes.
Before I know it, I’m crawling out of Ewan’s arms and grabbing Florian’s head before cradling it in my lap. I run my hand through his hair, reveling in the soft feel as he relaxes beneath me.
“We don’t know anything about one another,” I whisper, before taking a shuddering breath. “But I know. I understand.”
“I hate to break this up,” Ewan interrupts, glancing at the watch on his hand. “But Drake should be home in an hour. Florian, you should probably stay down here since he hasn’t let you up. I’ll call and check in about it.”
Florian nods and places a soft kiss on my thigh before standing up. “Fill the room,” he instructs, and Ewan gives him a dip of his head in acknowledgment. “And let me know when it’s safe.”
I follow Ewan as he leads me out of the room and back up the stairs, not able to help myself from looking back at Florian repeatedly. He remains kneeling next to the bed, his golden-brown gaze trailing me as I go.
My heart aches for him as we make it upstairs and Ewan starts speaking to me about what to expect.
“I know this is a lot to process, but we need to move quickly. You’ll have to act like you’re fully in heat, even though you’re not. What happened downstairs? That needs to happen again, except with both Florian and me. Are you alright with that?”
“You mean I need to have sex with both of you?” My voice is higher pitched than I anticipate, and my embarrassment at the thought is obvious.
Ewan’s upper lip tilts in an adorable smile at my reaction while we walk toward his bedroom. “We have to make this believable for him, Ivy. It’s the only way Drake is going to get close enough to us that we can take him down.”
When we walk into Ewan’s room, he begins rustling around the edges of his mattress, pulling and tugging at straps and loops, adjusting and moving to the next corner.
“Why can’t you shift and kill him? Is he that much stronger than you?”
Ewan glances up at me, and rage fills his eyes. “He’s not stronger than me at all. And he’s absolutely not stronger than Florian. Flor was clearly the alpha of our trio before Olly was killed.”
“Then why haven’t you killed him already?” I question, anxiety getting the better of me as I begin to pace his room, watching as he lays out a restraint system on the bed.
I don’t want to do this again. I don’t even know if I can.
Ewan moves to the closet, removing a floor board before pulling out a variety of different blades. He places one under the pillow, another under the mattress at each corner, and one squeezed between two books on the shelf behind his bed, then keeps moving.
“In the beginning, I was too out of it. Drake had me committed when I broke down at work after finding Olly. I told them all Drake did it, but no one believed me. And when he showed up at my job to collect me—dressed like my mate, acting like my mate—they all believed him and not me. I was committed for a few weeks, fed a slew of medications to get me to calm down, and Drake visited me. Let me know I needed to get it together and get on board or he would keep me there.”
“Gods, Ewan,” I reply quietly. “I’m so sorry.”
He waves it off. “I’m past it now, but it’s been a long journey to get here. Florian wasn’t so easy to subdue, but I just knew if I waited it out, if I played the long game, it would pay off eventually. And it has.”
I understand his not wanting to discuss it too much right now, it’s not as if we have a ton of time to get into our histories. And I’m hiding enough with mine.
“The restraints?” I question, chewing on my bottom lip, hating the idea of being held down in any way.
Ewan cringes and shakes his head. “There’s no way around it. He’s going to want you under control in case you shift.”
“I—I can’t shift,” I reply.
Ewan shrugs. “That makes two of us.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, incredulous. “Are you a mutt? You’re not a full wolf either?”
His face falls a little. “No, I’m a full wolf. I’ve shifted plenty in the past, but Florian and I have implants to keep us from shifting. Mine was set when I was in the hospital, and I’m not sure how or when he got to Flor, but we both have them. If we even try to shift, Drake can hit us with a shock that will knock us out.” I go to open my mouth, but Ewan shakes his head. “Whatever you’re going to say, I guarantee we’ve tried it. He always seems to know what we are doing or planning. Each time we’ve attempted any sort of coup against him, he’s knocked us out for hours.”
My stomach sinks.
“Ewan?” I ask as he finishes hiding all of his blades.
He pauses and looks up at me before letting out a massive sigh. “I know. It’s a lot.”
“Can we really do this? You can’t shift, and neither can I. And you’re strapping me down. How are we supposed to make this work?” The more I speak, the more flustered I become, and Ewan stands from his place on the floor, coming to wrap his arms around me.
“Are you afraid of hurting someone?” he asks, and I nod, terrified to tell him the truth. “You grew up with old-world wolves, you haven’t been in a pack fight or anything before?”
I chew on my lip.
“I know you’ve just met me, and I know you have no reason to trust me, but close your eyes for me for a moment, Ivy. Just breathe with me.”
I do as he says, letting him hold me close and laying my head on his chest.
“I had never loved someone as much as I loved Olly, but then I met Florian, and things got so much better. I never thought I could love again after Olly died, but then I met you. I can’t explain it, but I know, deep down, that this is how things are meant to be. The three of us are mates, and we are destined to go on and live our lives beyond this mess Drake has made.”
I breathe in and out, tears welling in my eyes.
“I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but please, Ivy. Please do this for us. Please do this for Olly. You never got a chance to meet him, but he would have loved you so damn much, just like I already do. You’re a piece of me, part of my soul, and we need you now just as much as you need us.”
Pulling back from his chest, I wipe a tear away and nod, staring at my mate. “Alright, Ewan. I’ll do it.”