Iris:
Waking up to find Kash in front of , rembering everything from the past day and a half, and then learning that my husband had always known I was a lycan, yet had never mocked , punished , or locked away for it, left in a different kind of shock.
It felt like I was moving through a new set of emotions all at once. I kept studying his face for several long monts after he told he knew my secret.
He also said he had spoken to my father about it, which I did not know how to feel about, since my father had never told .
"My father must be so worried," I said quietly, looking away from Kash.
I did not ask him to remove the restraints. I was still scared for the people in the mansion, for my children, and for anyone near .
"Walkin told him you’re stable, but your father will co in the morning. He’ll explain what happened during your first transition and what to expect," Kash replied, holding the glass of juice in his hand.
I looked up at him and noticed how calm and steady he seed.
The thought struck that I was a grown woman and had just gone through my first transition. I did not know how to feel about any of it.
My emotions were heightened, especially around my mate, who sat so close to .
"So you think just because you know my secret, I’ll forget everything you put through?" I asked.
I watched the softness on his face shift into concern.
"Can we talk about that later? Please drink so of this juice first," he said gently.
I stared at the glass for a few seconds, then shook my head. "No."
He set the juice aside and leaned forward, bracing his fists on the mattress beside .
"What?" I asked, frowning. "What is it now?"
"What are you angry about?" he asked quietly, as if he truly did not understand.
"You know what I am angry about," I said, blinking my eyes hard to not tear up again. My emotions were really all over the place now.
"I saw your crowning," I comnted.
My head tilted to the side.
"And? Did you not like the look of a crown on ?" he asked, trying to sound sweet, but it only made glare at him. He raised his hands, showing he was afraid of my reaction.
"And I also saw Lara with you. Why are you doing all this?" I told him, letting him know I was not delusional and not unaware of his attachnt to Lara.
Then I added the question because he was really confusing .
He had a flirtatious grin on his face.
"Shouldn’t that tell you sothing about my love for you?" he continued softly.
"That I am back here with you?" he added.
"That I don’t care who you are?" he asked.
He kept speaking softly while I shook my head and raised my shoulder to rub my cheek against it, wiping away the tear."It makes wonder how good you are at convincing two won that you care about both of them at the sa ti. I refuse to be fooled like Lara," I comnted, watching the grin start to leave his face.
As he shifted in his spot, I understood that he was once again trying to convince of his love.
"Where is Lara?" I asked.
This ti, he looked much more confident as he answered, "She’s back where she should be, with her father."
I let out a scoff at his words because he was making it seem like she would not return or that she could not return.
She was his marked mate. Of course, she would co back.
"I don’t believe anything you say," I comnted.
"At least accept this from . You don’t even trust enough to take a glass of juice from ?" he asked, fixing his coat with his hand that made him look so sexy.
"Just the juice, can’t you even trust with your food?"
It sounded more like a statent. I could not tell if this was so kind of test.
"I told you, you need to tell the truth. You need to tell why you cheated on , because every ti you speak, you give excuses," I hissed, sounding like repeating myself.
He closed his eyes without moving, and when he opened them again, they were red, as if the question hurt him.
"You know what? I have always given you the sa answer. It was for the crown and the Blue River water, because the territory is precious," he replied, letting out a slow and shallow breath.
If he thought that was enough, he was wrong.
"So you did cheat on . You chose the crown over ," I said, and my voice broke. I had been emotional since my failed transition.
Even my limbs hurt, but I would not tell Kash. I was still angry.
"Iris, just forgive . I am already crowned. I will leave Lara for you, okay?" he claid with a smile on his lips.
He did not realize it would make him look worse. He thought using soone and then ditching them would make appreciate him?
I let out a short laugh in disbelief.
"Have you told her the sa thing?"
I saw a flicker of hesitation on his face, and anger rushed through .
"You did, didn’t you?" I raised my voice. His eyes widened at the change in my tone. "I can’t believe this. And you’re here trying to make believe you’ll send her away. This is not about her leaving, Kash. This is about you and your betrayal. Don’t you understand?"
Tears ran down my cheeks as I spoke. He reached to wipe them away, but I slapped his hand aside.
"You can send away if you want, but don’t expect to forgive you," I muttered.
He nodded and rubbed his face with both hands before leaning back.
"I will find a way for you to move around safely during your first transition. I will have to put the entire territory on lockdown for a while. For now, you can rest," he said quietly. "Then you can return to your duties. And I hope one day you will see that Lara never ant anything to , and I never cheated on you. Just give one chance to prove it all to you."
He did not wait for my response. He stood, took off his coat, set it on the couch, and then ca back to the bed.
"I gave you many chances," I replied even when he didn’t want it.
I thought he would lie on the couch, but he did not. He climbed into the bed beside .
"You are not sleeping in the sa bed as ," I grunted under my breath.
He made a small hand gesture as if dismissing the protest, then sat up and pulled off his shirt.
I noticed faint scratches across his skin. I did not have ti to ask about them before he slipped under the covers.
The blankets shifted as he settled, and I watched him, wondering what he was doing, until he tossed his pants aside.
I realized he was either completely naked under the covers or wearing only shorts.
After a few seconds of staring at him in disbelief, I realized he had actually fallen asleep. I pulled the blanket around myself and drifted off too.
At so point during the night, I felt him shift closer. As much as I hated how easily I softened when he was near, this ti I stayed firm.
I had warned him so many tis to tell the truth. Every ti, he gave the sa answer about his betrayal.
He had always been clear. I was the one who refused to accept it.
So I lifted my hand and pushed him away. The brush of his bare chest made my stomach tighten, but I held my ground.
Thankfully, he did not try to pull back once he understood I did not want him close.
When I woke in the morning, he was already up, moving around the room shirtless and doing push-ups, breathing hard with each motion.
"Seriously, Kash, you don’t act like this every day. Are you trying to piss off?" I asked as I sat up and threw a pillow at him.
He straightened, placed his hands on his waist, and took a deep breath. He twitched his shoulders, showing off his muscles, while I rolled my eyes. Then he began to speak in a sweet yet confident and playful tone.
"I have put the entire pack on lockdown. It’s ti for you to transition, my queen."
With that, he began to walk toward to unhook from the bed so I could move freely. The anger in my veins had faded, replaced by anxiety about how my first transition would go.
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