39 – Iris/Cassian
I opened my eyes to a new morning and a throbbing headache. I raised my head slowly, to meet big brown eyes staring down at me. “Big…si–si–ster!” Abel greeted me with his widest smile. “You wo–wo–woke up.”
I sat up and ruffled his hair trying my best to return his smile. “Abel,” I had not been able to see him yesterday because of how much pain I had been in, so it was a very welcome surprise. I experimented on my pain tolerance by stretching my body only to feel only a fraction of the pain that I had suffered yesterday. I did not know what Cassian had applied on my wounds but it had performed magic.
Then I remembered. Breakfast. I got on my feet, taking Abel by the hand, only to almost bump into a platter of food already laid out. I looked at the variety of food flabbergasted. What was it doing here?
“Un–uncle sa–aid tha–that you sho–o–uld eat with m–e–e to–to–today.” Abel said.
I turned my confused gaze on him. “Uncle? Which uncle?”
“Al–alpha Ca–ca–cassian,” he answered. “He–e–e told me–e–e to tell t–t–that you sho–sho–should not come d–d–down to eat.”
I continued to stare at my body dumbfounded at the information that he was relaying. “He told you that?” I asked.
Abel simply nodded and came to my side and I held my hand. He pulled me back towards the bed. It was obvious that he wanted me seated. Still in shock, I obliged.
Abel tore a piece of bread and raised it up to my mouth. “U–u–uncle ga–gave me a t–t–task. To–o–o take care of y–you, till he–he–he gets back.”
I ate the bread and Abel continued to feed me without a single care in the world as I thought of the havoc that would be happening downstairs. I recalled the way his anger made his body radiate heat. But his rage had not been directed at me. Maybe he was disappointed and disheartened because of what I hid from him, but he had not been angry at me.
The way he had gently cleaned me up the previous night replayed in my head. His gentle probing of my wounds, the way that he had looked so intently at my body as though he had every intention of memorizing the scars on me. He had held me until I finally calmed down enough to sleep. His security was like a reprieve from a great agony. Which was very true. There had been great agony.
“W–w–why a–a–are bl–bl–blushing?” Abels’s voice tore through my traitorous thoughts.
At him calling me out, I tried to lessen the flush on my face by thinking of anything other than Cassian.
“No reason,” I lied, but I blurted it too quickly.
My brother was found, but he was very cognizant so he flashed me a knowing smile at my reply.
“What?” I demanded, my ears going hot.
He raised his brows in a conspiratorial expression. “U–u–uncle i–i–is very han–han–handsome.” He blurted and when he saw my horrified reaction, he burst into laughter at my expense.
I tried to hide my embarrassment by shoving a piece of fruit into Abel’s mouth. “Alright, enough about Uncle Cassian. Eat up, little man,” I said, laughing despite myself.
Abel giggled, trying to chew the fruit while laughing. “B–b–but it’s tru–true, big sis–sis–ter. You li–li–like him.”
I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help but smile at Abel’s persistence. “He’s just being nice, Abel. Now, come on, let’s finish our breakfast before it
gets cold.”
We continued to eat, sharing bits of food and laughter. Abel made exaggerated faces as he tasted different dishes, causing me to laugh harder than I had in days. I felt the tension in my body ease with each giggle, the pain from yesterday becoming a distant memory. With minimal movement, I could ignore the pain, even though sometimes, I grimaced, but I ensured that my body did not see my discomfort.
“Look at this,” Abel said, holding up a piece of thinly sliced like it was a precious gem. “It’s so cr–cr–crispy!”
“Only the best for my little brother,” I replied, giving him a playful nudge. “Now, try this,” I said, handing him a forkful of food.
Abel took the bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Mm–mm, it’s goo–good. Who made it?”
It was true, today’s food was more delicious. I shook my head. “Nope, I have no idea, but this is all thanks to Uncle Cassian.”
