~Iris

He caressed my face with the back of his knuckles, slowly and deliberately, as if he were memorizing every curve.

“My beautiful little wolf,” he murmured, his voice raspy with something that sounded almost wondrous.

Then his mouth crashed against mine, hard, hungry, utterly devoid of gentleness. His teeth caught my lower lip, biting hard enough to break the skin.

I moaned against him, the stinging mingling with the pleasure until blood gushed between us, sliding with our saliva as our tongues tangled.

His hand slid down my side, slipping beneath the thin fabric of my dress without tearing it this time. His fingers found my breast, holding it possessively, his thumb rolling over my nipple before pinching it hard.

The pleasure pierced me, sharp, but something broke.

I pulled away, breaking the kiss, and slapped him across the face. The sound echoed loudly in the silent suite.

He didn't flinch. He just touched the red mark blooming on her cheek and smiled slowly, dangerously.

I straightened my dress in one swift motion, my hands trembling as I adjusted the straps.

“Please,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “Let this end here. I appreciate you making me go back to school. If that’s the price and you want it paid with sex, once was enough.”

She bowed her head, her eyes half-closed, that smile never leaving her lips.

“Are you trying to take the hard way now?” he asked, low and calm, as if he wasn’t offering any options, as if my no didn’t matter.

I stepped back towards the door.

“I will find you,” he said, his voice dropping to a growl. “I will hunt you down if you try to run, Iris.”

Her eyes hardened.

I didn't wait.

I turned and ran out, my heels clicking rapidly on the marble, out of the suite, past the guards who didn't dare to stop me.

I went down in the elevator.

Towards night.

Fleeing from the man who had marked me.

Knowing deep down that he wasn't lying.

He would hunt me down.

And a part of me, God help me, wasn't sure if I wanted him to catch me... or if I wanted to keep running away forever.

I hailed a taxi outside the hotel, slipping into the back seat before the driver could even ask where I was going.

My hands were still shaking as I lowered the mirror from the visor and wiped my face with my jacket sleeve, erasing the smudged mascara, the swollen lips, the faint red marks from his grip.

I looked like I'd been crying, or worse. I couldn't let Alice see me like that.

“Academy dormitories,” I murmured to the driver, my voice hoarse.

He nodded and stepped away from the curb. The city lights blurred outside the window, but he could barely see them.

My neck throbbed where he had left the mark, my lips burned from the bite, and between my legs… I shifted in my seat, hating how my body still buzzed with the memory of him.

I couldn't do this again. I wouldn't.

By the time the taxi pulled into the academy gates, I'd fixed my hair, smoothed out my dress, and practiced a neutral expression in my phone's reflection. Normal. Tired. Nothing had happened.

I paid the driver and got out, the cool night air hitting my flushed skin like a slap. The bedroom was quiet, most of the lights off, a few windows glowing.

Alice's Ferrari was parked in its spot, which meant she was already inside.

I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and went up the stairs to our floor.

Nobody would know.

I repeated it like a mantra as I turned the key in the lock, praying that Alice was asleep or at least distracted enough not to notice how my pulse was still racing, or the faint scent of him that I couldn't quite get rid of.

I entered the bedroom as quietly as I could, carefully closing the door behind me. My heels dangled from one hand, my purse slung over my shoulder.

The lights were low, but Alice was sitting on the bed, arms crossed, eyes fixed on me.

“Do you want to get away from telling me where you went and come back so late?” she asked, her voice sharp but tinged with something hurt underneath.

I was so tired of the excuses. Tired of lying. Tired of pretending everything was okay when nothing was.

I dropped my heels and purse to the floor with a soft thud, crossed the room in three strides, and closed the door completely behind me.

Then I grabbed her by the neck, gently but firmly, and pulled her towards me.

I kissed her hungrily, desperately, as if I could pour all the chaos I carried inside into her mouth and silence it.

My tongue pushed past her lips, tasting her surprise, then her surrender as she kissed me with equal force.

His hands moved up to my waist, gripping tightly, pulling me closer until I was half on the bed, half straddling it.

This was familiar. This was safe. This was what I knew.

Even though my body still burned from the touch of another man.

Even though the mark on my neck pulsed with every beat of my heart, reminding me who I truly loved.

I kissed her more deeply, trying to drown it all out: the guilt, the fear, the terrifying truth that she was already too lost with her father.

She moaned into my mouth, her fingers sliding under my top, and for a moment I let myself believe I could still choose her.

That he had not yet lost the fight.

The kiss quickly became frantic. Alice's hands slid down my back, her nails digging in just enough to sting, pulling me down until I was completely on top of her, my knees straddling her hips.

It tasted of salt and the cherry lip balm she always used, the familiar flavor she had longed for for years.

I kissed her more deeply, trying to lose myself in it, trying to erase the memory of her mouth, her teeth, her threats.

She arched toward me, moaning softly, her fingers tangling in my hair. “Iris,” she whispered against my lips, her voice thick with need. “I’ve missed you like this.”

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just kissed her harder, sliding a hand under her tank top, cupping her breast, my thumb brushing against her nipple until she gasped.

Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, and for a moment it worked; the warmth between us grew, familiar and safe.

But then the mark on my neck pulsed, hot and insistent, as if it knew I was trying to forget.

I broke the kiss, breathing heavily, my forehead pressed against hers.

She looked at me, her eyes dark, her lips swollen. “Don’t stop,” she murmured, her hand sliding toward the button of my jeans. “Please. I need you.”

Guilt twisted in my gut. I wanted to give her this, give her everything. But my body was already betraying me again, yearning for someone else.

I moved away from her, lying on my back next to her, staring at the ceiling.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m just… exhausted.”

She turned to me, resting her head on her hand. “This isn’t just tiredness, Iris. Talk to me.”

I closed my eyes. The mark burned more intensely.

“I can’t,” I said. “Not yet.”

She was silent for a long moment. Then she leaned down and kissed my shoulder, gently, forgivingly.

“Okay,” she said. “But I’m not going anywhere.”

I nodded, my throat tight.

But while she snuggled up against my side and fell asleep, I remained awake, staring into the darkness.

The bond hummed beneath my skin, patient and relentless.

He was out there.

And no matter how hard I tried to stay here, with Alice, with the life I knew, I could feel myself being pulled back.