LOGINIRIS POV:We drove back quietly. I rested my head against the seat and stared outside, but my mind kept going back to the man from school. Aurelian. Even his name sounded oddly strange.I frowned slightly before finally looking at Serah."Do you know anyone named Aurelian in the school?"Serah glanced at me briefly."Aurelian?" she repeated. "No. Why?"I looked back outside quickly."No reason."Serah smirked immediately."Oh my God.""What?""You like him already.""How would you even say that? He could be 70 years old. I just asked if you know him.""Oh come on, we both know you don't ask about guys.""I met him for ten seconds.""And?"I rolled my eyes."He's probably just some random person."But even as I said it, I kept remembering those gray eyes and the way he looked at me. Something about his eyes felt familiar, and I hated that I couldn't explain why.Then suddenly, I remembered the man standing outside my apartment last night. My expression changed instantly.Serah noticed
IRIS POV:I kept staring at the curtain for almost another hour. Every small sound outside made my chest tighten again. A passing car. Footsteps outside the apartment building. The wind hitting the window. But the man never moved from my mind.At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the couch because the next thing I heard was loud honking outside.My eyes snapped open immediately. Morning light filled the apartment now. I looked around tiredly before standing up slowly from the couch. My neck hurt badly from sleeping there all night.The first thing I did was pull the curtain aside carefully. The street outside was normal. People walked past carrying bags, cars moved through traffic. The strange man was gone.I let out a slow breath I didn't realize I was holding. Maybe I imagined it. But deep down, I knew I hadn't.I stepped away from the window and headed toward the bathroom. Warm water ran down my skin while I tried to clear my head, but the image of the man standing under the
AURELIAN POV:The city stretched endlessly beneath me. From the highest floor of the skyscraper, everything looked small. Cars moved like tiny lights below the rain-covered roads while the giant glass walls around my office reflected the dark clouds hanging over the skyline.I stood quietly with one hand in my pocket staring outside. Vaelthor had truly rewritten reality itself.A knock came from behind me. I nodded once.The doors opened immediately and Stephen walked inside wearing a black coat with rainwater still dripping from it. He stopped in front of my desk respectfully."So?" I asked without turning around.Stephen adjusted his gloves slightly."I found the man you described," he said. "His name was Nicholas. But he wasn't the Alpha."That finally made me turn around."He was the Beta of the Dark Moon Pack."My eyes narrowed slightly."Did you eliminate him?"Stephen nodded once."Yes, sir."Then his face tightened slightly with annoyance."But my face is all over the news bec
IRIS POV:"I honestly don't care what Mrs. Adams thinks," I said while washing my hands inside the staff restroom. "The students like me and that's enough."Serah leaned against the wall beside the door with her arms folded."You're saying that now," she said, "but I've worked in this college for six years and when Mrs. Adams wants somebody gone, she always finds a way to poison the principal's mind first."I dried my hands and rolled my eyes."Well, we'll see."Serah laughed quietly as we both stepped out of the restroom together. The hallway outside was noisy with students moving around and lockers slamming shut. Some students greeted me as they passed."Good afternoon, Miss Iris."I smiled slightly."Afternoon."We entered the classroom together and immediately the students straightened a little. One boy at the back raised his hand instantly."Miss Iris, are we submitting the assignment today?""Yes," I answered while dropping my books on the desk. "And if anybody forgot theirs at
IRIS POV:Rain poured quietly over the graveyard. I stood there holding the black umbrella weakly while Serah stayed beside me in silence. The wind moved softly through the trees and the sky looked grey and empty above us.In front of me was Aurelian's grave. Fresh soil, fresh flowers. And his name carved into stone.My chest still could not accept it.People stood around us dressed in black while the burial continued quietly. Some of the older wolves lowered their heads respectfully. Others whispered prayers under their breath. But I could barely hear any of it. All I could see was the coffin slowly disappearing beneath the ground.My hands started shaking again. Serah noticed immediately and held my arm softly."It's okay," she whispered.But it wasn't. Nothing was okay.The moment the burial finally ended, people slowly started leaving one after another. Some came to comfort me. Some hugged me quietly. I barely responded.Eventually, only Serah and I remained there. Rain kept falli
IRIS POV:"Aurelian!" My voice echoed across the destroyed compound as rain poured harder from the sky. I kept looking around wildly while my heart pounded painfully inside my chest. The mansion barely looked standing anymore. Walls had collapsed. Cars were crushed and pushed out of place. Deep cracks spread across the ground like the entire place had been ripped apart by monsters."Aurelian!" I shouted again.My wolf stayed silent."Where is he?" I asked my wolf. "Say something."But she didn't respond. All I heard was her low sobbing."Say something. You held me down there, you don't get to keep quiet," I growled. "Say something!"'We have to leave this place, Iris.'"That's for me to decide."I moved around the mansion and then I looked up and noticed the roof of that place was broken. Fear crawled into my chest instantly. Rain soaked my hair and clothes completely as I walked forward. My heart started racing and I was breathing heavily. Everywhere I looked there was blood, broken
IRIS POV:I stood frozen on the porch for a moment longer than I should have.Sarah nudged me gently from behind."Iris," she whispered. "He came back for you."I stepped down from the porch slowly, my bare feet meeting the cool pavement of the path. I stopped a few feet from the gate where Aurelia
IRIS POV:He didn't rush. He never rushed. He straightened to his full height, adjusted the sleeve of his jacket once, and then looked down the street with those storm-gray eyes like he had all the time in the world.The officers noticed him first. One of them leaned toward the other and said somet
IRIS POV:“Hello, who am I speaking with?” Sarah's voice came calmly from the phone.“Sarah, it's me, Iris,” I replied.“Wait… what the hell, Iris? Has something got into you? What did I just witness, Iris?” she yelled.“You're not going to understand, Sarah…”“Try me.” Her voice dropped, the way i
IRIS POV:I couldn't explain what just happened. I was literally confused.I waited until he turned left.I pushed the door open and stepped back inside the room. I walked straight to the massive closet. The lights turned on automatically when I got close. Rows and rows of clothes hung perfectly st







