LOGIN~ 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.
~Iris The council chamber felt suffocating,Not because of the heat,Not because of the candles flickering too brightly against the stone walls.But because everything lately…Everything felt like it was slipping just slightly out of my control.I stood at the head of the table well, beside it technically,papers laid out, voices overlapping, elders speaking one after another about territories, alliances, and minor disputes that suddenly felt so… irrelevant.Because none of this was the real problem.The real problem had a name.And he was currently somewhere in this house.Breathing.Walking.Existing.Annoying me.“You’re not listening, Luna,” one of the elders said carefully.I blinked, pulling myself back. “I am.”Mira, standing slightly behind me, leaned in just enough to whisper, “You’re thinking about him.”I didn’t even look at her. “Be quiet.”
~Kael Three days.Three days in this house and I already understood one thing very clearly…Nothing here was simple.Especially not her.I leaned against the doorway of the kitchen, arms folded, watching them before either of them noticed me.Iris Rivera stood by the counter, hair slightly messy like she hadn’t slept properly. There were faint shadows under her eyes, but she still carried herself like a queen.Composed,Controlled and Dangerous.And then there was Mira Calder,laughing, relaxed, like none of this chaos bothered her.Interesting.Very interesting.“I barely slept,” Iris was saying, frustration lacing her voice. “Because Kael keeps throwing these late-night parties.”I smirked slightly.So she noticed. Good.Mira laughed,Of course she did.“Why are you laughing?” Iris snapped.“Because,” Mira said, still amused, “he has no friends here. He’s doing it i
~Iris povIt had been three days.Three very long, very exhausting days.And Duncan still wasn’t back.I had honestly thought,hoped,that the moment I told him his first son had shown up and was already causing problems, he would drop everything and return immediately.But no.Of course not.So here I was.Stuck.In the same house,With a man who walked like he owned the place, talked like he feared nothing, and looked at me like I was both his enemy and… something else I didn’t want to think about.I sighed as I stepped into the kitchen, the faint smell of toast and coffee wrapping around me.Mira was already there,Of course she was.She stood by the counter, casually flipping toast like she didn’t have a care in the world.“Good morning, Luna,” she said, handing me a cup of coffee.“Hey, Mira,” I replied, taking it. “What are you doing here? You slept over?”
~kael.I didn’t slam the door.I wanted to.But I didn’t.Instead, I closed it slowly behind me, the quiet click echoing louder than any noise I could have made.Control.That’s what Eunice taught me.Control before chaos. Always.Still…My jaw tightened as I walked down the hallway, my hands flexing slightly at my sides.I could still feel it.Her.The heat of her skin when I pinned her to the wall. The defiance in her eyes when she should have been afraid. The way she stood there after I threw her,like it didn’t matter.Like I didn’t matter.I let out a low breath, dragging a hand through my hair.“That woman…” I muttered under my breath.She wasn’t what I expected.Not even close.I thought I’d walk in, see someone soft. Manipulative. Maybe even desperate to hold onto power.Instead?I got… that.Someone
~ IrisThorne and I stepped outside, and that’s when I saw Alice and Ky standing nearby.They both looked worried.“Iris, where have you been?” Alice asked. “Ky told me you were drunk.”“I was,” I admitted. “But I was with Thorne.”They both turned to look at him.“Who is he?” Ky asked.“That’s Tho
Chapter 39~irisI sucked in a shaky breath as her words settled, heavy and poisonous. Anastasia straightened, pacing slowly in front of me like a lecturer savoring her point.“A father,” she said calmly, almost thoughtfully. “And his daughter.”She stopped and looked at me,her head titling.” Do yo
~ AliceI hadn't planned on running into iris.If I were honest, i hadn't planned on seeing anyone this morning. I had gone to my father's estate for the simplest reason possible to grab a sealed envelope form his study. Old council documents he’d asked me to keep safe weeks ago. He’d already left
~ EuniceI didn’t need secrets to want Iris.I never did.People liked to dress it up as jealousy. As rivalry. As some warped extension of my relationship with my brother. They were wrong.I wanted Iris because she didn’t belong to anyone.Not truly.Yes, she was tangled up with my niece now.Emotio







