His Mate’s Secret

Chapter 6

Ivy’s POV

Nineteen.

Eight years.

Eight years since the night my world burned. Eight years since I lost my family, my home, and the person I used to be. Eight years since I stopped being Ivy Black, daughter of an Alpha, sister, and someone who mattered.

Now, I was just surviving.

The alarm clock blared through the attic like it was angry I was still alive. I stared at the cracked ceiling above me for a moment, tracing the same lines I had memorized over the years. When you spend enough time trapped somewhere, you learn to find comfort in the smallest things.

Cold air slipped through the wooden boards, cutting straight through my skin. I pushed myself off the worn mattress and forced my body to move. Everything hurt, but pain was something I had learned to ignore.

“Another day,” I whispered quietly.

No answer came.

There never was.

I grabbed my worn clothes and soap, moving the way I always did—silent, careful, invisible. Those three things had kept me alive.

The pack house was still asleep as I slipped outside. Snow crunched beneath my feet as I made my way toward the river, keeping my head lowered. I had learned long ago that attention was dangerous. Questions led to trouble, and trouble always ended the same way.

The river waited like it always did.

I didn’t hesitate before stepping into the freezing water.

My breath hitched instantly as the cold wrapped around me. Every part of me screamed to get out, but I forced myself to stay. It was part of my routine. A reminder that I could still feel something.

“Still unbearable,” I muttered under my breath.

A soft voice came from behind me.

“You’re going to get sick one of these days.”

I turned sharply.

Omega Grace stood near the tree line, wrapped in an old shawl with a small basket held against her chest.

I relaxed slightly.

Grace was different.

She was one of the only people here who looked at me and still saw a person.

“It’s just water,” I said.

Grace frowned. “It’s freezing water.”

“Same thing.”

She sighed like she had heard that answer a thousand times before. Then she walked closer and placed the basket on a nearby rock.

“I brought you something.”

My eyes narrowed slightly.

“Grace—”

“Eat,” she interrupted gently.

I hesitated. Taking anything from anyone was dangerous. But when I looked inside the basket, my resolve weakened.

Warm bread.

Fresh fruit.

Something that actually smelled like a real meal.

My stomach twisted painfully.

“I can’t keep taking your food,” I whispered.

Grace tilted her head.

“And I can’t keep pretending you don’t need it.”

The silence between us said more than either of us wanted to admit.

I reached into the basket, breaking off a small piece of bread. It was still warm.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten something that hadn’t been stale or half-frozen.

The first bite almost hurt.

I closed my eyes as the soft bread melted against my tongue. For just a second, I wasn’t standing beside an icy river in a pack that hated me.

For just a second…

I was home.

My mother’s laugh echoed faintly in my mind.

The smell of fresh bread drifting through the pack house.

My father pretending he wasn’t stealing pieces before dinner.

My older brother ruffling my hair just to annoy me.

The memory hit so suddenly it stole the air from my lungs.

I swallowed hard and forced my eyes open before they could fill with tears.

That life didn’t exist anymore.

Grace must have noticed the change in my expression because her voice softened.

“You remembered them.”

It wasn’t a question.

I gave a small nod.

“Some days…” My voice cracked. “Some days it’s harder not to.”

Grace looked toward the river, giving me a moment instead of pressing for more.

“I’m sorry, Ivy.”

I managed a weak smile.

“So am I.”

Neither of us spoke after that.

The river flowed quietly between us, carrying sheets of ice downstream.

Eventually, Grace reached into the basket again and handed me a small cloth.

“Dry your hair before you head back.”

I accepted it without arguing.

“Thank you.”

She smiled.

“You don’t have to thank me every time.”

“I do.”

“Why?”

“Because no one else has ever been kind enough to deserve one.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Grace’s smile faded.

“You shouldn’t believe that.”

“But it’s true.”

She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again.

There wasn’t anything she could say.

Not when we both knew how this pack treated me.

Not when the scars beneath my clothes told the story better than words ever could.

A cold breeze swept through the trees, carrying voices from the direction of the pack house.

Morning.

Training would begin soon.

Which meant Alpha Darren would be awake.

My stomach tightened.

Grace noticed immediately.

“You should go.”

I nodded, wrapping the worn towel around my shoulders.

“If I’m late…”

“You don’t have to explain.”

She already knew.

She’d seen the bruises too many times.

As I started back toward the pack house, Grace called after me.

“Ivy.”

I turned.

She offered me a small, hopeful smile.

“Just survive today.”

I returned the faintest smile I could manage.

“That’s the plan.”

Then I walked away.

Each step toward the pack house felt heavier than the last.

Because the peace I’d found beside the river…

Never lasted.