LOGINIRIS POV:“Em… Aurelian, there’s something I think you should know,” I said.He turned to me fully.I took a deep breath.“We retrieved the deleted footage from yesterday and last night.”He frowned slightly, waiting.I continued. “Your wolf… after you broke the front door and ran out, it didn’t go after anyone. It didn't go to Nicholas’s residence. It ran straight into the woods. It hid behind a thick fallen tree trunk and stayed there the entire night. It looked like it was running from something, like it was protecting itself. It never left that spot. Not once.”Aurelian’s expression changed. He stared at me, eyes narrowing.“Then in the morning,” I said, “it shifted back. You walked out of the woods, took someone’s clothes from a line, and came back to the mansion.”He was completely silent for a long moment.His shoulders slowly dropped.“So my wolf…” he said, his voice low and rough, “wasn’t the one who attacked those men on the road. And it wasn’t the one that went after Nichol
IRIS POV:I sat outside on the balcony, staring at the long driveway.The sun was setting, but I felt cold inside. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened. My mind was literally a mess.We had just discovered where Aurelian was at the time of the two attacks. He wasn't after anyone, so who was behind the torn bodies and the attack on Nicholas's residence? My mind was racing. What if there was something else?Serah had tried to stay with me, but I told her I needed some time alone. I just sat there with my knees pulled to my chest, waiting.Then I saw it. His car.The black vehicle appeared at the end of the driveway, moving slowly toward the mansion. My heart jumped into my throat.I stood up so fast the chair scraped against the floor. The guards gathered quickly, standing at attention.The car stopped in front of the mansion.Aurelian stepped out.He looked exhausted. His clothes were wrinkled and dirty, and there were faint bruises on his face and arms.I didn’t
AURELIAN POV:The mountain was silent again.My wolf whispered inside me.‘Aurelian, we can talk and reason this out. This place doesn’t feel safe.’“It doesn't feel safe to you because we both know what I am here for.”‘You literally saw an old woman, and now she has vanished, and you think it's about me?’I ignored him and kept moving higher up the path.She must be the one I am looking for.I saw a small hut ahead, hidden in the fog. It was old, made of dark stone and wood, almost part of the mountain itself.I moved towards it, but before I reached it, my wolf spoke.‘Stop, don’t go closer. Do you perceive that?’“Perceive what…”Then it hit me. The thick smell of bane poison.I stopped, looking around, trying to find where it was coming from, but I couldn't.I took a slow step forward, and nothing happened.Then I took another step forward, but nothing happened.I was about to take another step forward when suddenly, a long blade came out of the ground, slicing through the air wi
AURELIAN POV:I stopped the car at the foot of the mountain.The road ended here. Only rocks and a narrow path went up from this point. The air was cold and thin. I turned off the engine, picked up the small bag from the passenger seat, and stepped out.The wind hit me immediately. It was sharp, like knives on my skin. I looked up at the mountain. It looked endless, covered in mist and shadow. The old Lycan was supposed to be somewhere up there.I started walking.The path was steep and rocky. My boots crunched on loose stones. Every step took effort. The cold bit into my bones, but I kept going. I needed this. I needed to bind my wolf before it completely took over.‘What do you think you are doing?’ my wolf growled.“I am doing what needs to be done,” I said.‘Everything I have done was to keep us alive, Aurelian.’“You call that keeping us alive?” I asked. “You took control without warning. You attacked Iris. You made me look weak.”‘Weak?’ my wolf scoffed. ‘You would have hesitate
IRIS POV:I couldn’t sleep at all that night.I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling for hours. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the two men torn apart on the road, the deleted footage, and Aurelian’s red eyes glowing in the library. My mind wouldn’t stop turning.By the time the sun started rising, I gave up trying to sleep. I got out of bed, washed my face with cold water, and stared at myself in the mirror for a long time.I put on a simple robe and walked out of my room.The mansion was a bit quiet.When I reached the stairs, I saw Serah already awake in the living room. She was sitting on the couch, looking worried. Rowe was standing near her, talking in a low voice.I came down the stairs.“What happened?” I asked.Serah looked up at me, her eyes wide.Rowe turned and nodded at me.“Madam Iris,” he said. “There’s something you need to see.”He picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and replayed the news.The broadcaster’s voice was serious.“…there was an attack on the Alpha
SERAH 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: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:My eyes opened and my sight was still blurry, but something felt different.As my sight cleared, I noticed I was in Aurelian's apartment.I didn't know how I got there, but I was there, lying on the bed. I stood up immediately, standing in the middle of the room.Looking around, everythin







