9

IRIS’S POV

Conrick’s warning still echoed in my ears, The burden is yours.

I spent the morning running the numbers, but my mind was focused on one thing: escape. I had to create a reason to move my work out of the guest wing and away from Darius's constant, suffocating closeness.

I found the excuse in the oldest, messiest paper ledger. It was a physical record of accounts from years ago, crucial for the merger but too fragile to move easily.

I waited until Darius arrived in the guest office later that afternoon. He looked rested, powerful, and utterly dangerous in his tailored black suit.

"We need to focus on the corporate investigation now, not just the rogue attack," he stated, his voice cool and businesslike. "Jerome is using the human press against your father."

"I know," I replied, standing up straight. "But I have a problem."

I led him to the far corner of the room where a dusty metal safe was bolted to the floor. Inside was the large, brittle ledger.

"This is the core record for the 20-year asset portfolio," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. "It can't be scanned. The paper is too old, and the ink is sensitive. If we move it, it might crumble."

Darius leaned down, his keen blue eyes inspecting the worn edges of the book.

"We have to work with this physical book for the next few days," I continued quickly. "And the only place that has a table large enough, the proper light, and the humidity control for a book this old is the Pack Library's reading room."

I watched him, holding my breath. The Library was a public space, constantly monitored, and rarely empty. It was the perfect escape.

He straightened up, his eyes meeting mine. They held a spark of knowing amusement. He knew exactly what I was doing.

"A good idea, Iris," he said slowly, dragging out my name. "Safety of the records is paramount. We can't afford to lose any evidence."

My relief was immediate and dizzying. "Thank you, Alpha Wolfe. I'll arrange to have the book moved right away, and we can start working there tomorrow."

He smiled, a cold, predatory curve of his lips. "Oh, no. We start now. I'll need you to guide me through that ledger immediately. And I want to watch you work in public. It will show the council we are united and unafraid of the investigation."

He didn't wait for my agreement. He simply grabbed the book, ignoring the risk of damage, and walked out. I followed quickly, grabbing the files.

The Library reading room was exactly as I hoped: vast, brightly lit, and occupied by several pack elders reading scrolls and a handful of young wolves studying. Safety in numbers.

We settled at the main, long table. Darius placed the ledger down, opening it to a random page. He was flanked by me and a large stack of Calder Industries files. We looked like a fortress of duty.

I focused fiercely on the numbers, ignoring the way he leaned in, his elbow constantly brushing mine as he pointed to entries. Every contact was deliberate, testing my resolve.

"This cash flow entry," he whispered, his voice low enough to be private, loud enough to look like work. "It’s a clear sign of shell corporation misuse."

"No," I whispered back, my eyes glued to the numbers. "It's a holding account for the Northern borders' guard patrol funding. It's a risk, but it's necessary. We can’t show the human world where that money goes."

"You protect this pack's secrets with reckless dedication," he murmured, his breath warm on my ear.

"It is my duty."

"Your duty is also to him," Darius countered, tilting his head slightly toward the door.

I glanced up. Alpha Ronan and several senior elders had walked in. They saw us immediately: the foreign Alpha and the Calder daughter, side-by-side, pouring over documents, looking exhausted and dedicated.

A small, proud smile touched my father's lips. The display was working perfectly.

Darius pressed his advantage. He subtly shifted his weight, closing the distance between us until his thigh was pressed firmly against mine under the table.

I flinched, my breath catching. The contact was shocking, undeniable, and completely hidden from view.

"Move," I mouthed, keeping my face straight and professional.

He ignored me. "The elders are watching. Smile, Iris. Look determined."

I forced a tight smile, pointing a pen at the ledger. "This account is clean, Alpha Wolfe. We need to move on."

"Oh, we are moving on," he agreed, his voice a low, dark promise. He didn't move his leg. He simply let the contact sit there, burning through my clothes, making the numbers swim before my eyes.

He had turned my public escape into a terrifyingly public claim. He was using the very thing that protected me—the eyes of the pack—to force my compliance.

IRIS’S POV (Days Later)

The political pressure outside was growing heavier. The attacks had stopped, but Alpha Jerome was relentless in the human world.

News broke that afternoon: The corporate investigation into Calder Industries was going to move into a full federal audit.

My father called an immediate meeting with Darius and me in the study.

"This is Jerome's doing," Ronan fumed, pacing the room. "He is using his influence with human politicians. They are demanding to see our non-pack accounts, our full asset portfolio. He wants to prove instability."

"We anticipated this," Darius said calmly, leaning back in his chair. "The shell accounts need to be completely untraceable. We need to clear them out and ensure the paper trail leads to a dead end."

He looked at me. "Iris, you are in charge of off-book accounting. You need to create the firewall. Can you move the remaining funds out of the country? Completely out of reach of the federal auditors."

"Yes," I said, my mind racing. "It will take two full days, working without interruption. The process is manual and highly sensitive."

Ronan nodded, relief washing over his face. "Excellent. Then you two need to lock yourselves away until this is done. No interruptions. Darius, you keep her safe. No one is to know what she is doing."

Darius gave a tight, calculating smile. "Understood, Alpha Ronan. She will have my complete attention and protection. She's too valuable to risk."

He looked right at me, and my stomach dropped. He had just been given the official Alpha sanction to lock me away with him. My attempt to escape to the Library had failed and backfired perfectly.

Ronan made the final call. "The secure vault in the basement is the only place completely shielded from human surveillance and bugging. It's soundproof. You will work there."

The secure vault. No windows. No pack elders watching. No way out.

"I need access tonight," I told Father, desperate to start and finish before Venus caught wind of the new arrangement.

"It's yours. Take the ledger and the files. Don't come out until it is done."

Darius stood up, his height dominating the small study. He walked to me and gently… but firmly took the fragile ledger from my hands.

"I'll carry this," he murmured, his fingers brushing the skin of my wrist. "It's too precious to risk damage."

His voice was polite, the perfect sound of a supportive ally. But his eyes were dark with triumph. He was taking me to the basement, to a soundproof vault, and he had been ordered to give me his complete attention.

My efforts to create distance had only served to give Darius exactly what he wanted: absolute, secret proximity.

"Let's go, Iris," he commanded, his voice barely audible. "We have a lot of work to do. And no one to interrupt us."

I nodded, feeling a deep, consuming sense of dread. The vault was supposed to protect the pack's secrets. Now, it was going to protect our secret. For the next two days, I was locked in with the man who claimed me, determined to make me forget everything but him.