041
1311 Words
~ Iris
Thorne and I stepped outside, and that’s when I saw Alice and Ky standing nearby.
They both looked worried.
“Iris, where have you been?” Alice asked. “Ky told me you were drunk.”
“I was,” I admitted. “But I was with Thorne.”
They both turned to look at him.
“Who is he?” Ky asked.
“That’s Thorne,” Alice answered. “My dad’s right-hand man.”
Thorne met my eyes and gave a short nod before turning and leaving.
“Iris,” Alice said slowly, a teasing smile spreading across her face. “I’ve seen you and Thorne together plenty of times. Do you like him?”
“Ew,” I scoffed. “He’s probably way older than me. And besides, I already have a beautiful girlfriend.”
She blushed.
Alice cupped my face and kissed me. I kissed her back—slow at first, then hungrier. We were completely lost in each other until Ky’s voice cut in.
“Enough, guys!” Ky said, laughing. “Let’s keep clubbing.”
“About that…” I pulled back slightly. “Can we just go home? I’m not really in the mood anymore.”
Alice opened her mouth to reply, but her phone buzzed. She checked the screen and frowned.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Eunice wants everyone at the pack house for a meeting,” she said.
“A meeting? At twelve?” I frowned.
“Classic Eunice,” Alice muttered. “She’s trying so hard to impress my dad so she can be Luna.”
“Luna?” I asked. “Isn’t that meant for the Alpha’s wife?”
Alice laughed. “My dad can’t have a wife. Not now. Not ever. He’s sworn off women.”
I swallowed hard.
“Well… see you guys tomorrow,” she said, pecking my lips before walking away.
I turned to Ky. She pulled out her car keys and smirked.
“Looks like I’m driving, babe,” she said.
In the car,
The silence felt heavier than usual. The streetlights flashed across Ky’s face as she drove, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping lightly against her thigh. I leaned back in the seat, staring out the window, my thoughts tangled with Anastasia, I hope Thorne takes care of her. She was a threat in my life.
I turned to Ky.
God, she was beautiful.
“Ky?” I called softly.
“Yeah, Iris?” She glanced at me.
“You knew I was drunk…”
“Yeah.” She exhaled. “About that, don’t drink again. I was really worried about you, Iris.” Her voice was calm, but it carried something deeper.
I smiled faintly. “Did I say anything to you? Or… did I do anything?”
Something flickered across her face,gone too fast, like she was trying to hide it.
“N-no. Not at all,” she said.
I listened to her heartbeat.
She was lying.
“Ky?” I called again.
She sighed, tightening her grip on the wheel. “Fine,” she said. “You tried to kiss me.”
I blinked, my breath catching for just a second.
“I did?” I asked quietly.
Ky nodded, eyes fixed on the road. “Yeah.”
Shame crept up my spine, slow and cold. I turned back to the window, watching the city blur past. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I would never.. I didn’t mean to cross a line.”
“I know,” she replied quickly. “That’s why I didn’t get mad. You weren’t yourself.”
The car slowed at a red light. The silence returned, but this time it wasn’t empty.it was loaded.
“Iris,” Ky said after a moment, softer now. “You’re allowed to be messy sometimes. Just… not at the cost of yourself.”
I looked at her again. Her jaw tightened when she was holding too much in. On the way she still stayed.
“You’re my emotional support,” I admitted. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
That made her smile. small, real. “Good. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
The light turned green. She drove on.
And for the first time that night, my chest felt a little less heavy, even though I knew things were changing.
The dorm was quiet when we got back. Too quiet.
The hallway lights buzzed softly overhead, casting long shadows that stretched and warped as we walked past closed doors. Most students were out,or asleep. Alice was at the pack house, stuck in one of Eunice’s dramatic midnight meetings, and the absence she left behind felt louder than her presence ever did.
Ky unlocked the door and held it open for me.
“Home,” she said gently.
I stepped inside, kicking off my shoes, my body suddenly heavy with exhaustion. The room smelled familiar,laundry detergent, old books, the faint trace of Alice’s perfume still lingering in the air. That hit harder than I expected.
Ky noticed. Of course she did.
“You okay?” she asked, setting her keys down.
I nodded, even though it was only half-true. “Just… tired.”
She didn’t push. She never did.
I dropped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling again, like I’d done so many nights lately. Ky hovered for a moment, unsure, then pulled the desk chair closer and sat, resting her arms on the back of it.
“You want me to stay?” she asked. Not hopeful. Not demanding. Just offering.
“Yes,” I said immediately. Then, quieter, “Please.”
She smiled and kicked off her jacket, draping it over the chair. She didn’t climb onto the bed, didn’t invade my space. She just leaned back against it, close enough that I could feel her warmth through the mattress.
For a while, we said nothing.
My thoughts drifted, Alice at the pack house, probably rolling her eyes at Eunice’s theatrics. Eunice circling power like a vulture. Anastasia’s face flashing in my mind like a warning sign I couldn’t tear down.
“You’re shaking,” Ky murmured.
I hadn’t even noticed.
“I think,” I said slowly, “everything finally caught up to me.”
She reached back, her fingers brushing mine, grounding. “Then let it. You don’t have to hold it all together tonight.”
That was it. That was the crack.
Tears slid down my temples into my hair, silent and hot. I turned onto my side, curling inward, and Ky stood immediately, sitting on the edge of the bed this time. She didn’t ask. She just pulled me gently into her arms.
I clutched her jacket, breathing her in.
“I feel like I’m constantly choosing wrong,” I whispered.
Ky rested her chin lightly against my head. “Sometimes there isn’t a right choice. Just the one you survive.”
I laughed weakly through tears. “That’s not comforting.”
“I know,” she said softly. “But it’s honest.”
We stayed like that for a long time. No kissing.
I just played my head on her chest.
She stroked my hair. God, ky made me feel safe.
I looked at her, then to her lip.
I was going to do this, what was wrong with me.
As I reached for her lips, she turned her head.
I sighed and chuckles.
“ I'm sorry.” I said.
She didn't answer, she just stroked my hair harder. Like cursing herself for not kissing me back.
Eventually my breathing evened out, exhaustion dragging me under.
As sleep crept in, one thought settled quietly in my chest,not peaceful, not resolved, but steady.
Whatever storms were coming,Eunice, secrets, Anastasia. I wasn't alone in this moment.
And for now it was enough.
- Writer
