"Answer me," Malakai growls, stalking into the room with a killer's ease. His shadows slam the door behind him, then flow across its surface, sealing us in. "Who is here with you? I can smell fear."
"No one," I manage, backing away until my legs hit the bed. "I was talking to myself."
"Liar," he hisses, closing the distance between us. His bare chest radiates heat. The scent of him fills my lungs with each panicked breath. My body responds involuntarily, my scent gland pulsing with need. "I can feel your deception through the bond. It's opening, Omega. Whatever barrier you've erected is failing."
His hand shoots out, gripping my chin with bruising force, tilting my head to expose my throat—and the unmarked scent gland there. "I've been patient. I've allowed you your secrets while I recovered. But now I want answers." His voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "Who was in this room? What were you discussing about potions and bonds?"
My mind races, searching for a plausible explanation, but before I can speak, a faint shimmer of silver light wavers behind Malakai's shoulder.
Ivy's glamour continues to fail. Her outline becomes more solid with each passing second, and I see her swaying slightly, as if the sheer force of Malakai's presence is a physical assault.
"Oh, for twilight's sake," Ivy's voice rings out, pitched higher than normal. She drops her glamour completely, stepping into view with visible effort. "This melodramatic standoff is getting us nowhere. Yes, hello, I'm the invisible someone. Surprise!"
Her attempt at bravado is betrayed by the tremor in her voice and the way her wings have flattened completely against her back. Her skin has gone pale, almost translucent, and she's breathing in short, shallow gasps.
Malakai whirls toward the sound, his grip on me releasing as shadows lash out with blinding speed. They connect with Ivy, coiling around her body like serpents. Her eyes widen in shock as the darkness envelops her, and genuine terror flashes across her face.
But it's more than just fear. As they touch her, I see her body convulse, a pained gasp escaping her lips. The shadows aren't just restraining her—they're causing her actual pain. Alpha shadow magic and fae nature are fundamentally incompatible, and the contact is agonizing for her.
The shadows lift her slightly off the ground. Ivy goes rigid, her skin losing its usual pearlescent glow as she pales to ashen white. Her hair, normally a vibrant, shifting rainbow of colors, drains to stark silver-white. Small whimpers escape her throat.
"This is—" her voice catches. "This is undignified. Also—surprisingly painful. Your Alpha magic is rather incompatible with fae physiology."
"A fairy," Malakai says, voice dangerously soft. "My wife has been consorting with a fairy within my palace walls." His eyes bore into mine, searching. "For how long?"
Ivy hesitates, clearly hampered by pain. "Longer than you've been aware of my presence. Though I must say—your court has been rather interesting to observe."
Malakai's shadows tighten around her, sliding up her form with deliberate menace. Ivy's eyes widen as they brush against her throat, and a soft keening sound escapes her.
"Fairies are forbidden in the Shadow Court," Malakai states coldly. "Their magic interferes with ours."
"Hence my usual invisibility," Ivy replies with a slight edge, though it wavers with pain. "Which worked splendidly until your recent encounter with that curse enhanced your magical perception. Also, could you possibly reduce the Alpha pheromones? They're rather excruciating for fae."
"I could crush you with a thought," Malakai threatens, shadows darkening around her form.
Ivy meets his gaze steadily despite her obvious pain. "You could try. However—fairy death tends to be rather explosive. Magical backlash and all that. Might level half this wing of the palace. And the Alpha pheromones you're pumping out would become permanent. Crystallized in the very stones."
"Let her go!" I cry, genuine rage breaking through my shock. Light magic flares between my fingers as I lunge forward.
Malakai's shadows snare my wrists before I can strike, yanking me against his chest with enough force to knock the breath from my lungs. His bare skin burns against mine, hard muscle pressing through the thin fabric of my dress. My body betrays me instantly—a shameful whimper escaping my throat as my Omega biology responds to direct contact with my Alpha.
"You don’t find this concerning?" he demands, fingers digging into my waist possessively. "Your fairy conspirator threatens to destroy my palace, and you defend her?"
His shadows slide across my skin in warning, but the sensation sends shivers of unwanted pleasure through me. I bite my lip to keep from gasping, but the bond betrays me.
"To be fair," Ivy interjects, gaining a measure of steadiness, "it was more of a statement of fact than a threat. Like saying water is wet." She pauses, then adds with forced lightness, "Though I appreciate Sera's protective instincts. Very Omega of her, defending the helpless."
The shadows around her throat tighten slightly, and she falls silent immediately.
"That's what this is about," Malakai says slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes as he looks down at me. His hand moves from my waist to my throat, thumb brushing over my scent gland in a possessive gesture that makes me shudder. "The fairy gives you something to block our bond. That's why I've barely sensed you since our wedding night. That's why you're still unmarked when every instinct I have is screaming at me to bite you."
Ivy's gaze flickers to mine, apology clear in her expression. The shadows constrict again, and she flinches visibly.
"I have good reason," Ivy says, straightening as much as the shadows allow. Her eyes flash with sudden fierce intensity. "Look, Shadow Boy, with all your heated emotions constantly swirling around, I need to protect my friend from your intrusive desires. Every time you look at her, it's like a tidal wave of Alpha need pouring through the bond. Possession. Hunger. The urge to bite and claim and knot. A girl needs some privacy, not a constant barrage of your unfiltered thoughts about what you'd like to do to her."
I glance up at Malakai. His jaw tightens, but a flicker of amusement crosses his features before hardening back to anger.
"The bond can be overwhelming for someone from the Light Court," Ivy continues more seriously. "Their magic works differently—privacy is sacred to them. Especially for Omegas who've been trained to guard their thoughts. And I won't apologize for protecting my friend from an unwanted intrusion. From an Alpha who wants to consume every part of her."
