Chapter 12 The silence after the hurt
IRIS
It’s been a week since the humiliation at the Lycan’s Haven.
A week since I stood like a fool while another girl kissed Darian in front of me like she owned him.
I’ve skipped every tutoring session with Adrian. And he hasn’t reached out. Not even once.
Part of me hates that. That he could invite me to that stupid dinner, then disappear without a single word, no explanation, no apology. Like what I saw was a fragment of an imagination.
But… a smaller, more fragile part of me is glad he didn’t. I don’t know what I would’ve said if he had. Screamed? Cried? Begged for answers?
Pathetic.
Still, a part of me hoped. Hoped he’d show up. Say something. Prove me wrong.
But silence is louder than any excuse.
Every day, after school, I’d return to my room and pause. A scent clinging to the air, deep, musky, him. I’d stand at the door, breathing it in, heart pounding, convinced I’m imagining things.
It has to be the mark playing tricks on me. Filling the space with illusions just to keep me tethered to someone who was never mine.
I haven’t told Daisy about the scent. She’d tell me to see a healer. Maybe I should. Because this pull, this invisible thread between us, isn’t weakening. It’s growing heavier.
Most nights, I cry myself to sleep. Not the quiet kind, either. The aching kind. The kind where your chest tightens so bad you forget how to breathe. I clutch my pillow, whispering curses at his name. Then, whispering it again with longing.
He didn’t even look at me.
Not once.
That’s the part I can’t get over. He knew I was there. He must have. He must have sensed my presence, smelled my scent. Yet he let her have that moment with him. In front of me.
I’m exhausted. Not just from the hurt. From the confusion. The way this whole thing, Darian, Adrian, the Haven has uprooted my entire existence.
I was never supposed to be part of their world. I don’t even know who I am in mine anymore.
The clinking of mugs and low hum of chatter fill the campus café. I stir my drink without tasting it, eyes unfocused as Daisy rambles on about some assignment. Her voice fades into the background. Nothing seems to land these days.
Then a shadow falls across our table.
“Miss me, ladies?”
That cocky, too-smooth voice.
I look up to see Adrian sliding into the seat across from us, his usual smirk plastered on like armor. His hair’s a little messy, like he just rolled out of bed and decided to charm the world.
Daisy blinks. “Oh. Hey, Adrian.”
I don’t say a word.
“Don’t all jump up at once,” he adds, popping a fry into his mouth. “Thought I’d add some sparkle to your sad little table.”
That’s it.
“We’re leaving,” I say flatly, grabbing my bag and standing.
Daisy hesitates. “Iris-”
I don’t wait. I’m already walking out, my boots hitting the tile harder than they need to.
Behind me, I hear Adrian mutter a quick, “Daisy,” and then footsteps chasing after mine.
“Iris,” he calls, not loud enough to draw attention but firm enough to mean it.
I ignore him.
“Iris, come on. Can you stop being dramatic for two seconds?”
I whirl around, eyes blazing. “You invited me to that place knowing she’d be there.”
He halts, caught off guard. “What are you talking about?”
“You could’ve warned me. You let me walk in there just to watch her hang off him like that.”
He exhales sharply. “You think I knew she’d be there?”
“You didn’t not know.” I shake my head and turn again, but he follows.
“I didn’t plan to hurt you, Iris.”
I stop again. “But you didn’t care if I did get hurt.”
He goes quiet.
That silence says enough.
I shake my head and keep walking, this time without stopping. He doesn’t follow.
I don’t get far before his voice reaches me again, a little sharper this time.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, halting mid-step. I don’t turn to face him. “Why didn’t you tell me there was… someone else in Darian’s life?”
He’s quiet for a beat. Then he asks.
“Would that have stopped you?”
I finally turn, eyes locking with his.
Would it have?
The truth burns behind my tongue, but I say nothing. My silence is enough.
Adrian exhales, almost like a laugh but without any humor. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
I turn again.
But he doesn’t let me leave. He falls into step beside me, hands shoved into his jacket pockets.
“You’re acting like I set you up to be embarrassed,” he mutters. “But for the record, Darian isn’t even into Adira like that.”
I whip my head toward him. “I didn’t ask to know her name.”
His jaw twitches. “You wanted answers. Now you have one.”
That wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but I said nothing.
Adrian clicks his tongue and says with a lopsided grin, “Well, now that that’s out of the way, can I get my tutor back?”
I stop walking again and turn to him with a deadpan stare. “No.”
He tilts his head, mock confusion playing on his face. “No? That’s not very professional of you.”
I roll my eyes. “Our deal is over, Adrian.”
“Says who?” he smirks. “I don’t recall signing a termination clause.”
“Because you stood me up,” I snap. “For days.”
He shrugs. “I was giving you space. You seemed emotionally… volatile.”
I shoot him a glare, and he raises his hands in surrender.
Then, I exhale and ask, more seriously this time, “Why are you suddenly so interested in tutoring anyway? You didn’t care before.”
He pauses, the sarcasm draining slightly from his tone. “Because I actually did well in the last test. First time I didn’t completely bomb it. And… I really need your help.”
I stare at him for a long second. He’s not joking. For once, he’s being sincere.
“I’ll think about it,” I say.
“Thinking about it is a yes in slow motion,” he grins.
I keep walking. “Don’t push your luck.”