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“I know it is, and I’d have met you under better circumstances if it were up to me, but I cannot control fate. You best pack your bags.”
“And go where?”
“Well … home. Your new home, that is.”
Iris’s lips shriveled inward as she turned away. She refused to look at the two men. Only when Derek heated her breakfast and placed it in front of her did her gaze move, but only to meet her meal.
An embarrassing stomach growl betrayed her hunger, and she regretfully tucked into her portion. All the while, Derek looked on as if waiting for feedback. He never heard from her, but it was satisfaction enough when Iris retreated into her bedroom, from which he heard the opening and closing of closets and cabinets.
Soon, she reappeared to a clean kitchen. Derek glanced between her face of disappointment and the pristine kitchen, knowing it’d be the last time she’d see it for a while, if ever. Smiling, he approached her with a hand held out.
“Allow me the favor of carrying your bags for you,” he said warmly.
“Give me a break.” She rolled her eyes, slapping his hand away.
With a huff, she hoisted her backpack over her shoulder and made for the door. Opening it, she gestured for the other two to leave first. Derek and Mason waited outside for her as she locked up.
“Poor girl,” he muttered to himself as he watched her back away from her home. “Are you ready, Iris?”
She turned to face him. He saw that her disappointment had turned into sadness, evident by a heavy frown as if weights were hanging from the corners of her mouth.
“No,” she said. “But who is when they have to leave home?”
Derek wondered for a moment if she felt the same way when she left her original pack. Together, the trio hit the road en route to the pack house.
FIVE
IRIS
Each step Iris took dragged along the ground. Her home of many years felt like a weight strapped to her ankle. Although she was deep into her reluctant journey to Derek’s pack house, she wasn’t entirely present.
She was separated from her spirit, part of her still left behind. Swallowing her pride, she pressed onward. All she could hope was that meeting with her friend, Ava, would soften the blow and make this change more palatable. Still, even the thought of Ava wasn't enough to completely do away with her reservations.
Walking in a line of three with Derek and Mason to her right, she passively listened to their chatter, tuning in and out as the two discussed matters both serious and trivial. Occasionally, she found herself glancing at Derek in particular.
I can’t believe he’s come and upstaged my life in less than a day…So why can't I be mad at him?
Deep inside, she knew the answer despite pretending to be ignorant. Derek was a charmer and not one with malicious intent. Iris trusted her heart, and right now, it was telling her that Derek was a different kind of pack leader from her previous one.
At least he didn’t force me into anything, but damn it, I spent so long building a new life for myself, and now I’ve got to start all over again.
Still, the presence of Derek served as an odd comfort, and Mason was at least tolerable.
Maybe, just maybe, this might all work out.
As they continued their trip, Derek’s company became more pleasant. Derek, when he wasn’t suffering from life-threatening injuries, was clever and entertaining. He bantered easily with both her and Mason, and she found herself giggling … giggling! She hadn’t even known she could make that noise anymore.
But skepticism still ran amok in her mind as they trod closer to her unknown new life.
“We’re almost there,” the pack leader said. “It’s just around the corner. I think you’ll like it, Iris. We’re quite proud of our humble dwelling.”
Iris flashed a nod, keeping her eyes pointed directly ahead. From around a thick tree, the two-story house came into view. Iris paused for a moment, thinking she was looking at an image ripped straight from a postcard.
The wooden house ahead buzzed with activity. Children ran to and fro, in and out of the home, their laughter ringing through the air, drifting upward as the smoke exuded from the chimney. They ran between the legs of adult members, some of whom sat around a small campfire set up outside the building.
Others tended to skewers of meat grilling atop a barbecue. Its mouthwatering aroma had Iris hungry despite having just eaten two hours ago. In front of the entrance was a veranda that stretched around the side of the house.
String lights hung from the gutters. Iris saw why her new pack leader took pride in it, and it certainly seemed safe, being hidden so deeply in the woods.
