All Chapters of Too Late, Alpha: The Mate He Never Wanted: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

Iris’s POVThe realization hit me like a physical blow. My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. Memories I didn’t know were still buried came flooding back.Tiffany. The girl who had made Evie’s life miserable.The girl whose mother, Zara, had manipulated Eric into believing her lies over his own wife.The girl who was the reason Eric had thrown us out of his car that night, leaving Evie to die.I stumbled back slightly, my hands trembling erratically.Rowan was immediately at my side, placing his hands on my shoulders to steady me. “Iris. Breathe. Just breathe.”“I can’t—” I gasped, my vision blurring. “I can’t face them. Not her. Not after what she did to Evie.”“I know,” Rowan said softly, guiding me to sit on the bed. He knelt in front of me, his hands holding mine. “I know this is hard. I’m so sorry.”I took several deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. The panic was subsiding slightly, but the dread was heavy in my chest.“Can’t you make an excuse?” I asked desper

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 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 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 POVThe moment we were alone, I kicked off my shoes and collapsed on the bed with a groan.Rowan lifted an eyebrow in amusement.“My feet are killing me,” I complained. “I’m so exhausted from all those introductions.”“We have about two and a half hours before we need to get ready for the ceremony,” Rowan said, sitting beside me. “You should rest.”“I don’t think I can sleep,” I admitted. “I’m too anxious.”“Then just close your eyes and breathe,” Rowan suggested. “Like Lucas taught you.”I nodded and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing.We stayed like that for a while, and I felt some of my tension ease.“Better?” Rowan asked after a while.“A little,” I admitted, opening my eyes.There was a knock at the door, and palace staff entered with our luggage. They placed everything carefully in the bedroom, then bowed and left.I must have dozed off at some point because the next thing I knew, Rowan was gently shaking my shoulder.“Iris,” he said softly. “It’s time to get ready.