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The black veins are still crawling up Cain's wrist when the front door slams open.
I don't even turn around. I know that sound. Wood splintering. Hinges ripping. The kind of entrance that says someone doesn't give a damn about human property damage or keeping a low profile.
"Ivy."
The voice hits me before I see him. Low, rough, like gravel scraped over glass. My wolf stops thrashing against the seal and goes absolutely still. Which is worse. Way worse.
I spin around.
He's standing in the doorway, and the afternoon light behind him makes his outline blur for a second. Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair that looks like he's been running his hands through it or fighting or both. Leather jacket, ripped jeans, boots that have seen some shit. His eyes are pale gray, almost silver, and they lock onto me like he's been tracking my scent for miles.
Rex Vane.
I know him. I mean, I don't *know* him, but every wolf in the territory knows *of* him. Rogue Alpha. No pack. No rules. The kind of wolf who shows up when things are about to go sideways and makes them worse just because he can.
"Step away from her," Rex says. He's not looking at me anymore. He's looking at Cain.
Cain doesn't move. His hand is still on the counter, black veins spreading up past his elbow now, and his jaw is tight. "This doesn't concern you, Vane."
"Yeah, it does." Rex steps inside, and the air in the shop changes. Thicker. Electric. My wolf is pacing now, circling inside the seal, and I can feel her clawing at the edges. "You're about to drag her north and lock her up. I'm gonna stop you."
"I'm not locking anyone up," Cain says. His voice is still calm, but there's an edge now. "I'm protecting my mate."
"Your mate?" Rex laughs, and it's not a nice sound. "You touch her again, you're dead in three days. Look at your arm, Locke."
Cain glances down. The black veins are pulsing now, faint but steady, like a second heartbeat. He doesn't flinch. "I'll deal with it."
"No," I say. My voice comes out rough. "You won't. Because you're leaving."
Both of them look at me.
I step back, putting more distance between me and Cain, and my hip hits the espresso machine. Jenna's still standing by the pastry case, frozen, her phone halfway out of her pocket. I shake my head at her. Don't call anyone. Don't move.
"I don't know what you think this is," I say, looking at Cain. "But you need to go. Now."
"I'm not leaving you here," Cain says. "Not with him."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I snap. "You don't know me. You don't know what I am. And if you're smart, you'll walk out that door and forget you ever saw me."
"I can't." His voice drops, softer now, and that's somehow worse than the cold enforcer tone. "You're my fated mate, Ivy. I felt it the second I walked in here. You felt it too."
I did. I do. The bond is pulling at me right now, a hook behind my ribs, trying to drag me toward him. But the curse is pulling harder.
"Yeah," I say. "And I also felt the curse. So unless you want to die, you need to leave."
Rex moves. He crosses the shop in three long strides, and suddenly he's between me and Cain, his back to me, his shoulders blocking my view. "She told you to leave, Locke. So leave."
Cain stands up. The black veins are up to his shoulder now, disappearing under his collar. He looks at Rex, then past him at me. "I'll be back."
"No," I start to say, but he's already walking toward the door.
He stops just before he reaches it. Turns. "Three days," he says. "I'll figure out the curse in three days. Then I'm coming back for you."
Then he's gone.
The silence that follows is so thick I can barely breathe.
Jenna makes a small noise. "Ivy, what the hell—"
"Go home," I tell her. "Please. I'll explain later. Just... go."
She stares at me for a long second, then grabs her bag from under the counter and bolts. The door swings shut behind her, the little bell chiming, absurdly cheerful.
I'm alone with Rex.
He turns around, and the look on his face makes my stomach drop.
"You good?" he asks.
I almost laugh. "Do I look good?"
"No." He steps closer, and I tense, but he stops just out of arm's reach. "You look like you're about to pass out. When's the last time you shifted?"
"Three years," I say before I can stop myself.
His eyes narrow. "Three years. Jesus, Ivy. Your wolf's gonna tear you apart from the inside."
"She's sealed," I say. "It's fine."
"It's not fine." He tilts his head, studying me, and I hate how exposed I feel. Like he can see straight through the seal, through the curse, through every lie I've told myself. "Who sealed her?"
I don't answer.
"Let me guess," Rex says. "Your ex. The one who cursed you."
My throat tightens. "How do you know about that?"
"Everyone knows about that." He shoves his hands in his pockets, and the movement makes his jacket shift. I catch a glimpse of scars on his collarbone, jagged and old. "Dumped at the altar. Cursed in front of the whole pack. You disappeared after. People talk."
"Great," I mutter. "Love being a story."
"You're not a story." His voice is quieter now. "You're a survivor. And you're in deep shit."
