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“Feeling any better?” I asked, hoping that was an acceptable replacement for ‘are you okay?’ She’d specifically told me not to ask that, even if I was concerned; I wanted to respect her request.
Iris hugged her knees a little closer before slowly relaxing her shoulders, giving a small nod. Her breathing was still a little hitched, but she wasn’t in danger of hyperventilating anymore. “Yes, I’m… Ugh.” She shook her head, and when she looked up, her cheeks were dusted pink. “Sorry about that.”
I snorted softly. “What are you apologizing for?”
She shrugged. “Uh, I just had an anxiety attack in the middle of a crowd?” she replied, biting the inside of her mouth. “I feel like a loser.”
“Iris,” I said, slightly sharper than I had intended. It got her attention, anyway. “You are not a loser. What happened?”
Iris sighed. “Hannah first told me to ‘step off’, then she dragged me over to ‘meet her friends,” she admitted, looking a bit disgusted. I couldn’t help the growl that rolled up from my chest —That witch. “None of those men said anything to me — or if they did, I couldn’t hear it. I don’t like crowds and I just… lost it.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, reaching to squeeze her knee again. “Hannah shouldn’t have done that — if it makes you feel any better, one of the guys was trying to make sure you were okay.” I don’t know why I added that. I didn’t want her to like him, but I… I didn’t want to feed into Iris’ fear, either.
“Oh,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “I wouldn’t have stepped out if I knew she would do that. Or that you didn’t like crowds.”
Iris just shrugged, and I looked out towards the woods. “You want to get out of here?”
“And go where?”
“We could shift. Just for a little while.”
Iris hesitated for a moment before she nodded. I got to my feet and extended a hand, helping her up. Even the brush of her fingers against my palm made my skin feel warmer and I tried to force the feeling down.She’s had a hard, rough night already. You don’t need to make it weird on top of that.
Once we got to the woods, I stopped, looking over at her. “Do you want me to help bring your wolf forward again?” I asked. Casting your alpha over anyone wasn’t something to be taken lightly, and I didn’t want to assume that Iris would continually be okay with it just because it helped the first time.
She nodded more quickly this time. “I’d appreciate it,” she murmured.
I offered her a small smile and took a step back, giving myself space as I called my wolf forward. He came to me eagerly, stepping forward in perfect sync as I sank further into myself, allowing him to take the reins. When I opened my eyes again, I had to look up to meet Iris’ gaze — she watched me intently, a small smile on her lips as she leaned forward to cup my face in her hands again. I gave a pleased rumble, happy to bask in her attention for a moment before she shifted, too.
“You are the most handsome wolf I’ve ever seen,” she admitted, leaning forward to kiss the spot between my ears. After smoothing my fur back one last time, she stepped back and met my gaze. I could sense her pulling on her wolf and allowed myself to cast my alpha, but it wasn’t as difficult to coax her wolf forward this time. The tangles weren’t so knotted, the brambles weren’t so thick.
When the white wolf stepped forward to nip playfully at my cheek, she didn’t seem nearly as exhausted as the first time.
After the day she’d had, I decided it would be best to walk. Iris didn’t seem to have any issue with that, falling into step with me as we padded lazily through the wood. When we found our way to a clearing, we sat side by side. Her shoulder brushed mine, and warmth spread through me unexpectedly as her tail flopped over mine.
27
IRIS
The Woods
Travis County, Texas
As we sat, I felt my wolf slip away, but I didn’t mind. Eli shifted back moments later and somehow, wordlessly, we found ourselves arranged on the forest floor, my head in his lap as we basked in the last rays of the day. The inky darkness of night was creeping in from the east, but the ground was still warm and the long, low sunbeams felt good against my skin.
I exhaled happily, my thoughts drifting as one of Eli’s hands found my hair and began to massage my scalp. A groan escaped before I could stop it. “You know, if the whole finance thing doesn’t work out for you, you’d make an excellent masseuse,” I mumbled. I realized a moment later that probably sounded suggestive, but my brain still felt sluggish after the anxiety attack earlier.
Eli simply rumbled in his amusement, a sound I could feel more than hear. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmured, his voice gravelly. A shiver ran down my spine. “Should I work on your neck next? Your shoulders?”
Heat prickled across my skin. “I’m fine,” I murmured, eyes fluttering open.
“Hmm.” Eli leaned over, looking down at me. His dark hair fell loosely around his face. I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked, my heart shuddering in my chest.It’s just the golden hour, Iris. Everyone looks amazing in the golden hour — right?
He tipped his head. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
