50–A Promise Made
Iris.
When I opened my eyes, someone was towering over me. My heart leaped into my throat. I gasped in shock and clutched my chest.
“No, no, Iris,” the figure said. “It’s me.”
I took a better look to see lone. I relaxed instantly, taking a breath of relief. “Ione…” I said, my voice hoarse with remnants of sleep. I sat up in bed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She had a strange expression on her face, like she had something that she wanted to say but was afraid of speaking. “Iris, can I ask you for something?”
I sat up straight, mustering a smile despite my weakness. “Anything,” I assured. “What is the matter?”
She looked around, unsure, before she took a deep breath, letting the air out of her mouth. “It’s about my brother.”
My stomach sank. “Cassian? What happened to him?” I asked hurriedly.
“No, no, nothing happened,” she tried to assure. “Nothing happened.”
Then I remembered. “The meeting with the Zetas. How did it go?”
“Cassian handled the elders, I promise. There is nothing they can do to him. He is the Alpha.”
I took a breath of relief, but it was obvious that Ione still had something to say. “Then what’s wrong?” I asked her again.
“Can you continue to care for him?” she blurted.
I was taken aback. “Care for him?” I repeated, trying to understand the weight of her request.
Ione’s eyes were filled with desperation and hope. “Iris, no matter how hard it gets and no matter how unorthodox your marriage is, can you continue to care for Cassian? He once was a man who only wanted to protect his family, and for that, he took on a curse that was never meant to be his to bear. He needs someone who can remind him that he is human and treat him like one.” She looked up at me hopefully.
I felt a lump in my throat. The gravity of her words sank in, and I was both shocked and afraid. How could I promise something like that? I cared for Cassian, but my feelings were a tangled mess. I didn’t know if I could go in too deep. What if I failed him? What if I couldn’t be the anchor he
needed?
My mind whirled, battling with my fears and uncertainties. Cassian was more than just a contract marriage; he had defended me and my family, even when it had not been expected of him. Could I really turn away from him now?
Despite my turmoil, I took Ione’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I promise to care for him as a wife. To be his support and his anchor. For the little time
that we will have together.”
Ione’s eyes welled with tears, and she pulled me into a tight embrace. “Thank you, Iris. You don’t know what this means to me, to us.”
As I held her, I felt a sense of resolve settling within me. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew that for now, I had to be there for Cassian. For
better or worse, I would be his wife in more than just name.
Ione.
A knock sounded at my door, and I went to answer it. My heart stopped when I saw my mother on the other side.
“Mother,” I greeted solemnly, bowing a little. When was the last time she entered my room? Since the incident all those years ago, she couldn’t seem
to look at me without glaring.
She looked around my room with judgment. “Why is this place so dull?” she demanded, scrunching up her nose. “You don’t know how to decorate?”
she asked.
Her cold eyes settled on me with an intensity that made me sweat. “Yet you decorated that maggot child’s room with such enthusiasm,” she said, her
tone accusatory.
I looked away, unable to stand her glare. “I am sorry, Mother,” I said timidly.
“You are always sorry,” she hissed. “Sorry for yourself.”
I pursed my lips and kept my eyes down.
“You never learn, do you?” she asked. “You never learn and now you have rubbed off on that incorrigible brother of yours,” she spat. “After what a maggot did to us in the past, you still cling to their horrid kind like a desperate disgrace.”
Her words pelted against the weak shield I had put up. “What do you want, Mother?” I asked. If she continued with her tirade, I would eventually break, like I always did.
She gasped. “So I am wrong for coming to see my daughter?”
“No…” I answered reluctantly.
“You think that I have ulterior motives for coming to see you, don’t you?” she asked.
I said nothing. The truth was on the tip of my tongue but the last thing, my mother wanted was the truth. It did not bend to her whim enough.
Setting
21:04
50–A Promise Made
“Well, this is for the pack,” she said. “This is not about me.”
“What is it?” I asked, my dread rising.
“I need you to see.”
My stomach dropped. “Mother…” She wanted me to use my ability again. The same one that was taking a toll on me.
But she was not listening. “I need you to look into that devilish girl. She is far more conniving than I gave her credit for. And something tells me that she has too much power over Cassian.”
Ione’s mother continued, her voice growing more aggressive. “You have to do this. You are only good for your ability. If you don’t bend to my will, you will regret it.”
“Mother, please,” I begged. “I don’t want to use my power. It hurts me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Hurts you? What about the pain you caused us? You owe us this much. You owe the pack. You will see into her past and her future. You will find out what she is hiding, or you will face the consequences.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I nodded reluctantly. “Yes, Mother,” I succumbed.
Her face softened slightly, but the coldness in her eyes remained. “Good. Do not disappoint me.”
As she left the room, I sank to the floor, trembling. The burden of my mother’s demands weighed heavily on me, but I had no choice. I had to obey. Like I always had.