Abel’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Un–uncle Ca–cassian, huh?”
I groaned, shoving another piece of bread into his mouth. “Enough about him. Let’s just enjoy our breakfast, okay?”
Abel nodded, his mouth full of bread, and we continued eating, joking, and laughing together. The room felt lighter, and for a moment, everything felt right in the world. But I was very aware of the scene that would occur at breakfast, but I tried to keep my mind off it.
Cassian’s POV.
“Answer me, Zahila,” I said, my voice a low growl. “Answer the question,”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Cassian,” She said, unable to meet my eye. Her eye wandered to Rolan’s seat at the dining table. The place where he would have been if not for his journey.
“Oh really?” I said. “You should be wiser than to lie to me.” The meaning was clear.
Setting
21:02
39- Iris/Cassian
“I am not a liar, Cassian.”
“Alpha,”
She finally met my eyes, hers going wide in surprise. “What?”
“You heard me, Zahila. I am your Alpha. You will refer to me as my title. I am not your friend.”
He stared up at me as if I had slapped her.
“Son,” my mother tried to intervene. “She did nothing wrong. If she says she didn’t do anything to her, it means she did nothing to her. The girl is just being dramatic,” my mother said nonchalantly. But, I had no intention of letting it go. None at all. I had seen my wife’s scars. I had seen it all, and they mirrored mine far too much for my comfort. I knew the agony that I endured for the scars that now marked my body. The memories would resonate with me all my life. I could not imagine a beautiful, lovely creature like Iris having you go through the same. Much less under my fucking
roof.
“Stay out of this, mother,” my tone brooked no argument.
“There will be no mercy from me if you continue to spew that shit to me,”
Zahila continued to stare wide–eyed at me, ,pale in the face as though she had encountered a ghost. Then her face changed, surprise giving way to
more fear mixed in with rage.
“So?” I blurted. “What is wrong with lashing a maggot?”
My teeth clenched so hard that I was sure that I could hear some of my teeth crack under the pressure. My dark eyes revealed their inner red light and I watched her calm back down. “It appears that I have been too lenient. What did I say about that word? Especially directed at my wife?”
“Your wife?” Zahila scoffed. “Or your breeder? Your whore?”
“Remember your fucking place!” I bellowed. “She is Luna of your pack, you are beneath her.”
“Beneath a werewolf in my own pack?” She asked, incredulously. She narrowed her eyes at me as though she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“You have changed. You changed for her.” She accused.
I rolled her eyes at her theatrics. “So you confess?” I asked.
She blinked and looked to my mother.
Before
my mother could voice any of her unneeded opinions or additions, I stopped her with a hand. “Don’t bother,” I said coldly.
“You will be punished, just to show you how this pack’s hierarchy works. You will be punished by my wife.” I felt Vorax’s familiar, engulfing darkness take over my senses. He wanted blood, and I was so willing to give in. I had held him back for so long. If I just allowed the binds on him to unravel,
Zahila would not survive it.
“Rolan would never allow you to do that to me. I am his wife!”
Some part of me still felt the remainder of our connection shudder after her words. Bonds were not so easily broken as was expected, but I would
not let them hold me back.
“And Iris is my wife,” I replied.
Her face crumbled as though I had hurt her by telling the truth. “You see her as a wife? What about…”
The whole table went still as her words poured out. Even Ione who had been eating quietly paused. All eyes were on Zahila and I.
“Never mind,” she grumbled. “Forget it. It doesn’t matter.”
My patience was running thin, and Vorax was scratching at the surface, eager to be unleashed. “No, Zahila, it doesn’t matter. That was the past and this is the fucking present,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Whatever happened back then should long be forgotten.”
It was as though the entire hall held its breath as both me and Zahila continued to lock eyes with each other. “Move on. You have my brother now.” I told her without an ounce of emotion, and she looked at me as though I had gutted her. But the last thing I felt was sympathy.
