CHAPTER 4

IRIS

Even after decades of growing up around him, I didn't know a single thing about Ash.

Except that people found him terrifying.

I never understood why.

“Are you alright?”

His warm hands still lingering on my arm.

Say something.

“Yeah, I just-wasn’t looking,” I said, forcing out a small, awkward laugh.

Ash just stood there, staring into my soul like he was trying to find something missing.

Okayyyy.

I stepped back. His grip tightened.

My brows pulled together. “Ash-“

“You're lying.”

I blinked, scoffing before I could stop myself. “Excuse me?”

“Something's wrong.” He doubled down. “Tell me. What is it?”

There was something about the way he said it. Not demanding or forceful. Just… sure. Like he already knew I was on the verge of falling apart and didn’t judge me for it or look at me like I was a broken doll that needed to be fixed.

And somehow, that was enough.

The words came before I could stop them.

Everything I’d held back since they found Katrina’s body spilled out of me in broken pieces. Fragments of guilt. Fear. Anger. That message. The feeling that something wasn’t right.

Time meant nothing.

I didn’t even realize when I started shaking or when my voice broke completely but Ash didn’t interrupt.

He listened.

Not just listening, he was immersed, hanging on to every word that I spoke and when I was done, I was out of breath. My uneven breathing filled the quiet air.

Ash’s brows were drawn together, his scarred lip tilted slightly downward.

“What do you need?” He finally asked.

I frowned slightly. “What?”

“You want answers,” he said. “So tell me what you need to get them.”

I stared at him.

This was Ash.

Alpha of the Talon pack.

Once a beta who claimed the title for himself by killing the alpha of his pack. Unlike Ryker and Kade, he wasn't an alpha by birth. Wasn't selfless. Or at least that was what I thought.

A strange feeling knotted in my stomach.

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “Right now… I just need someone to talk to.”

There was a pause before his quiet chuckle took me by surprise. It was low, darker and had an edge that made my wolf… purr.

My breath hitched.

What-

My head snapped back up to him. He was already watching me.Something unreadable flickered in his dark eyes.

A shiver ran down my spine.

“It’s dangerous,” he said slowly, “giving people what they need.”

Something about the way he looked at me made my chest tighten.

“I charge by the hour,” he added, almost teasing.

But his voice was rougher now, or maybe it was my imagination. Was it getting hotter here?

I stood abruptly, glancing down the empty hallway like I needed an escape. “Yeah,” I muttered. “I should go.”

He didn’t stop me but I felt his gaze on my back the entire way out. I didn't stop until I was back at the house. Thankfully, no one was home.

I sank into my bed, exhaling deeply.

What was that?

What was wrong with me?

I stared up at the ceiling, trying to steady my breathing. Maybe I was just overwhelmed. Grief did strange things. Or-

My lips pressed together.

“I must be in heat,” I muttered.

That had to be it.

Because suddenly every male around me felt… different. I groaned, running a hand over my face when my gaze drifted to my window.

Last night it almost felt like someone was watching me.

No, someone was.

I remember the way my blood simmered at the thought. It felt… odd. In a good way. The intensity, the intention.

What if….

I shook my head.

Ash wouldn’t lurk outside windows like some creep. He was a conqueror… a man who took what he wanted in the open.

A man who had just…

My chest tightened.

…offered himself to me.

“Goddess,” I muttered.

I forced my mind to think of something else and by evening, when the announcement of a curfew came, it was a distant memory.

But now something else was on my mind.

Was Alpha Kade that bothered about the phone that he ordered a curfew?

It didn't matter.

Because I wasn't going to follow the rules. Not when I was this wound up. By midnight, the pack was quiet, people were inside on the orders of the Alpha. Kade was still avoiding me.

I took one last look at my room as I hovered over the window, the makeshift pillow was in the right place.

I just needed to go for a run.

I jumped out the window, landing softly over the leaves. Once I was in the woods, I stripped and let my wolf take over. The sound of bones snapping filled the air, the smell of pine kept me grounded until the shift was over.

My wolf howled, grateful for the freedom and took off sprinting.

Cool air whipped past us, excitement burned in my veins as we reached our spot. A cliff with a perfect view of the moon.

The serenity did something to quell the storm inside of me and for a moment, everything stilled.

Then a branch snapped.

My body tensed instantly but it was too late.

I didn't feel a presence until it charged at me, aiming for my throat, but I was quicker, throwing my forearm up just in time.

Teeth sank in.

A rogue.

Pain and an electric sensation exploded. The crack of bone echoed as its jaws clamped down harder.

My wolf snarled, shaking off the strange buzz that slowly built up inside me and took the offensive position. We slammed the creature into a rock.

It screeched and recoiled, stumbling back into the shadows.

Something was wrong.

My vision blurred.

Heat spread through my body, pooling low in my stomach.

My wolf snarl was ready to strike again when the moonlight adjusted enough to catch a glimpse of my attacker.

My heart stopped.

That wasn't a wolf. Not fully.

It was… something I'd never seen before.

Wrong proportions, covered in fur but stood on both legs, eyes red as crimson and its teeth. They were elongated, more than the average werewolf..

A feeling of dread slid up my spine before I could stop it and even then, my skin tightened with pleasure.

“What the hell…”

“Iris!”

Ash.

He broke through the forest, stopping instantly when he saw me.

“You’re bleeding,” he said sharply. “What happened?”

I looked back.

The creature was gone.

No scent.

No trace.

Nothing.

My breathing turned uneven.

“It was here,” I said slowly. “I swear it was.”

“Who's blood is this?” Ash demanded.

I stared blankly at him. Then to my arm. He was right. Blood coated my arm but there was no wound.

My pulse spiked.

Something wasn’t wrong.

Something wasn’t-

My body still buzzed and when Ash brushed his rough fingers against my cheek, my body ignited.

A broken sound escaped me, as I forced myself to shift back, stumbling slightly as bones reformed.

“Iris,”

Ash stepped back, jaw ticking until I stood completely naked before him.

The cool breeze whipped past my hard nipples. I shivered.

Ash went completely still.

His jaw tightened as he deliberately kept his eyes on my face. I saw the strain. Felt it. Smelled it. And it made everything worse.

I should move.

Grab something.

Cover myself.

I didn’t because something inside me didn’t care. Something inside me wanted… Him.

This isn’t me.

The thought was too weak to form an action. My body burned, my core ached, begging to be touched.

Ash could smell it. I knew he could and from the look on his face, his control was hanging by a thread. So was mine.

I took a step forward. Then another.

“Iris…” he warned roughly.

His voice didn’t stop me, if anything it made my core throb more. Nothing could stop me at that moment.

Because all I could think about…

Was touch.