Chapter 138 Beautiful chaos
DAISY
Adrian pushes open the iron gates with one hand, like they weigh nothing. They swing inward with that familiar creaking groan, the sound echoing through the courtyard and bouncing off the towering stone walls.
I’ve walked through these gates before but something about the place always gives me a weird tight feeling in my chest. Not fear. Not awe. Just… awareness.
Like the air has teeth and the ground has a heartbeat.
But today I’m not thinking about the walls or the watchtowers or the Lycans stationed above, scanning every corner like world-class guard dogs.
I’m thinking about her.
And then my gaze drifts to the far end of the garden.
And I see her.
She’s kneeling in the grass with her back half-turned, hair messy and piled in a bun at the crown of her head. She’s humming to herself, touching the petals of some delicate blue flowers like they’re the most fascinating things on the planet.
My heart punches my ribs.
It’s been too long.
“Iris!” I yell before my brain even engages my mouth.
She freezes, head snapping up. Her whole face lights up like a lantern.
“DAISY?!”
She springs up so fast she nearly trips over the flowerbed, but she recovers and sprints toward me at full speed. I’m already running too, legs pumping, practically flying across the lawn.
We collide in an explosion of limbs and laughter and bad coordination.
“I MISSED YOU!” I scream.
“I MISSED YOU MORE!” she screams back, squeezing me so tight my lungs threaten to file a complaint.
We hop. Actually, hop. Up and down like two overgrown children who’ve just been reunited at summer camp.
Behind us, Adrian groans. “Gods, why do I bring you two anywhere…”
Neither of us acknowledge him. We’re too busy clinging to each other like one of us is about to vanish.
“You look amazing!” I say breathlessly, pulling back but keeping her cheeks cupped between my palms. “Like alive, radiant, hydrated. Does royal life come with free skincare?”
She snorts. “You look exhausted.”
“I AM. Campus is actual hell without you.”
She laughs, wiping at a tear. “I missed your dramatics.”
“My dramatics kept me sane while you were here living your enchanted-wolf-princess life!”
“I really wasn’t-”
“You absolutely were,” I insist, linking my arm through hers. “Now come on. Gossip. Whispers. Scandal. Take me to your room; I’m ready.”
She rolls her eyes but leads me across the courtyard. Two guards nod as we pass.
We enter the main hall, weaving through stone corridors that I’ve already partially memorized: left turn after the tapestry with wolves howling, stairs by the moonlit mosaic, right turn near the alcove where I once saw a warrior sharpening a dagger with way too much enthusiasm.
“Has anything changed here?” I ask as we climb. “Any mysterious new relatives? Secret tunnels? Did someone overthrow someone else? Because honestly that seems to happen here a lot.”
Iris shakes her head, smiling. “Nothing dramatic. Well… sort of.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Sort of?! What does sort of mean??”
She pushes open her bedroom door, and the familiar scent of vanilla and forest air washes over me. It’s cozy and bright, the bed covered in fluffy blankets, the window wide open to let in the breeze.
I fling myself onto the bed, arms spread. “Okay. Spill everything. I mean everything. Start with how many times Darian has glared at someone this week.”
She sits beside me cross-legged, twisting her fingers in her lap. “Actually… I have big news.”
My jaw drops instantly. “ARE YOU PREGNANT?”
She gasps so loud she chokes. “DAISY!”
“What?!” I demand. “You said big! Pregnancy is big!”
“Why is that your first conclusion?!”
“Because it’s either pregnancy, death, or a wedding. And your hair looks too shiny for grief.”
She smacks my leg. “Stop talking.”
“Ow! Rude!”
“You deserved that.”
“Admit that if I were right, it would’ve been iconic.”
“No!”
I grin. “Fine. If you’re not pregnant, then please tell me the prophecy was a misunderstanding. Maybe the Moon Goddess needs glasses. Maybe someone misread the scroll. Maybe…”
“No,” she says softly.
And just like that, the joking fizzles out of me.
“Oh,” I whisper.
She forces a small smile, like she’s trying to pivot away from the heaviness. “But that’s not what I wanted to tell you.”
“Okay,” I murmur. “Okay. Then tell me the real big news.”
She takes a breath.
“Darian and I… are having our mating ceremony.”
Silence.
“You’re WHAT?”
“In three days.”
There’s a moment where my brain needs a reboot reboot, but then I explode.
“I KNEW IT!” I practically throw myself on top of her. “YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED! A WHOLE CEREMONY! A WHOLE OFFICIAL WOLF ROYAL EVENT, IRIS, YOU’RE GOING TO BE A LYCAN BRIDE!”
She laughs, cheeks flushing. “It’s not exactly a wedding.”
“It IS and I REFUSE to hear otherwise!”
She’s giggling so hard she can barely sit upright.
“I am SO happy for you,” I say, pulling her into another tight hug. “Seriously. After everything you’ve been through? You deserve something beautiful.”
Her voice cracks a little. “Yeah. I really think… we both do.”
I lean back and clap loudly. “Okay. Planning mode. We have seventy two . We need dresses, shoes, jewelry, flowers, OH MY GOD, FLOWERS!”
“Daisy.”
“…and matching colors, and hair trials, and makeup trials, and probably hand-woven moon-blessed lace because these people are fancy as hell.”
“DAISY!”
“…and maybe coordinated wolf howls? Do weddings here have ceremonial howling? Should I start warming up my vocal cords? Because I can go ‘Awoooo’ pretty convincingly if I practice.”
“STOP.”
She throws a pillow directly into my face.
I catch it dramatically. “I will not stop. I am your maid of honor whether you ask or not.”
She groans. “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“And yet you did.” I grin. “Face it. You need my genius.”
“Debatable.”
“You need my passion.”
“Not really…”
“You need my ability to make everything ten times more chaotic.”
She gives up. Completely. “Okay, that one is true.”
I beam. “See? Progress.”
She lies back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“A mating ceremony?” I ask, turning to look at her. “Or marrying a walking mountain with perfect hair?”
She side-eyes me. “Both.”
I flop down beside her. “Do you love him?”
Her face softens in a way that makes me smile.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “I really do.”
“Then everything else will work itself out,” I say confidently. “And if it doesn’t, I’ll fight fate myself.”
She snorts. “How exactly?”
“I’ll punch the goddess in the face.”
She bursts into laughter again. “Please don’t.”
“No promises.”
We stay there in comfortable silence for a few seconds.
Then I shoot upright. “Okay. Do I need a dress? Is it formal? Casual? Semi-formal? Do Lycans rip clothes mid-ceremony? Because if so, I need something cheap.”
She rubs her face. “Why are you like this?”
“It’s a gift.”
“You’re a menace.”
“And you love me anyway,” I sing.
She sighs, defeated but smiling. “Yeah. I do.”
I grin triumphantly. “Now tell me everything. Colors? Location? Do you want fresh flowers? Silk? Do I need to tame your hair for the ceremony or are we going full ethereal goddess?”
She holds up a hand. “Stop. Breathe.”
I inhale dramatically.
Then lean forward, eyes gleaming. “Iris. We have so much planning to do.”
She gives a tiny, resigned nod. “I know.”
“And I’m not letting you get away with half-hearted choices,” I threaten. “This is your big moment. Your magical mated royal destiny wedding.”
“You are not calling it that.”
“I AM calling it that.”
She groans, burying her face into a pillow. “This is going to be chaos.”
“Beautiful chaos,” I correct.
She sighs. Softly.
“That’s why I asked Adrian to bring you over.”