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The Alpha watched as she grabbed bandages and walked back to the common room. For a few moments, he remained in the healing room and recounted his luck at finding a mate like Iris. He really hoped that she’d come around to the mate bond sooner rather than later.
SEVEN
IRIS
Iris sighed deeply as she sank into the plush armchair in the nursery, the rambunctious cries and laughter of the pack's children echoing off the colorful walls. The aftermath of the brutal rogue attack had left her emotionally drained, but as she watched the pups play, she felt a wave of protective love wash over her.
Their resilience and joy filled her heart even amidst the chaos. She smiled as two of the youngest, Emma and Lucas, toddled over to her, their tiny hands clinging to picture books.
"Will you read to us, Iris?" Emma asked as Lucas nodded eagerly, his sandy hair flopping over his bright blue eyes.
"Of course, sweetheart." Iris patted her lap. The two pups scrambled up, jostling for space to cuddle close to her as she opened the first book. As she read, her voice rose and fell, spinning silly animal tales that soon had the babes giggling. The sweet weight and warmth of them soothed her soul.
Across the room, she spotted Ava entertaining a group of older children with a puzzle game, her smile radiant despite her lingering bruises. Iris was thankful beyond measure that her dear friend was safe. Seeing Ava embrace her role amongDerek's pack, clearly respected and happy, filled Iris with cautious optimism.
Maybe, just maybe, this could be a fresh start for me.
As she finished the last book, Emma and Lucas bounded off to play. Iris rose, stretching her stiff muscles before meandering about the room, often stopping to admire the pups’ colorful artwork or assist with minor squabbles. She breathed deeply, allowing the peace and joyful energy to push out the last clinging shadows of fear and sorrow.
"They adore you, you know," came a friendly voice behind her. Iris turned to see Clara, one of the pack's caregivers, her auburn hair escaping its bun in wispy tendrils as she cradled a fussy baby on her hip. "They haven't stopped talking about you since the attack. How you kept them all so calm. You're a natural protector."
Iris blushed faintly at the unexpected praise. "It was all instinct, I guess. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt them." She ran a gentle finger over the downy hair of Clara's young charge.
Clara gave her a knowing smile. "Spoken like a true Luna. We're blessed to have you with us, Iris. However it came about."
Before Iris could reply, Clara nodded toward the antique clock on the wall. "Suppertime soon. Want to lend a hand?"
Iris agreed readily, trailing after Clara into the large, well-equipped kitchen. There was a homey warmth here that eased the remaining tightness in Iris's chest. She listened with quiet joy as Clara gave her a brisk rundown of all the favorite foods as they gathered ingredients and pans. Soon, mouthwatering scents filled the air … roasting vegetables, fresh bread, and sweet berries bubbling into sauce.
As the pups began filtering into the dining hall, drawn by the aromatic feast, Iris felt a glow of accomplishment. She ladled servings onto tiny plates amid the happy chaos, marveling athow quickly her feelings toward this unknown pack had shifted from wariness to affection.
Maybe Fate wasn't so unkind, gifting me with this new life after all.
Supper passed in a blur of voracious mouths, spilled milk, and piping hot plates. Iris swiftly lost count of the little bodies she cut meat for, hands she steadied on too-full cups, and happy faces she wiped clean after dessert. Her hands were soon stained purple from blackberry sauce, but her smile came easily.
As the older kids helped tidy up, Iris gave in to Emma and Lucas's pleas for just one bedtime story. Curled up with the sleepy heads and Ava in the nursery's cozy reading nook, Iris turned the colorful pages, spinning a tale about a brave pack who welcomed in a lonely wolf.
Emma was soon snuggled in her lap while Lucas leaned against her shoulder, fighting his yawns. The other pups gradually migrated closer as Iris wove descriptions of the kindly alpha pair opening their territory to the timid lone wanderer.
"Soon, the lonely wolf wasn't lonely anymore," Iris whispered as she finished. "She had found where she belonged."
Soothed by comforting scents and warmth, the young ones drifted off one by one. Emma and Lucas were nearly asleep against her when she glanced up to find Derek in the doorway, his eyes crinkling with quiet pride. She finished her story and bid the children goodnight, leaving them in Clara’s care before she and Derek finally sought out their own bed in the alpha's suite.
He took her hand as they walked up the stairs, and she didn’t pull away. It felt natural and right in a way that she hadn’t expected. Perhaps fate knew what it was doing, after all, because being with Derek was beginning to feel like where she should have been all along.
Her inner wolf preened happily at Derek's woodsy, masculine scent, wreathing his … their … private rooms. Perhapsthis powerful bond between them wasn't entirely unwelcome, Iris mused. Still, she decided she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that outright.
When they got to their rooms, she turned to greet him in their newfound privacy. As alpha, she had learned quickly that it was just easier to wait for the right moment to talk to him unless she wanted the rest of the pack in on the conversation.
His hands slid familiarly, possessively, over her hips as he drew her close, and something that had been stringently knotted inside her ever since she had run from her old pack abruptly loosened. Here, she was wanted. Needed. Protected.
"Everything go okay tonight?" she asked softly, leaning into his strength. Through their growing bond, she sensed both his satisfaction and lingering concern. Word of Cyrus’s vicious attack had spread. Other wolf packs were uneasy.
"Better than expected," Derek admitted. "Having you at my side, even metaphorically, makes all the difference.”
Iris smiled up at him then, looking at this complex mate Fate had gifted her. She knew with sudden clarity that she would slay any monster, cross any sea, to keep this little family she had so unexpectedly gained. Though she sensed only patience and compassion radiating through their bond, part of her still braced for judgment at her next words.
"You know some of why I left my birth pack, thanks to Ava," she began slowly, dropping her gaze to an imaginary piece of lint on her shirt. "But there's more that drove me into isolation."
