LOGIN~ Iris Dinner was tense.Not because the food was bad. Or the wine lacking. Or even because the servants moved awkwardly around the long dining table.No. The tension was in the air, thick enough to taste.Kael sat across from me. Calm. Cold. Observing. Always observing.Duncan sat to my right, silent, brooding, his presence a controlled storm. Every so often his gaze flicked toward Kael, sharp, assessing.I tried to ignore the weight of it all and focused on my plate. I didn’t dare look at Kael too much; his eyes were like magnets, pulling me in, daring me to react.“So…” Kael’s voice cut through the silence, smooth, deliberate. “This is how your family dinners go?”I swallowed. “Eat your food, Kael.”Duncan’s fork paused mid-air. “Watch your tone,” he said.Kael didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned back, fingers drumming lightly on the table. “I’m just trying to understand the family dynamic.”
~ DuncanThe moment I stepped onto the training ground…I felt it. That shift in the air.The kind that only comes when something is wrong.My gaze swept across the field,warriors standing too still, Thorne catching his breath, Mira watching like she was enjoying a show…And then…I saw it.Iris. She was Standing too close, her hands still onhim. On him.Kael.Something dark twisted in my chest.“Step away from him.”My voice cut through the space like a blade.Sharp. Cold. Final.Silence fell instantly.Iris stiffened, Kael didn’t move.Of course he didn’t. Instead, He leaned back slightly on the bench, completely relaxed, like this was all entertainment to him.Like I was entertainment. My jaw tightened.“I said,” I repeated, slower this time, more dangerous, “step away from him.”Iris exhaled softly, then finally stepped back.But not b
~ Kael 3 weeks laterThe training ground smelled like sweat, dust, and challenge.Perfect.I rolled my shoulders once as I stepped into the open field, the early sun casting long shadows across the packed earth. A few warriors were already there, sparring, laughing… living like nothing had changed.Like I hadn’t just walked into their world and shifted the balance.Pathetic.“Who’s first?” I asked casually, cracking my neck.Silence.Then murmurs…They were hesitant.Good.A tall one stepped forward eventually,broad shoulders, confident stance.“Name’s Jace,” he said.I nodded once. “Kael.”He smirked. “Yeah… we know.”Of course you do.He moved first…Fast. Not bad.But not enough.I sidestepped easily, grabbed his arm mid-swing, twisted…Boom.He hit the ground hard, air knocked clean out of his lungs.Gasps.
~ Duncan The moment I heard his voice from the other side of the door…Something in me snapped.Not anger, Not just anger.. .Something deeper… Something older.“Can I come in… or are we still pretending I’m not part of this family?”Family.The audacity of that word coming from him.My jaw clenched so tightly I could feel the strain in my skull. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless, irritated… ready.U know I shouldn't be feeling this way but he has passed boundaries and I don't see him as my son again.“Stay here,” I told Iris, my voice low.But of course… She didn’t listen.Her hand wrapped around my wrist, firm.“No.”I looked down at her grip, then back at her face.Stubborn and Calm at the same time. Another knock,Slower this time…Intentional.Like he knew exactly what he was doing.I exhaled sharply and pulled my arm free, stepping toward the door.
~ Iris The moment the door to our room shut behind us, the tension snapped.Not cracked.Snapped.Duncan didn’t even give me time to breathe before he turned on me, his eyes dark, jaw tight, chest rising and falling like he was barely holding himself together.“You didn’t tell me he was staying this long.”His voice wasn’t loud at first,but it carried weight.Danger.I blinked, caught off guard by the sharpness in it.“I told you he was here,” I replied, trying to keep my tone steady. “You didn’t exactly give me time to explain every detail before hanging up.”“That’s not the same thing, Iris.”His voice rose now.“You made it sound like he just showed up, not like he moved in and started taking over my house.”“Our house,” I corrected immediately.That made his eyes flash.“Don’t do that,” he warned.“Then don’t act like I invited him,” I shot back. “He walke
~Duncan The moment my phone rang, I knew something was wrong.Not the usual kind of wrong.Not territory disputes or minor council disagreements.No.This felt… heavier.I glanced at the screen, jaw tightening when I saw the name.Elder Varis.I answered immediately.“Speak.”There was no greeting,.no delay. Just silence for a second… then…“You need to come back.”My grip on the phone tightened.“Why? I haven't finished the task here.”A pause.Then…“ you haven't been told? He’s here.”I didn’t need clarification.Didn’t need explanation.Because there was only one he that could make Varis sound like that. And iris had called me days ago.My chest tightened. “…Kael.”“Yes.”The word landed like a weight.I looked out the window of the car, the passing trees blurring into nothing as my thoughts sharpened.
~DuncanI’d been waiting in the penthouse suite for thirty minutes, scrolling through mindless videos on my phone, clips that were supposed to be funny, but none of them landed. Nothing was funny tonight.8:30.She was late.That little wolf was testing me, and every extra minute she made me wait c
~EuniceI was flipping through the stack of student files on my desk, routine paperwork that usually bored me to death when Iris Rivera’s folder landed in my hands.I opened it without thinking, and there she was, the passport photo staring back at me.Even in that stiff, official shot she was stun
~IrisI walked over to lock my closet, fingers fumbling with the key, when the door swung open behind me.Alice stepped in and closed it with a soft click that somehow sounded louder than a slam. Her skirt was shorter than usual, ridiculously short, riding high enough that I could see the smooth ex
~IrisThe next morning hit me like a hangover I hadn’t earned from alcohol.I woke up tangled in Alice’s sheets, her arm still slung over my waist, her breath warm against my shoulder. For a second, everything felt almost normal.I slipped out of bed before she stirred, grabbed my clothes, and hea







