LOGINIris’s POV“You look dashing in that tux,” I murmured as Rowan and I headed downstairs.Rowan looked incredibly handsome in his dark emerald green tuxedo that matched my emerald dress. The tuxedo fit him perfectly, it had probably been tailored for him.Shane and Jasmine were waiting by the cars.Jasmine’s face lit up when she saw me. “Iris! That dress is stunning!”“Thank you,” I said with a small smile. “Rowan had it made for me.”“Nice one, bro.” Jasmine said, grinning at her brother. She was dressed in a beautiful blue gown that complemented her features perfectly.Shane was wearing a tuxedo too, looking uncomfortable in the fancy clothes. He tugged at his collar and gave me a pained look that made me laugh.“You look miserable,” I commented.“I hate these things,” Shane muttered.“You look good though,” Jasmine teased, earning a glare from Shane.Rowan cleared his throat, drawing our attention. “Is everyone ready?”“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Jasmine said cheerfully. She had bee
Iris’s POVImmediately I got inside the room, I started preparing for our leaving. My bags were already packed, and were sitting by the door, but I still needed to shower and get dressed.I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water, letting it heat up while I undressed. The steam began to fill the room, and I stepped under the spray with a sigh.The hot water felt amazing on my tense muscles. I closed my eyes, trying to let it wash away some of the anxiety I was feeling.I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear the bathroom door open. But I felt it when familiar hands gently touched my waist.I wasn't startled. I knew those hands so well.“Hey,” Rowan murmured softly against my ear, his arms wrapping around me from behind.“Hey,” I replied, leaning back against his chest.His hands roamed my body slowly, not in a sexual way, but in a comforting, loving way. Like he was reminding me that he was here for me.Then he pressed soft kisses across my shoulder, moving up to my neck
Iris’s POVThe day we would leave was finally here.I woke up before dawn, and my heart was already racing. For two weeks, I had been preparing myself mentally and emotionally for this moment. Two weeks of meditation with Lucas, of breathing exercises, of trying to convince myself I could handle facing Eric, Zara, and Tiffany.But now that the day was actually here, all that preparation felt useless.My chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing it. My hands were shaking. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tiffany’s face, heard Zara’s voice, and remembered all the pain they had caused.“Breathe,” I whispered to myself, sitting up in bed. “Just breathe.”I tried the exercises Lucas had taught me. Breathe in through my nose, hold and count to four, then breathe out through my mouth. Again. Again.It wasn’t working. My heart was still pounding. My chest was still tight.The door opened quietly, and Rowan walked in. He must have been up early, probably arranging our last-minute preparat
Iris’s POVI took a deep breath and did as Lucas instructed. I reached inward, searching for that presence that had been missing for so long.At first, there was nothing. Just emptiness where my wolf should have been.But then, I felt something so faint I almost missed it. It was not really a presence, it was more like an echo, or a whisper.My wolf was still there, buried deep.Tears pricked at my eyes, but I kept them closed, and focused as I kept reaching for that faint connection.“Don’t push,” Lucas warned, as if he could sense what I was doing. “Just acknowledge it. Let her know you’re there, that you’re ready when she is.”I did as he said, simply acknowledging that faint whisper without trying to force it. After a moment, I felt myself pulling back, returning back to reality.“Open your eyes slowly,” Lucas instructed.I blinked my eyes open, adjusting to the light. Lucas was watching me with an unreadable expression.“How do you feel?” he asked.“Different,” I admitted. “I fee
Iris’s POVThe next morning, I woke up feeling drained. I had barely slept, my mind kept replaying the conversation with Rowan about the ball over and over.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tiffany’s face, heard Zara’s voice, and felt that heavy weight of grief and anger.But I forced myself out of bed anyway because I knew that training with Lucas was non-negotiable, even if the thought of training made my already exhausted body ache.Shane was waiting outside my door as usual, and we walked to the training hall in comfortable silence. He could probably tell I wasn’t in the mood to chat.When we reached the training hall, I pushed open the door expecting to see the usual setup with training mats, and equipment, and Lucas standing there with that flat expression waiting to put me through another torturous session.Instead, I stopped in my tracks.In the center of the mat was a large, comfortable-looking bean bag. It wasn’t what you would ever expect to see in a training hall.It wa
Iris’s POVAfter a while of staring at the ceiling, I forced myself to sit up. The tears had stopped, but the ache in my chest remained. That pain would never fully go away.I wiped my face and took a shaky breath.I stood up slowly and walked to my closet. I pushed aside all the new clothes Rowan had gotten me, behind them was a bag I hadn’t touched in months. The bag I had brought with me from the Crescent Moon Pack.My hands trembled as I pulled it out and set it on the bed.For a long moment, I just stared at it. This bag held everything from my old life. The life before Rowan, before this pack, before I had found happiness again.Finally, I unzipped it.Inside were a few of my old belongings. Some clothes I hadn’t worn in months, and other things.But those weren’t what I was looking for.I pushed aside my things until I found what I needed.Evie’s things.Her blanket, the one she had had since she was a baby.A few of her favorite clothes, and her coloring book.My hands shook a







