His Mate’s Secret

Chapter 8

Ivy’s POV

The last thing I remembered…

…was pain.

Darren’s hands slamming me against the locker.

My head striking cold metal.

The sickening crack echoing through the empty locker room.

Then…

Nothing.

Just darkness.

It swallowed me whole, pulling me deeper and deeper until I couldn’t tell where I ended and the emptiness began.

It didn’t hurt anymore.

I wasn’t scared.

I was just…

Falling.

Then, suddenly—

The darkness gave way to light.

I blinked against the brightness and slowly opened my eyes.

My breath caught.

I wasn’t in the locker room anymore.

I stood at the edge of a crystal-clear lake surrounded by towering cliffs draped in emerald vines. A magnificent waterfall poured from above, crashing into the water below with a soothing rhythm that somehow quieted every fear inside me.

The water shimmered like liquid silver beneath a sky unlike anything I’d ever seen. There was no sun.

No moon.

Yet everything glowed with a soft, peaceful light.

Mist drifted lazily through the air, wrapping around my ankles like gentle fingers.

Across the lake, tucked behind the waterfall, sat a cave bathed in an eerie silver glow. It pulsed faintly, almost like it had a heartbeat of its own.

I took a hesitant step forward.

“This…” I whispered, looking around in disbelief. “This can’t be real.”

My voice disappeared into the air.

There was no echo.

No birds.

No wind.

Only the steady roar of the waterfall.

The place felt… alive.

As if it had been waiting for me.

A warmth spread through my chest.

Not heat.

Not fire.

Something softer.

Comfort.

Safety.

Love.

It wrapped around me like a hug I hadn’t felt in years.

Tears stung my eyes before I even realized why.

My mother.

The thought hit me so suddenly my knees nearly gave out.

I could almost hear her laugh.

Almost smell the lavender that always clung to her clothes.

Almost feel her fingers brushing my hair away from my face.

“I miss you,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I miss all of you.”

The words hung in the air.

Then…

A twig snapped behind me.

Every muscle in my body tensed.

Slowly, I turned.

Nothing.

Only towering trees with silver leaves that shimmered beneath the strange light.

I let out a shaky breath.

“You’re losing it, Ivy,” I muttered.

A movement caught the corner of my eye.

I looked back toward the waterfall.

And froze.

A wolf stepped from the mist.

She was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Her thick fur was a breathtaking blend of deep gray, soft white, and faint peach tones that shimmered whenever the light touched her. Silver dust seemed woven through every strand of her coat, making her glow as though the stars themselves rested upon her.

Darker gray markings traced her ears, legs, and tail like elegant armor.

But it was her eyes that stole my breath.

Bright emerald green.

Ancient.

Kind.

Powerful.

She stopped several feet away.

Neither of us moved.

I should have been terrified.

Instead…

I felt… home.

As though a part of my soul had finally found something it had been searching for.

The wolf watched me quietly.

There was no anger in her gaze.

No threat.

Only warmth.

Only recognition.

My heart pounded against my ribs.

“I know you,” I whispered before I could stop myself.

The words surprised me.

I’d never seen this wolf before in my life.

Yet somehow…

She didn’t feel like a stranger.

She took one slow step toward me.

Then another.

I found myself doing the same.

Neither of us looked away.

When we finally stood face to face, I slowly raised my trembling hand.

The wolf lowered her head, gently sniffing my palm before pressing her forehead against it.

A wave of warmth rushed through my body.

Not painful.

Not overwhelming.

Comforting.

Like something that had been missing all my life had finally found its way back.

Tears spilled freely down my cheeks.

“What are you?” I breathed.

The wolf pulled back just enough to meet my eyes.

When she spoke, her voice wasn’t loud.

It wasn’t spoken aloud at all.

It echoed gently inside my mind.

“Not what…”

The corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

”…Who.”

I stared at her in shock.

“You can talk?”

A soft laugh filled my mind.

It sounded like rushing water over smooth stones.

“Only to you.”

My pulse quickened.

“Who are you?”

She stepped closer until her nose brushed mine.

“My name is River.”

The name settled deep within my heart as though it had always belonged there.

“I don’t understand.”

River’s emerald eyes softened.

“You will.”

Before I could ask another question, brilliant silver light erupted around us.

It poured from the waterfall.

From the lake.

From River herself.

The world disappeared beneath its glow.

I threw my arm over my eyes.

“River!”

For just a moment…

I felt her presence wrap around me like a promise.

“You’re not alone anymore, Ivy.”

The light became blinding.

I reached for her.

But my fingers touched nothing.

When I lowered my arm…

The waterfall was gone.

The lake was gone.

River…

Was gone.