I laugh, bitter. "Tell me something I don't know."
"Okay." He takes another step closer, and this time I don't back up. "Cain Locke isn't the only Alpha looking for you. There's at least two more. Maybe more by now. Word's out that you're unsealed and the bond's active again."
My heart stops. "What?"
"You heard me." Rex's eyes are locked on mine, and there's something in them I can't read. Anger, maybe. Or pity. "Someone talked. Someone always talks. And now every unmated Alpha in a three-state radius thinks they can break your curse and claim you."
"I can't be claimed," I say. My voice is shaking. "The curse will kill them."
"Yeah, well, some guys think they're special." He pauses. "And some guys don't care if they die, as long as they get what they want first."
I feel sick.
Rex reaches out, slow, like he's approaching a spooked animal. His hand hovers near mine. "I'm not here to claim you, Ivy. I'm here to get you out."
"Out?" I stare at him. "Out of what?"
"This town. This life. Before they drag you back to the pack and lock you up or worse." His hand drops. "You want to run? I'll help you run. You want to break the curse? I know someone who might be able to help. But you can't stay here."
I want to argue. I want to tell him I'm fine, I've been fine for three years, I don't need help from a rogue Alpha with a death wish.
But the black veins on Cain's arm are burned into my mind.
And my wolf is awake now. She's not going back to sleep.
"Why?" I ask. "Why do you care?"
Rex looks at me for a long moment. Then he reaches out again, and this time his fingers brush mine.
The bond hits like lightning.
My knees buckle. Rex catches me, his hands on my arms, and the world tilts sideways. The pull is overwhelming, stronger than it was with Cain, hotter, sharper, like a live wire against my skin. My wolf howls, and the seal cracks, just a little, just enough for her to surge forward.
I wait for the black veins. For the curse to lash out and mark him.
Nothing happens.
Rex is still standing. Still holding me. His eyes are wide, his breathing rough, but there's no black crawling up his arms. No death sentence spreading under his skin.
"What the hell," I whisper.
He lets go, stepping back fast, and I see it in his face. Shock. Confusion. And something else. Something that looks like hope.
"You felt it," I say.
He nods.
"But you're not..." I look at his hands, his arms. Nothing. "Why didn't the curse—"
"I don't know." His voice is rough. "But I'm not complaining."
I open my mouth to respond, but I don't get the chance.
The door opens again.
I spin around, and my stomach drops.
Aiden Blake is standing in the doorway.
He's younger than Cain, maybe mid-twenties, with dark hair and green eyes that I would recognize anywhere. Because I've seen them before. Every day for two years. On his brother's face.
My ex's face.
Aiden looks at me. Then at Rex. Then back at me.
"Ivy," he says. His voice cracks. "I've been looking for you."
Rex growls, low and dangerous. "Get in line."
Aiden ignores him. He takes a step inside, and I see the desperation in his eyes. "I know about the curse. I know what my brother did. I'm here to help you break it."
"Help?" I laugh, and it sounds half-hysterical. "Your brother cursed me. Your whole family watched. And now you want to help?"
"I'm not him," Aiden says. His hands are up, open, non-threatening. "I never agreed with what he did. I tried to stop him. But I was too late."
"Yeah, well, you're still too late," Rex says. He moves in front of me again, and I realize he's shielding me. From Aiden. From Cain. From all of it. "She doesn't need your help. She's got mine."
Aiden's eyes narrow. "You're a rogue, Vane. You can't protect her from what's coming."
"Watch me."
The air in the shop is crackling now. I can feel the tension building, two Alphas squaring off, and my wolf is snarling, torn between them.
I step forward, putting myself between them. "Stop. Both of you."
They don't stop looking at each other.
"I said stop!" My voice comes out louder than I intended, and something in my chest snaps. The seal cracks wider. My wolf surges forward, and for a split second, I feel her power flood through me.
Both of them freeze.
Rex looks at me, and there's something in his eyes I don't understand. Aiden's staring too, his expression shocked.
"What—" Aiden starts.
"She's stronger than you thought," Rex says softly. He's not looking at Aiden anymore. He's looking at me. And he's grinning. "A lot stronger."
Then his gaze shifts. To the window behind me.
I turn.
Cain is standing outside. Watching.
The black veins are all the way up his neck now. Creeping toward his jaw.
And he's smiling.
Rex sees it too. His grin fades. "Shit."
"What?" I demand. "What is it?"
Rex looks at me. Then at Aiden. Then back at Cain through the window.
"First Alpha to mark you won't see sunrise," Rex says slowly. "But he already knows that."
"So?" I'm shaking now. "So what?"
Rex's voice drops. "So he's not planning to survive it. He's planning to mark you anyway."