Chapter 113
Arthur stares at me for a moment, his breath warm across my face in the cramped closet. Then, without a word, he turns and rushes after her, likely to do damage control.
Once I’m alone again, a soft whimper escapes my throat before I can stop it. I lean my head back against the wall, staring up at the dark ceiling, and suck in a deep lungful of air. As I try to steady myself, a resolve settles over me.
I need to get a grip on myself now, before I’m faced with another heartbreak. This is the consequence of living with him, of seeing him every day. I’ve grown nostalgic, tender. I need to harden my heart again, just as I have done a hundred times before, and focus on one thing and one thing only.
My son.
Taking another deep breath, I reach into my purse and pull out Hunter’s business card.
I don’t want to take any offers, but maybe I should take his. I need that residency at Abbott Gallery. For Miles‘ sake
And mine.
Arthur
I hate that I have to leave Iris behind, but the potential damage Selina could cause if she decides to be vindictive about it is too great. I find Selina moving toward the dance floor, and to my surprise, she doesn’t pull away as I stride up to her and loop my arm through hers, leading her further into the crowd.
She just glances up at me through her lashes, a small smile playing on her lips, then positions herself to dance with me. I cup her hand in mine, my other settling on her waist.
“Having some fun in the closet?” she purrs in my ear as we begin to sway.
My chest tightens. That was more than ‘some fun‘; it was a release of five years of pressure, a necessary binding between myself and Iris. I couldn’t control myself anymore, not when I saw that man obviously flirting with her. She’s mine, no one else’s, and she looks fucking devastatingly beautiful tonight, and I needed her.
But I don’t say that to Selina. Rather, I calm my expression and reply, “I apologize. That wasn’t very tactful of me. I shouldn’t let my emotions take over like that in public.”
Selina scoffs and looks away. The smile on her face is serene, but her long, sharp nails dig into my shoulder as we move on the dance floor. “Well, she’s becoming a public figure in Ordan rather quickly. More quickly than I was expecting.”
“Yes, she is,” I admit. “Which means I’ll run the risk of seeing her in public like this more often. I’ll have to come up with a plan to keep my wolf from acting out.”
“I know a way,” Selina says, looking up at me once more. My stomach drops slightly before she even says the next words: “Unmark her. She cannot choose another mate, but you can. You’d both be free of your… urges toward one another.”
Her words leave me taken aback. She is right, to be fair; wolves can willingly mark one another, allowing them to choose a mate rather than relying on fate. Humans cannot do the same, so unless I were to mark someone else, Iris is essentially stuck being bound to me.
If I were to mark or be marked by another wolf, then Iris would be free and so would I.
But I don’t want that, of course. I doubt Iris really wants that, either.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 113
I stare at Selina, my eyes narrowing. “What are you suggesting?” I ask, even though I think I already know the
answer.
Selina’s eyes flash. “Let me mark you,” she says, her nails digging harder into my shoulder. “We can be mates, in love in both public and private.”
“Selina-”
“Think about it,” she cuts me off. “Wouldn’t it be easier? You won’t need to worry about that lowly human anymore–you’d have me.” She stops moving, taking a step closer. Her head tilts back, exposing the almost predatory look in her eyes. “I could make you happy, Arthur. You could learn to love me.”
My eyes widen, mouth parting.
But before I can speak, she kisses me.
.
