Chapter Nineteen - Shadows in the Dream
1199 Words
Sleep had never felt so dangerous.
Ivy lay curled beneath her blankets, the warmth of the fire doing little to ease the chill that crawled under her skin. Her eyes were heavy, her body exhausted, but every time she drifted, she feared what waited for her beyond the veil of dreams.
Selra whispered in her mind, restless. Stay alert. If he tries again, you must fight him. Don’t let him take root inside you.
“I don’t know if I can,” Ivy murmured, her voice breaking.
You can. You’re not alone. Remember that.
But when sleep finally pulled her under, it didn’t bring rest.
---
The dream was too vivid to be harmless.
The forest stretched before her, silver light pooling through the trees. A low mist curled around her feet, and every breath she drew filled her lungs with the heavy scent of pine and blood.
And then he stepped from the shadows.
Arthur.
His crimson eyes burned, his lips curving into a smile that was too soft to belong to a monster.
“Beautiful,” he said, his voice low, reverent. “You always run, but here you can’t. The bond brings you back to me.”
Ivy’s fists clenched at her sides. “Get out of my head.”
He tilted his head, amusement flickering across his sharp features. “This isn’t just your head. It’s ours. A space the bond created—a world where no one else exists but us. Doesn’t it feel… right?”
His voice wrapped around her like velvet, tugging at the mark on her neck. She gasped, heat flooding through her veins, her knees weakening.
Selra snarled inside her, pushing back, but Arthur’s presence was overwhelming.
He reached out, fingers brushing her cheek, and her body betrayed her, shivering at the touch.
“No!” Ivy stumbled back, clutching her chest. “I don’t want you.”
Arthur’s smile widened, predatory. “But you do. Not with your mind—your mind is stubborn, clouded by him. But your body, your soul… they know the truth. You are mine, Ivy. You were always meant to be mine.”
The bond pulsed, hot and furious, dragging her closer. Her breath came ragged, her strength unraveling.
“I’ll never be yours,” she whispered, though the conviction in her voice faltered.
Arthur’s eyes glowed brighter. “We’ll see.”
---
She woke screaming.
Michael was there instantly, shaking her awake, his golden eyes filled with panic. “Ivy! Talk to me—what happened?”
She pressed her hands to her face, sobbing. “He was there. In my dream. I felt him, Michael. I felt him.”
Michael’s jaw tightened, fury sparking in his gaze. “He’s pushing harder. Damn him.”
Ivy’s hands trembled as she clutched his shirt. “It felt real. Too real. What if I can’t fight him? What if—what if I give in?”
Michael gathered her into his arms, his embrace fierce, grounding. “You won’t. I won’t let you. He can claw at your mind all he wants, but he will never take you from me. Do you hear me? Never.”
Her tears dampened his chest. She wanted to believe him, wanted to hold onto his fire, but Arthur’s words still slithered in her ears like poison.
---
The next day brought no comfort.
Word of Ivy’s screams had spread through the packhouse before sunrise. When she stepped into the dining hall, conversation hushed. Dozens of eyes turned toward her, some filled with pity, others with suspicion.
Whispers rippled.
“She’s cursed.”
“He’s getting stronger through her.”
“She’s a danger to us all.”
Ivy’s stomach twisted. She wanted to vanish, to melt into the stone walls, but she forced herself to walk forward, chin lifted. Selra hummed steady encouragement inside her, but even that couldn’t soften the sting of their mistrust.
Michael entered a moment later, and the whispers died instantly under the weight of his glare. He took his place beside Ivy, his arm brushing hers deliberately, silently daring anyone to speak against her.
But silence didn’t mean trust.
---
Later, in the council chamber, the Elders struck again.
“You can’t ignore this,” Elder Rowan said, his voice sharp. “The girl screamed the entire wing awake. The bond is growing stronger. If Arthur can reach her even in her dreams, how long before he uses her as his weapon?”
Michael’s eyes flashed. “She is not a weapon. She is under my protection.”
“Your protection didn’t stop him from touching her mind,” Rowan countered. His gaze shifted to Ivy, cold and cutting. “Tell me, child—when he comes to you, do you fight him? Or do you let him in?”
Ivy’s breath caught. She wanted to shout that she fought, that she clawed against Arthur with every ounce of strength she had, but doubt choked her. Her hesitation was enough.
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “As I thought. The bond is a chain. And one day, it will drag us all down with her.”
Michael slammed his fist onto the table, the wood cracking under his strength. “If any of you suggest casting her out again, I’ll consider it treason. Do I make myself clear?”
The room fell silent, but the tension remained, thick and suffocating.
---
That evening, Ivy retreated to the gardens, where moonlight painted the roses silver. She sank to the stone bench, her hands trembling in her lap.
Selra’s voice was soft. Don’t let them break you. Their fear isn’t truth. You know who you are.
“But what if they’re right?” Ivy whispered, her throat tight. “What if I bring ruin to everyone?”
A rustle stirred the leaves. Michael stepped into view, his expression softening when he saw her. He sat beside her, close but careful, his hand brushing hers.
“They’ll come around,” he said quietly.
She shook her head. “I don’t know if they ever will. They see me as a threat. Sometimes… sometimes I see myself that way too.”
Michael turned to her, his gaze steady. “Ivy, listen to me. You are not him. You are not what he wants you to be. You are stronger than his pull, stronger than his lies. And I—” His voice faltered, softer now. “I’ll stand by you, even if the whole pack turns against us.”
Her heart ached at the raw truth in his words. For a moment, the bond’s warmth with Michael surged, drowning out Arthur’s shadow.
She leaned against him, closing her eyes. “Then don’t let go of me. Ever.”
His arm wrapped around her, holding her close as though he could shield her from the darkness itself.
---
But far beyond the borders, in a clearing drenched in blood-red moonlight, Arthur smiled.
He had felt her struggle. Her weakening. Her fear.
Every night, he would reach further. Every day, her defenses would crack a little more.
And soon, the bond would not just be her curse.
It would be his weapon.
- Writer
