All Chapters of Too Late, Alpha: The Mate He Never Wanted: Chapter 281 - Chapter 290

Iris's POVI said nothing.“Fine,” Maximus muttered. “Be stubborn then.”He left, slamming the door behind him.Good. I hoped I was making him miserable.The isolation continued. Time made no sense anymore.I slept on and off, never quite sure if it was day or night.Maximus kept visiting, trying to engage me in conversation.I refused to acknowledge him.Sometimes he would sit on the bench and talk anyway, as if I was actually listening.“Raven used to love rainy days,” he said once. “She would stand outside and just let the rain soak her. She said it made her feel alive.”I didn’t respond.“She was stubborn like you,” Maximus continued. “When she made up her mind about something, there was no changing it.”Silence.“You would have liked her,” Maximus said quietly. “If you had met her under different circumstances. She was kind and compassionate. Always trying to help people.”I turned away from him even more.“I miss her every day,” Maximus said, and his voice cracked slightly. “Eve

Iris’s POVMaybe Maximus was right. Maybe Rowan had never really wanted me.Maybe—No.I shook my head violently.“This is NOT real,” I said loudly, pulling my hand away from Maximus. “None of this is real. This is just the spell. This is just a trick.”“Iris—” Maximus started.“NO!” I screamed. “This is NOT REAL!”The forest around me started to shimmer and change.“I know who I am,” I said, my voice getting stronger. “I know Rowan loves me. I know this is fake. I KNOW THIS ISN’T REAL!”Everything shattered like glass.And then I jolted awake.I was back on the tomb, gasping for air. My entire body was covered in sweat. My head felt like it had been torn apart from the inside.The witches had stopped chanting. They were all staring at me with expressions of frustration and surprise.“She rejected it again,” the head witch said, her voice tight with annoyance. “How is that possible?”“Her will is stronger than we calculated,” another witch replied.I lay there, barely able to move. Ev

Rowan’s POVJasmine was right.I had spent months being patient with Iris, giving her space to heal, being there for her even when she didn’t know the full truth.And when she had finally chosen me, when she had finally opened her heart to me, it had been the happiest moment of my life.I couldn’t give up on her now.I wouldn’t give up on her.My hands clenched into fists as determination surged through me like fire in my veins.I jumped off the hood of the car and turned to face Jasmine.“You’re right,” I said, my voice firm. “I’m not giving up.”Jasmine smiled, standing up as well. “Good. So what’s the plan?”I closed my eyes, reaching deep inside myself.‘We need to do this together,’ I said to my wolf.For the first time in hours, my wolf responded eagerly.‘Finally,’ he growled. ‘Let me help. Let me find our mate.’I opened my eyes and looked at the others.“Everyone, let's go,” I announced.They all looked up immediately, sensing the change in my voice.“What are we doing?” Shan

Iris’s POV“It’s time,” Maximus said quietly from the doorway.I stared at him and the witches behind him, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.The head witch stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning me.“Let’s not waste time,” she said coldly. “Bring her.”The two large men pushed past the witches and grabbed my arms roughly.I tried to pull away, but they dragged me out of the room anyway.In the ritual chamber, the symbols on the floor were already glowing.“Please,” I begged weakly as they forced me on the tomb.No one responded.Maximus chained me down quickly.I pulled against the chains desperately, but they didn’t budge.The witches took their positions around the circle.“Please,” I tried one more time. “Please, I’m begging you.”The head witch looked down at me coldly.“Your resistance ends tonight,” she said flatly.Then she began chanting.The symbols on the floor glowed brighter and brighter.The head witch pulled out that dreaded vial of dark liquid. She approached me and

Rowan’s POVThe wolves lunged at us from all sides, with their teeth bared and their claws extended.I shifted mid-air, my clothes tearing away as my bones cracked and reformed. My wolf charged forward with a roar, meeting the first attacking wolf.Behind me, I heard the others shifting as well. Shane’s brown wolf appeared at my left. Marcus’s gray wolf at my right.We were outnumbered, but we wouldn't allow that to stop us.I crashed into the first wolf, using my superior size and strength to throw him aside. He yelped as he hit the ground hard.The plan wasn’t to kill them. We needed to get to the pack house, to Iris. Killing Maximus’s warriors would only complicate things further and give the Alpha King more ammunition against us.So we fought defensively, trying to push through rather than to destroy.I dodged the snapping jaws of another wolf, then used my shoulder to slam into him. He stumbled backward, giving me an opening so I could move forward.Shane was fighting two wolves