Chapter 175

Iris

I wake up to the sound of Scout meowing for his breakfast, and for a moment, before I return to full consciousness, I actually forget where I am and why I’m here. I think I’m still at home, that I’ll roll over to find Arthur adjusting his tie by the mirror.

But then it all comes rushing back.

With a sigh, I sit up and stretch. The room my parents prepared for me is comfortable and cozy, but it’s not home. Home is with Arthur. And I intend to return there today, once I’ve had breakfast and coffee. During my mostly-sleepless night, I decided that I want to talk to him and make up, and that I’m being ridiculous.

Scout jumps onto my lap, purring and headbutting my hand until I finally laugh and get up. He winds his way through my legs, nearly tripping me as I make my way downstairs to the kitchen. My mother is already awake and reading something on her tablet. There’s a frown on her face, which is odd for her.

“Good morning, darling,” she says, quickly setting aside her tablet before I can see what she’s look at. “Did you sleep well?”

“Better than expected,” I admit, then tilt my head. “What were you just looking at?”

My mother opens her mouth to answer, but it’s that moment that Caleb comes charging into the kitchen, chest heaving, face utterly deadly. “I’ll kill that bastard,” he hisses.

My eyes widen. My mother leaps to her feet. “Caleb, don’t—” My brother is already handing me his phone.

I take it, and my stomach instantly drops. On the screen is a news article from the Ordan Daily, with a headline that makes my blood run cold:

“ALPHA PRESIDENT’S LATE-NIGHT RENDEZVOUS WITH PIANIST PRODIGY”

Below the headline is a photo of Arthur and Veronica sitting close together at a bar. Her hand is on his arm, their heads are bent close together, and she’s… kissing her cheek.

According to the article, they were spotted at the Obsidian Lounge around three o’clock this morning. Why meet in the middle of the night? Why is she dressed in a cunning red gown that could strike a man down to his knees with a single look?

And most of all, why the fuck is she kissing my mate?

Suddenly, something ugly bubbles up inside of me. The phone is out of my hand before I can stop it, shattering against the wall. My mother and brother both go silent, and all I can do is stare at the broken phone, my own chest heaving now.

“Iris—” My mother reaches out, but I whirl away, clutching at my hair.

“How could he?” I breathe, sinking onto a nearby chair. “He promised. He promised—”

Caleb smoothly picks up the phone, inspecting the broken screen for a second before shaking his head and setting it aside. I want to apologize, because I have no clue what just came over me; it was as if a secondary force inside of me, furious over my mate being kissed by another, surged up before I had a chance to quell it.

Unbidden, my mind flits back to the painting of the wolf and the snake. Do I have a wolf? Is that what I felt just now?

Or have I finally reached my breaking point?

“This is exactly why I sent him away last night,” Caleb finally says. “I knew he was just looking out for himself, not you. He could have gone home, gone to bed like a good man would, but no. He went out with her.”

“He came here?” I hadn’t realized that part.

“Around 2:30 in the morning,” Caleb confirms. “Said he needed to see you. I turned him away.”

So Arthur tried to see me first. That’s something, at least. But it doesn’t explain why he immediately went to find Veronica afterward. Or why they look so cozy in that photo.

“Iris,” Caleb says, dropping to a crouch in front of me and taking my hands in his, “I think it’s time to end this nonsense once and for all.”

I blink at him. “What do you mean?”

“Break up with him,” Caleb says bluntly.

My mother gasps. “Caleb, that’s not your decision.”

My brother waves his hand in her general direction. “I mean it, Iris. He’s clearly not capable of being faithful to you. First Selina, now Veronica. How many times are you going to let him hurt you before you decide it’s enough?”

“You don’t know the whole story,” I protest weakly.

“I know enough.” Caleb tightens his grip on my hands. “I wanted to give him a chance. I really did. But now it seems I was right about his intentions all along.”

I shake my head, not ready to accept what he’s saying. “I need to hear him out first. I need to know what happened.”

“What’s there to know?” Caleb’s face darkens. “The picture speaks for itself.”

“Pictures can be misleading,” I say firmly, glancing between him and my mother. “You both know that as well as I do.”

Caleb frowns, but my mother steps in and places her hand on his shoulder. “She’s right, Caleb. Let her make her own decisions. We don’t know the whole story.”

He sighs, but releases my hands and rises. “Fine. Talk to him if you must. But don’t be surprised when he feeds you more excuses.”

And with that, he storms out, leaving my mother and I in silence.

“His phone—” I choke out, but my mother just shakes her head and cups my face, bringing my head to rest against her belly. I wrap my arms around her waist and let her comb her fingers through my hair.

“Don’t worry about the phone, darling. Your mate is being drawn to another—it’s enough to make any werewolf go mad.”

“But I don’t have a wolf.”

My mother pulls back just enough to look at me. “We don’t know that for certain.”

I swallow hard and stare down at my feet. If I did have a wolf, I wish she would show up in a useful way and not an angry, destructive one. But I suppose the circumstances right now are not… ideal.

Finally, I manage, “I’ll talk to him. I’m not making any rash decisions.”

And it’s true; I’m not the same twenty-one-year-old woman who ran away without a word and never looked back. I’ve grown up. I’ve learned that running from problems doesn’t solve them.

But deep down, I know there’s another reason I’m hesitating. I can’t bring myself to end things with Arthur again. Not yet. Not without hearing his side of the story first.

The very thought of leaving him permanently, of never feeling his arms around me again, of Miles growing up with parents who live separate lives… it ruins me. The first time around nearly destroyed me; I might never be able to love again if I have to go through that a second time.

And that terrifies me more than anything.

The rest of the weekend passes in a blur, and by Monday evening, I’m on the verge of a mental breakdown. But I keep my true feelings neatly tucked away inside, where Miles can’t see them, as we go to the school for his talent show.

“Do you think Daddy will be there?” Miles asks from the backseat.

I swallow and glance at Emi in the driver’s seat, who casts me an apologetic look. “I hope so, buddy,” I manage.

“Me too,” Miles says, kicking his feet against the seat. “I want him to hear me play. I’ve been practicing really hard.”

“I know you have,” I say, forcing a smile into my voice. “And you’re going to be amazing.”

But privately, I’m wondering the same thing. Will Arthur show up? Or will he abandon our family for Veronica, just like Caleb seems to think he will?

Wellington Academy is already bustling when we arrive. Parents and children stream through the front doors, some children wearing elaborate costumes, others holding instruments or sock puppets or other props.

I check Miles in with his teacher, who takes him backstage to join the other performers, leaving me to find my seat in the auditorium. There, I scan the rows of chairs, looking for my assigned seat. Row F, seat 12, according to the ticket. The auditorium is filling up quickly, parents eagerly finding their spots.

Finally, I reach row F and count down to seat 12. And there, already sitting in seat 11, is Arthur.