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Ivy stood defiantly beside the kneeling figure of the Rogue King, his fur matted with blood, his breaths labored and wheezing. Hunter and Caleb staggered, barely upright, their own wounds marking them like battle–worn scars. But nothing – nothing could prepare them for what came
next.
“Ivy…?” Hunter‘ s voice cracked, a blend of shock and hurt. “What are you doing with him?”
A dark smirk spread across Ivy’s face, her normally doe–eyed expression now sharp with malevolence. “Why, Hunter, I thought you’d know by now,” she
sneered, her eyes cold. “I never belonged to you. Or to the Shadow Pack.” She raised her chin, gaze sweeping over Marissa and her friends with disdain. “I‘ m exactly where I belong–with my father.”
“Father?” Caleb choked, taking a shaky step
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back, his face pale with disbelief. “The Rogue King is… your father?”
Ivy’s laugh was like the crack of a whip, sharp and chilling. “Surprised? Oh, I enjoyed every second of playing the innocent little omega, watching you fawn over me like I was something special. It was pitiful, really,” she spat, her voice dripping with contempt. “But I did enjoy leading you along.”
The Rogue King grunted, struggling to rise as blood poured from his side, but Ivy knelt and pressed a hand to his shoulder.
“Don’t,” she whispered, her voice gentling for him alone. “I won’t let them hurt you.
“No, Ivy,” he growled, his voice heavy with both pain and warning. “This is too dangerous-”
“You‘ re not going anywhere,”
Marissa’s voice cut through the clearing like a blade. She stepped forward, the power of her lycan blood simmering
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beneath her skin, ready to be unleashed. Her gaze bored into Ivy. “So, the real Ivy finally shows herself.”
Ivy turned to her, her dark eyes alight with madness. “You‘ re one to talk, Marissa. Always looking down at me, keeping me at arm’s length, like you were better than me.” She bared her teeth, a feral glint in her eyes. “But look at you now–with dead father.”
Marissa‘ s fists clenched, but she forced herself to remain still. “You think this changes anything?” she said, her voice cold, unyielding. “All this time, you‘ ve hidden behind lies. That’s the difference between us, Ivy–I’ve never needed deception to prove my strength.”
Ivy’s lip curled into a snarl. “Your damn strength? I’ll show you strength,” she hissed, a dark energy pooling around her as her wolf surged forth, pitch black as the night, her fur bristling with unnatural
energy.
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Caleb’s face twisted with anger. “So all this fucking time, you were just–using us?”
“Oh, yes,” Ivy laughed, her tone dripping with satisfaction. “I specifically asked for your father’s head, Marissa. It’s a shame he fought so hard–I was hoping he’d die like a dog, but he put up quite a fight.” Her grin widened. “Too bad only one of you survived. Shame I didn’t make that kill myself.”
Marissa s vision blurred, her rage simmering into something wild, something feral. Her wolf clawed beneath her skin,
and she felt her teeth elongate, her entire body vibrating with fury. “You murdered my family, Ivy,” she growled. “And you‘ re going to pay for it.”
In an instant, Marissa shifted, her Lycan form towering over Ivy‘ s smaller frame, muscles rippling beneath her fur as her blood pulsed with ancient power. Ivy‘ s wolf growled, her dark energy swirling like
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smoke as she met Marissa‘ s challenge, her own eyes alight with bloodlust.
The two launched at each other, a blur of fangs and claws as they tore through the clearing. Marissa’s claws raked across Ivy’s side, but the dark energy around Ivy cushioned her wounds, healing her in seconds. Ivy twisted, her teeth snapping at Marissa s neck, but Marissa dodged, feeling the searing heat of the dark power brush against her skin.
“You’ve got no chance, Marissa,” Ivy sneered, backing away just enough to give herself room. “All that Lycan blood of yours is nothing but a curse.
“It’s power you could never understand,” Marissa shot back,
advancing again, her eyes burning with intensity. “And it’s going to be the last thing you ever see.”
With a snarl, Ivy lunged, her teeth bared as
she closed in on Marissa’s throat. But
Marissa was ready. She sidestepped, her
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claws tearing into Ivy‘ s shoulder, her grip like iron. Ivy let out a screech, the dark energy around her faltering for a split second.
In that moment, Marissa’s gaze flicked to Idris, who was fighting the Rogue King in the distance. He moved with brutal efficiency, each blow striking true, his eyes flashing with cold purpose. And then, with a single, final blow, he ended the Rogue King’s life. Blood spattered, and the king crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
“No!” Ivy screamed, her eyes wild, her fury overtaking her as she twisted to stare at her father’s fallen form. Her gaze snapped back to Marissa, crazed and desperate. “You’ll pay for this,” she screeched, the dark energy around her exploding like a supernova, crackling and distorting as it pulsed through her.
She charged, her strength amplified by her fury and loss, but Marissa stood her ground, her own power intensifying as she
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tapped into the ancient strength of her bloodline. The two wolves collided in a clash that shook the trees, the ground beneath them trembling as they fought.
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“You’ll die alone, just like he fucking did,” Ivy spat, her claws scratching desperately at Marissa. “No one here cares about you–Hunter, Caleb, even Idris-”
But Marissa’s focus was unwavering. “You‘ re wrong,” she growled, forcing Ivy back with a powerful strike. “They chose me. Not you.”
Ivy snarled, her dark energy blazing, but Marissa’s own power flared, matching it, pushing against Ivy‘ s corruption. She took a breath, feeling her energy surge as she tapped into her Lycan blood one final time. And with a powerful, bone–crushing lunge, Marissa drove her claws deep into Ivy‘ s chest, feeling the sickening crunch as they pierced through.
Ivy’s eyes widened, her dark energy faltering as she struggled, her gaze meeting
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Marissa s one last time. “No… no,
it
can‘ t… end like this,” she gasped, the darkness draining from her as her body weakened. Her form grew limp, and Marissa held her steady, refusing to let go until every trace of the rogue’s dark power had dissipated.
“It’s over, Ivy,” Marissa said, her voice a low, final growl. And with a swift, merciful twist, she ended Ivy‘ s life.
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