Chapter 44
Iris
I’m frozen as the car barrels toward me. Frozen in space
time, body. The driver is slamming on the brakes, the air filling with the
sound of tires screeching, but there isn’t enough time for the car to stop before it hits me.
All 1 can do is wait, bracing myself for impact. And all I can think about is Miles, who will never understand why his mother left.
him
But then, suddenly, something slams into me–and it’s not the car. It’s Arthur’s warm, sturdy body.
We slam to the pavement on the other side of the street, cold, damp asphalt biting into my back through the thin fabric of my
dress. The world blurs, ebbing and flowing briefly at the edges as my head hits the ground, but I’m alive.
Alive.
Breathless, I stare up at Arthur, who’s sandwiching me against the ground. Our chests heave against one another, and although I
can faintly hear the sound of shouts, brakes squealing, and car doors slamming in the distance, I can’t tear my gaze away from
his.
In this moment, something hot and fiery flickers to life inside of me. It’s the same thing that ignited that night we kissed in the alley, when his hands roamed across every familiar contour of my body like we’d never been apart.
But it’s different now, more tender and yet somehow more intense at the same time.
Nothing in the world matters more than my mate in this moment. My entire universe could fill with the green color of his panicked eyes, the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around me, the warmth of his body cocooning me.
I want him more than anything. Without even meaning to, my eyes flick to his lips, yearning to close the sliver of distance between us and kiss him. It’s a primal, almost irresistible urge driven by the intense mate bond that we share, and I know he feels
it, too.
But then reality returns as the driver comes skidding to a halt beside us. “Holy shit, are you okay? Why did you jump out in the
street like that?”
I blink, shaking off the spell that briefly overtook me. “L…” Arthur pulls back and helps me sit up, and I press my fingers into my temple. When I pull them away, there’s a bit of blood on my fingertips from scraping against the pavement, but otherwise I feel
fine. “I’m sorry. I just forgot…”
Before I can finish, Arthur pulls me close again and begins to check me over. He turns my head this way and that, inspecting me
for injury.
His touch is tender, but I have to remind myself that he’s likely only worried that if I got hurt, it would weaken him as well due to
our mate bond. If a werewolf’s mate gets injured, especially if their mate is a human, then they’ll sustain similar injuries.
1/2
And the Alpha President of Ordan can’t show any weakness, after all,
“I’m fine,” I mutter, waving off the driver’s offer to call an ambulance. “Really, I’m fine.”
+20 Bonus
Both Arthur and the driver don’t look entirely convinced, but don’t press. I stand, and my legs are a little wobbly, but I think it’s
mostly from fear and adrenaline rather than injury. Arthur’s hands linger on my arms. I harden myself to his touch and try to pull
away, refusing to let our bond manipulate me again.
However, Arthur doesn’t let go. His face is grim as he carefully scoops me up into his arms, ignoring my protests while he carries
me–over to a nearby bench. He sets me down like I’m made of glass, and by now, my cheeks are bright red.
“I’m fine,” I reiterate under my breath. “Really. Thank you for saving me.”
Arthur takes a seat next to me, and for a moment we just sit there in stunned silence, still catching our breath. His disguise is still
–
in place or maybe he just picked up his hat and quickly tugged it back on before anyone could see who he was, despite our near-
death experience. I’m not really sure if I want to know.
After a few moments, Arthur turns to me. “Will you talk to me now? It’s the least you can do after I saved your life.”
I purse my lips, but realize he’s sort of right. “Fine,” I mutter.
Arthur takes a deep breath. “You keep calling yourself my mistress, claiming that I chose Selina over you,” he says. “But that
couldn’t be further from the truth.”
I narrow my eyes but let him continue.
“Selina…. Our ‘marriage‘ is nothing but a political arrangement,” he goes on, keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard.
“I’m not in love with her, Iris. I never was. We literally just signed a contract to get married and appear as such in public because her family is extremely powerful. And besides, Ordan isn’t… ready for a human Luna.”
