LOGINSERAH POV:I ran out of my room, my robe barely tied, my heart pounding in my chest.What was happening?The scream still echoed in my ears. It sounded like Iris.Stephen was right behind me, pulling on his shirt as we ran down the hallway.“What the hell is going on?” he asked, breathing hard.“I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaking. “But that was Iris screaming.”We turned the corner and almost crashed into Rowe. He was running toward us, his face pale.“You heard it too?” he asked.“Yes,” I said. “It came from the library direction.”Rowe didn’t waste time. He started running down the stairs, and we followed him.The mansion felt too quiet now. Every footstep echoed. My bare feet were cold on the marble floor.We reached the bottom of the stairs when I saw her.Iris came running out of the dark hallway that led to the library. Her hair was messy, her clothes looked thrown on in a hurry. She stumbled on the last step and fell hard onto the floor.“Iris!” I shouted.Rowe reached her
IRIS POV:“What’s wrong?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.“Your eyes.”“What… about them?”“They are glowing red,” I said.“Red?”Aurelian frowned, clearly confused. He stood up from the table and walked over to the large mirror on the wall of the library. He stared at his own reflection for a few seconds.His eyes widened.He stepped closer to the mirror, touching his face with his fingers.“What the fuck…” he whispered.Suddenly, his eyes intensified. The red glow became brighter, almost burning.He growled and grabbed his head with both hands, like something loud was screaming inside his head and only he could hear it.He staggered back, knocking over a chair.“Aurelian!” I shouted.I quickly picked my clothes from the ground and put them on as fast as I could.“Aurelian, speak to me!” I said, moving toward him.But when I saw his face, I froze.His fangs were elongated, sharp, and visible. His face was starting to grow hair, dark fur spreading across his cheeks and jaw. His eyes wer
IRIS POV:I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.Sleep wasn’t coming. My mind kept replaying everything, the men on the road, the torn bodies, the deleted footage, and the way Aurelian had looked at me when he saw the mark on my neck.I couldn’t take it anymore.I stood up, wore my robe, and walked out of the room. The mansion was quiet. Only the soft lights in the hallway were on.I moved toward the living room, but then I heard a sound coming from the library.I stopped.Slowly, I walked toward the library door. It was slightly open. I pushed it gently and looked inside.Aurelian was sitting at the big table, reading a book. He looked calm and focused.I stepped inside but didn’t go fully in. I stayed near the door, my hand still holding the handle, ready to run if I needed to.“I can’t take it anymore,” I said.Aurelian looked up from the book. He closed it slowly and stood up.“What’s wrong?” he asked.“Ever since your family came and left, it’s like you changed overnight,” I sa
IRIS POV:Serah and I reached the mansion together.The moment we stepped inside, I saw Aurelian standing near the living room. He looked calm, like nothing had happened.I walked closer to him.“You've been a bit sneaky lately,” I said.He laughed. “Sneaky in what way, Iris?”“I saw you come through the back door earlier,” I said. “Was there anything that made you go that way? The front door was right here.”Aurelian turned to me and smiled a little.“It was the garden,” he said. “I wanted to check something there. Is there any problem?”I shook my head. “No.”He nodded and moved on without saying anything else.He's different in a way, the way he talks, the sneaky behavior. Something was surely wrong with Aurelian.After some time, while Serah was still with us, I couldn’t hold it anymore.“Are you aware of what happened by the road this morning?” I asked him.Aurelian looked at me calmly. “No. What happened?”I stared at him.Serah was sitting beside me, quiet, but I could feel her
IRIS POV:The next morning, I woke up early.The sun was just rising, and the air felt cool and fresh. I put on my running clothes, slipped in my earpiece, and started playing loud music.I needed to clear my head after everything that happened yesterday.I greeted the men at the gate.“Good morning,” I said, walking past them.They all answered at once. “Madam, should one of us go with you? It's not too safe this early.”“Don't bother, but thanks though,” I said.I stepped out of the gates. The road was quiet and lonely.I started jogging down the quiet road near the mansion.The music helped me forget for a while, forget about Cassian, forget about the council, forget about the fear that still sat in my chest.I ran for almost twenty minutes. I was breathing hard, and sweat was starting to form on my forehead.Wow, so this is what it takes to be fit?I stopped and took about a minute to rest, then I stood up and continued running.But then I felt something.Someone was following me.
NICHOLAS POV:I sat behind my desk, fingers tapping slowly on the dark wood.The office was quiet except for the low hum of the air conditioner. I stared at the map spread out in front of me, red circles marking old territories, old burial grounds, old secrets my father never wanted anyone to touch."How do I do this…" I muttered under my breath. "How do I lay my hands on it?"Aurelian had taken everything from me, my pride, my control, even the illusion that I was untouchable in my own pack. He walked into my office like he owned it and told me I wasn’t fit to be Alpha.He slammed my face into the wall and walked away with her. This is actually unacceptable.I wasn’t going to let that stand.I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my jaw where the bruise from our last encounter still ached. Aurelian is a monster, but monsters have weaknesses."I just hope I get the location. It'll be over for him, that I promise," I muttered.I shook my head, and then there was a soft knock on the door.I
IRIS POV:I didn’t get to answer.Aurelian’s mouth was on mine before the last word left his lips, no hesitation. His hand cupped the back of my neck, pulling me into him as he walked me backward through the quiet corridor. My spine hit the cool marble edge of the wide sink counter, the white porc
IRIS POV:My mother was dressed neatly, bag on her arm, her good shoes on.She looked at me properly, then crossed the room and kissed me once on the cheek."Hold your head up in there," she said quietly.Then she picked up her keys and walked out the door, and I heard her car start and pull away f
IRIS POV:We were still upstairs going through my wardrobe when I heard the front door open downstairs.My mother's voice called out from the hallway."Iris? Sarah's car is outside, are you both home?""Upstairs, Mum," I called back.Her footsteps came up the stairs, and she appeared at the bedroom
IRIS POV:I got home, dropped my jacket on the chair, and sat on the sofa.Diane's voice was still in my head. That laugh. The way she had looked at my jacket and the café behind me like they confirmed everything she already thought about me.Bring him if he's real.I picked up my phone.I found Au







