LOGINIRIS POV:“What way?”“You said we can't get it done by power, but it could be done by agreement or reasoning. What if I go…”“Nope… you won't make Aurelian kill me from where he is.”“You don't understand, Rowe. Aurelian has taken different risks for me and it won't be a problem taking the same risk for him,” I said.“I'll go to the mountain on my own and see what can be done, and it's final,” I stated.Serah looked at me.“But even if it were possible, even if you could go there safely, you still need Aurelian to be there to unbound his wolf,” Rowe explained.“I'd rather hear that at the top of that mountain than being told down here,” I said.“We move now,” I commanded.Rowe nodded and walked away.“But Iris, is it safe?” she asked.I shook my head. “Serah, nothing is safe anymore, not even the air we breathe. Every day is a risk we take.”“Since when did you become a philosopher?” Serah laughed.“Since the day you started asking questions that are pissing me off. I mean, you liter
IRIS POV:“The only information we have on that mountain is that it's haunted, and people go up and never come down.” Rowe said, folding his hands.“But Aurelian came down.” I said quietly.“He's a Lycan, and we both saw the blood stains and blade cuts on his body even though we didn't say anything.”“But even if there's danger, we could go with twenty men. I mean, even a jet or a helicopter… there are different possibilities, Rowe.” I murmured.“First of all, the men at this mansion are here for basic security. If Aurelian wanted to do something like that, he'll get men from the Virx Security quarters, hundreds or even thousands.” he explained.My eyes widened in awe.“But even then, a Lycan who is more powerful than Aurelian can take the breath of all of them in an instant with ease.” he said.“With ease?” I asked in shock.“I once told you and I'll tell you again, the version of Aurelian you created is a version I never knew was possible for him to have.” He paused briefly, staring
AURELIAN POV:Suddenly, cold water splashed across my face.I jerked awake, gasping for air.My eyes opened, but I felt pain exploding through my wrists.My arms were chained high above my head, pulled tight so my feet didn’t touch the ground. The chains were dripping with wolfbane water. It burned into my wrists and forearms like acid, eating slowly into my skin.I was hanging in the middle of a dark stone room.Cassian stood in front of me with his arms folded, watching with a cold smile.Beside him was Nicholas, his face covered in bandages from the slap I had given him earlier.Cassian stepped closer.“Where is Fiona?” he asked calmly.I didn’t answer. I just stared at him.He waited a few seconds, then shrugged.“Fine.”He picked up a silver whip, dipped it into a large drum of wolfbane liquid, and swung it hard across my back.The pain was brutal. The silver and wolfbane mixture burned deep into my flesh. I clenched my teeth and didn’t scream.He did it again.And again.Each la
AURELIAN POV:“It actually does make sense. I mean, you knew your wolf was no match for mine, so you wanted him out of the equation.” I smiled, shaking my head.“Well played, brother,” I said. “Well played.”“But keep in mind that I will still whoop your wolf’s ass.”His face changed. He shifted fully into his massive brown wolf, pawing the ground slowly, saliva dripping from his jaws.I stood facing him fully.His wolf growled.I turned to Rowe. “Have the men secure the area.”“That won’t be necessary,” someone whispered.Then Nicholas slowly walked out from the shadows behind Cassian.And behind Nicholas were my own men.Their eyes were completely white. They were fully compelled.Rowe’s face hardened. He quickly pulled Lyra back inside the mansion and shouted at the guards with him.“Take them down, but don’t kill anyone.”Chaos exploded.The men with him charged forward, clashing violently with the compelled ones.Fists flew. Growls and shouts filled the air. The courtyard turned
IRIS 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
IRIS POV:A man came forward to meet him.He was tall and dark-skinned with short grey hair at his temples. He moved slowly and calmly.He looked at Aurelian first.Then he looked at me.My wolf went completely silent inside me."Aurelian," the man said."Caius," Aurelian said.Caius looked at me a
IRIS POV:We landed smoothly.The island was massive, trees and light and a strip of private tarmac that ended maybe fifty meters from the water.I looked out as we slowed.My heart was already going faster than it should have been.I hadn't paid much attention to it on the jet, but now that we wer
IRIS POV: I held the card for a moment longer than I should have. Then I folded it, put it back in the envelope, and slipped it into the drawer of my bedside table, face down. "Iris," Sarah started again. "I heard you the first time," I said. She pressed her lips together and said nothing
IRIS POV: Julie's eyes narrowed. "What's happening?" Sarah and I looked at each other again. "Nothing," I said. "You're lying." Julie dropped her bag on the floor and walked straight to the wardrobe where Sarah was standing. She looked at the dresses laid out on the bed. Then she turned bac







