"Sweetheart, you're perfect the way you are," Noelle had reassured her. "You're a very talented girl and more mature than your friends. Eventually they'll catch up to you and everything will turn out perfectly. Okay?"
Ivy had smiled timidly and hugged her mother. "Okay mommy. I love you." She believed Noelle, because her mommy was never wrong about anything.
"I love you too, sweetie."
Noelle had smiled and kissed Ivy before sending her on her way. The only time Ivy ever felt like she was a part of something was when Raine took them for a run through the woods. Then she was a panther, just like everyone else, lost in the moment of running free. She loved chasing after the forest life and messing around with her brothers. Sometimes the other children played with them too. It was the simplicity of the matter that she loved so much.
Ivy knew she was different, she just didn't care as much as Theo did. Raine and Noelle had explained the situation to her and Theo, making sure they knew that there was no pressure on them. Ivy secretly wondered if she was going to be the evil one or if it was going to be Theo. She didn't feel evil, but neither did Theo. Personally, she thought it was a stupid story told to scare people. But Aunt Violet and Uncle Jed had seemed very serious about it. Plus, her mommy always tensed up whenever someone talked about it.
Theo on the other hand loved being so important. He had already decided that he was the good twin, not that Ivy was evil, he was just more powerful because he was the boy. Someday he was going to be the Alpha of the panthers and there was no way he would do anything bad. His ten-year-old mind couldn't process the concept of evil past lying, stealing and hurting people. Now, if he could only get Alexia to leave him alone sometimes.
He growled playfully at Kevin, swatting his head and darting away before Kev could get him. J.D. went after Ivy, tackling her from the back, but he quickly found himself pinned to the ground beneath his older sister. She nipped his throat in a warning and loped over to Raine who was watching them with careful eyes. Purring, she rubbed against his side, loving the feel of her daddy's fur.
She froze when a new smell wafted through the woods. Her back arched and her claws dug into the earth, as the smell of dog got closer. Suddenly, three wolf puppies crashed through the brush and into their clearing. A larger wolf followed them, yipping playfully. Raine seemed unfazed by it all, closing his eyes and turning his face to the ray of sun that broke through the trees.
Ivy took a cautious step forward and sniffed, trying to figure out why the scents were familiar. Suddenly it dawned on her: it was Uncle Jed, Bentley, Lindi and Kelsey! They had come out to play. She yowled at them, swatting at their funny tails and chasing them through the clearing.
When it started to get dark they headed back to Haven tired and exhausted. Raine carried J.D. in his mouth by the scruff of his neck while the other three padded alongside him.
Jed and his kids had turned in earlier since they had an early leave in the morning. It turned out that King Kristoff had wanted Jed to return to werewolf territory for a bit. After talking to Delilah about it, Jed had agreed and started to pack everything up. His kids were sad because they would miss their friends, but Jed and Delilah had told them about all the other kids they would meet. They promised to come back and visit. It would be highly possible since Kristoff would want to keep an eye on the twins.
It seemed like everyone was waiting on pins and needles to see what would happen with Theo and Ivy. No one wanted to say anything to sway things one way or another-at least, none of the good guys.
The demons were keeping on the down low for now, but they were definitely watching the twins, waiting for the right moment to strike. The Harpies, Witches and Goblins were also keeping an eye on the twins, hoping they could get their claws in one or the other. Their theory was that they could influence the child into being evil.
KHC Sequel [Chapter 3]
Start from the beginning
