chapter 4
1644 Words
Chapter 4
Iris
I looked up and found myself staring into a pair of bright green eyes. For a long moment, the world around us seemed to stop.
He was still holding me, his grip firm and steady.
For the first time in my life, I felt my heart beating fast in my chest—not because of the car that almost hit me, but because of the man standing in front of me.
"Are you okay, miss?" he asked. His voice was deep and calm, like a smooth stone in a river.
I quickly looked away, trying to catch my breath and settle my racing heart. I stepped back and took a moment to study the guy standing there. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a look of quiet power. He didn't say much, but he had a heavy, commanding presence.
It was the kind of presence only a high-ranking Alpha usually had.
"Thanks," I said, finally finding my voice. I brushed my hair out of my face, trying to look like I wasn't as shaken as I felt.
He gave me a short nod. "You should be careful. That car was moving very fast. It could have hit you. You are lucky I was standing nearby."
I looked at the road where the car had disappeared. My hands were still a little shaky. I looked back at him and forced a small smile. I held my hand out to him. "I'm Iris."
"Mark," he said. He didn't take my hand, but he gave me another small, polite smile.
I looked around the street for a second. I knew almost everyone in the Moon Claws pack, but I didn't recognize him at all. "Are you new to the pack? I have not seen you around before."
"Yeah," he said simply. He didn't offer any more information about where he came from or why he was here. "I have to be going now. Take care of yourself, Iris."
I watched his back as he walked away. He walked with a confidence that made people move out of his way without him even saying a word.
I stood there on the sidewalk and took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. My mind was spinning. Who was driving that car? It hadn't looked like an accident. It felt like someone had been waiting for me to step into the street.
I took out my phone and dialed a number I had saved under a fake name. It was Mira’s number. Mira was one of the elite bodyguards Grandpa had secretly left for me in his will. She was loyal only to me.
The call picked up on the first ring. "Hello, Luna," Mira’s voice said. She always used my title, even when I told her I didn't feel like one. "Did you need anything?"
"Someone just tried to run me over," I said, my voice low so no one passing by would hear. "A speeding car. Find out who it was. I need information by the end of the day."
"I’m on it," Mira replied instantly.
I ended the call and let out a short, bitter laugh. I shook my head as I walked toward the pack house. Some people truly could not wait to see me dead. They probably thought that with Grandpa gone, I was easy to get rid of.
They had no idea what was coming.
When I walked back into the pack house, the air felt heavy and cold. I walked into the main living area and saw Mrs. Walker sitting on the sofa. She was leaning close to Fiona, whispering something that made Fiona giggle.
The moment I entered the room, Mrs. Walker looked up. Her face twisted with disgust, as if I were a bad smell that had just entered the room.
Finn was there, too. He was sitting in a large chair by the fireplace, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked pissed off. His jaw was tight, and he was staring at the floor. When he noticed I was there, he slowly stood up. He walked toward me, his eyes burning with a dark light.
"Where have you been?" he asked. His voice was a growl.
I looked at him, feeling a wave of confusion and then anger. He had left me alone at the hospital after I had just given blood to his precious Fiona. He hadn't even checked to see if I could drive home.
"Why do you ask?" I said, keeping my voice calm. "It’s not like my whereabouts mean anything to you all. You made that very clear at the hospital."
Finn stepped closer, his face inches from mine. He reached out and grabbed my arms, holding me tight enough to hurt.
"How disgusting can you be?" he hissed. "I thought forcing yourself into my bed was the lowest you could go, but I was wrong. Now you are going around the pack looking for men to get inside of you? To get into their beds? I thought Grandpa raised you better than this. I thought you had some dignity."
I felt a sharp sting of pain in my heart, but I didn't let him see it. I laughed right in his face and pulled my hands away with a sharp jerk. I stood my ground and looked him in the eyes.
"What do you even mean by that, Finn?" I asked. "A few minutes ago, you were acting like you didn't care if I lived or died. So why are you acting so angry now? If you think I’m sleeping with other men, you should be happy. It would mean I’m finally out of your way. It’s not like I found myself in your bed on purpose anyway."
I saw the anger flare up in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to break something. He turned around, walked to the heavy oak table, and picked up a small piece of paper. He turned back and threw it at me. It fluttered through the air and landed at my feet.
"Explain this," he said.
I slowly bent down and picked the picture up. I felt my stomach drop when I saw it.
It was a picture of me and Mark.
It was taken from across the street, right after he had pulled me back from the car. We were standing close together, and it looked like we were staring into each other's eyes.
Someone had been watching me. Someone had snapped the photo the second I was in his arms.
"Is this another one of your slut guys?" Finn yelled. He was pacing back and forth now, looking completely out of control. "You didn't even wait for Grandpa to be in the ground before you started looking for a replacement!"
I looked at the picture one more time, then I slowly tore it into tiny pieces. I let the scraps fall to the floor like snow.
"Seeing a picture without being there doesn't prove anything, Finn," I said. "You only see what you want to see. Why do you think any guy I talk to is just one of my 'slut guys'? Maybe he was just a person being kind—something you wouldn't know anything about."
Mrs. Walker stood up from the sofa. She walked over to stand beside her son, her face full of false concern.
"Even if they are not lovers, Iris, explain why you were seen at the rejection law office today," she said. Her voice was sharp and accusing. "Why were you there? Everyone knows that is the place for people who want to break their bond with their mate. Unless you were planning to disgrace this family even more..."
I slowly looked at her. I realized they had been following me all day. They were so afraid of what I might do. I reached into my bag and pulled out the file the lady at the office had given me. I didn't open it to show them. Instead, I pulled out the rejection documents I had requested.
"She is right," I said, looking at Finn. I stepped forward and held the papers out to him. "I went there to get these. Here. Take them. Sign them. If you sign these, the bond is broken. Then you don't have to be afraid of me becoming your Luna ever again. You can have your precious Fiona and I can finally be free of you."
I didn't even finish my sentence before I felt a sharp, stinging pain across my face.
My head snapped to the side. Mrs. Walker had slapped me so hard my skin burned.
"How dare you?" she yelled. Her face was red with rage. "You think only of yourself! Think about the disgrace this would bring to the Walker name! You think you can just walk away and leave us to explain your behavior to the other packs?"
Finn didn't say a word to his mother about the slap. Instead, he walked toward me. He reached out and snatched the papers from my hand.
I thought he was going to sign them, but he didn't. He looked me in the eye, and with a slow, deliberate motion, he ripped the rejection papers into tiny pieces. He let them fall onto the pile of torn photographs.
He stepped so close I could feel the heat coming off his body. His voice was a dark, low whisper that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Even if you are never going to be my Luna, Iris, you are not going anywhere," he said. His eyes were cold and filled with a cruel promise. "No matter what you want, you are staying right here. I am going to make sure that each day you spend in this house makes you beg for death rather than freedom."
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