Chapter 15 - The Hunter's Return
Ivy had thought she'd seen the last of the Order.
She was wrong.
They came in the dead of night, silent and deadly.
Their leader was a woman Ivy had never met—a silver-haired figure with eyes like frozen lakes.
"I'm Lilith," the woman introduced herself. "And I've been waiting for you, Ivy Sterling."
Ivy stood her ground, her claws extending involuntarily.
"I thought the Order was destroyed."
"Not all of us," Lilith replied. "Some of us were... elsewhere. Planning. Preparing."
"Preparing for what?"
"The end," Lilith said. "The end of the Lycan threat and the beginning of a new era. One where humans are safe."
"You're insane," Ivy breathed.
"Am I?" Lilith asked. "You've bonded with the ancient curse, Ivy. You've allowed the wolf to take root in your soul. In time, she'll consume you completely. And then what?"
"She's under my control."
"For now," Lilith agreed. "But how long before her hunger becomes too much? How long before you start to see the rest of us as prey?"
Ivy felt the wolf stirring inside her, hungry for the threat in front of her.
"I won't let that happen."
"You won't have a choice," Lilith replied. "The curse always wins. It's only a matter of time."
Ivy lunged, her claws aimed at Lilith's throat.
But the hunter was fast.
She dodged, drawing a silver blade from her belt.
"I don't want to hurt you," Lilith said. "I want to help you."
"By killing me?"
"By freeing you," Lilith replied. "There's only one way to break the curse, Ivy. The same way it was originally bound."
"And what's that?"
"Death," Lilith said. "The death of the Lycan that carries it."
Ivy felt her blood run cold.
"You want me to die."
"I want you to choose," Lilith said. "Choose to be free of the curse, free of the wolf, free of everything that's been weighing you down. It's the only way."
Ivy stood there, her claws still extended, her body trembling with conflicting emotions.
She had fought so hard to survive.
Had fought to reclaim her power, her life, her future.
But at what cost?
"If I die," Ivy said, "will the curse die with me?"
"Yes," Lilith confirmed. "It will be destroyed once and for all."
Ivy thought about everything she'd been through.
The betrayal, the pain, the loss.
And she made her decision.
"I'm not going to kill myself," she said. "But I'm not going to fight you either."
She lowered her claws, her body relaxing.
"I'll let you do what you came here to do."
Lilith's eyes widened in surprise. "You... you're not going to fight?"
"Fighting is what got me into this mess," Ivy said. "It's time I stopped."
The wolf screamed inside her, angry and betrayed.
But Ivy ignored it.
This was her choice, not the wolf's.
Lilith approached slowly, her blade gleaming.
"Ivy," a voice called out.
Damian stood at the edge of the clearing, his body tense.
But Ivy held up a hand.
"It's okay," she said. "I've made my choice."
Lilith's blade descended.
But at the last moment, something inside Ivy snapped.
The wolf surged forward, taking control of Ivy's body.
"No!" Ivy screamed, but it was too late.
May you like
The wolf lunged at Lilith, claws extended, fangs bared.
And in the chaos, Ivy lost herself completely.
