Iris’s POVChloe looked absolutely horrible.Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, her hair was tangled and scattered like she hadn’t combed it for days, and her clothes were wrinkled and disheveled. Chloe looked nothing like the polished, classy person I had known before.But what struck me most was the raw hatred burning in her eyes as she stared at me.“I knew you were bad news from the moment I met you,” Chloe said, her voice shaking with rage. “I knew you would cause problems. But I never thought you would actually succeed in stealing Rowan from me.”“Nobody stole anything from you,” Jasmine said sharply, stepping slightly in front of me. “You never had him to begin with.”“That’s a lie!” Chloe shrieked, tears began to stream down her face. “We were engaged! We had a future together! And then she showed up and ruined everything!”“Rowan made his choice,” Shane said firmly. “And it wasn’t you.”Chloe’s face twisted with fury and pain. She pointed a shaking finger at me. “You. T
Iris’s POV“Well, well, well! Look who it is!”I turned to see Jasmine striding toward us with Shane trailing behind her with a shit-eating grin on his face.Oh no.“I heard the most interesting news this morning,” Jasmine continued, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she got closer. “Something about a certain someone doing the walk of shame wrapped in the Alpha’s bedsheet?”I released a long sigh. This was going to be a long morning.I shot Shane a murderous glare. “I’m going to kill you.”“Worth it,” Shane said cheerfully, not looking remotely sorry.Rowan rolled his eyes at his sister. “Don’t you have better things to do than gossip?”Jasmine grinned in response. “No, I don’t.”He lifted an eyebrow. “What about those files I gave you a few weeks ago to work on?”She gave him an unimpressed look. “How is that better than gossiping, Rowan? This is way more entertaining than budget reports.”“Doing budget reports is productive. It helps in the running of the pack,” Rowan said dryly.
Iris’s POVBut Rowan wasn't listening. His hands were running over my arms, checking for scrapes or bruises, his expression was full of concern that seemed too intense for a simple fall.“Rowan,” I hissed quietly, “you’re making a scene.”“I don’t care,” he said firmly. “You fell. You could be hurt.”“I’m not hurt,” I insisted, trying to stand up. He immediately helped me, keeping his hand on my elbow to steady me.Once I was standing, he leaned in close and murmured quietly so only I could hear, “Are you sure you should be training… in your… condition?” His eyes flickered down to my stomach meaningfully.I froze. Did he seriously just say that here, in the middle of the training field?My face went even redder. “Can we talk about this somewhere private?” I hissed quietly. “Another time?”Nobody else knew about the pregnancy except Shane and Jasmine. I wasn’t ready for the whole pack to find out yet, especially not like this.Rowan looked like he wanted to argue. His jaw was tight, an
Iris's POVAs I approached the training area, I could hear voices inside. I could hear Lucas’s deep, commanding tone as he gave instructions. I could hear the sound of fists hitting training dummies.I paused outside, and took another deep breath, then I stepped inside.The training area had a few pack warriors training, and Lucas standing in the center of the mat with his arms crossed.This wasn't unusual actually. I was late today, and since most pack members preferred to train early in the morning before their other duties, it was normal for other pack warriors to be there by this time.But right now, all I could focus on was the dirty look Lucas was giving me as I stepped inside.I winced. Today was going to be a bad day. I could tell already.Lucas’s gaze swept over me slowly, his jaw tightening. “You finally decided to join us,” he said, voice cool. “And here I thought I was getting rid of you forever,” He said, his tone flat but there was an edge in his voice that made me know
Iris's POVShane stood there with a mischievous grin on his face, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned casually against the wall opposite the door.I groaned internally. I knew I wasn’t going to hear the end of this.“So…” he drawled, his grin widening. “Where are you coming from?”“Nowhere,” I said quickly, turning back to my door, twisting the handle. “I went to take a walk to clear my head after everything that happened yesterday.”Shane snorted and the sound echoed in the empty hallway. “Oh really? Is that the story we’re going with?”“Yes,” I said firmly, finally getting my door open. I tried to step inside quickly, but Shane was faster, slipping in behind me before I could close the door in his face.“That’s interesting,” he said, his tone dripping with amusement. “Because from where I’m standing, the Alpha’s scent is all over you to the point that it’s almost nauseating. And unless I’m mistaken, you’re wrapped in his sheets.” He paused, looking me up and down. “And I’m
Iris’s POVRowan ran his hand through his hair, a gesture that I learnt meant that he was thinking carefully about what to say.“I meant what I said yesterday,” he started. “I want you, Iris. Not just physically, though that’s definitely a bonus.” He gave me a small smile. “I want a relationship with you. A real one. I want to be there for you and our child. I want to see where this goes.”“But?” I prompted, sensing there was more.“But I also don’t want to rush you,” he continued. “I know you just ended things finally with Eric yesterday. I know you’re still healing from everything that happened. I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything.”I thought about his words for a moment. He was right that I was still healing. The wounds from my marriage to Eric, from losing Evie, they were still fresh. But I also knew that I wanted this. I wanted him.“I want to try,” I said finally. “I want to see where this goes too. But you’re right that I need to take things slow. I need time to fi