Chapter 146 Between his claws and his heart
IRIS
I run through the forest, mud sucking at my boots, rain dripping from my hair. My heart pounds in my chest like it’s trying to escape. Every branch I shove aside, every step I take, carries a single thought: I need to reach him before he loses himself completely.
The sound of snarling reaches my ears, and I know immediately I’m too late. Darian is there. He’s on top of Zeus, teeth bared, claws digging into the wet earth. Blood and mud streak across both of them. The sight makes my stomach twist, my hands clench.
I pause for a heartbeat, taking in the chaos. Rain drips down my face, mingling with tears I don’t bother wiping away. I feel the pull in my chest, the magnet of his rage and grief, and I know—if I don’t act, this ends in death.
Without thinking, I step forward.
“Darian!” I shout, and the sound of my voice cuts through the storm. It freezes him mid-lunge. His head snaps toward me, eyes wide, fury burning in the depths.
I plant myself firmly between them. Mud squelches beneath my boots, rain dripping down my neck, but I don’t move. I won’t move. “Stop.” My voice is louder this time, hard as steel, unyielding.
Darian’s eyes narrow. He stares at me, disbelief flickering across his face, his chest heaving with every ragged breath. “Iris… what are you doing?” His voice is low, dangerous, like a growl restrained just enough to not rip through the forest.
I step closer to him. My gaze locks with his, unwavering. “I’m stopping you.”
He tilts his head, brow furrowed, and I see the conflict in his eyes. Anger, grief, hunger for vengeance, it all battles against a flicker of recognition, the part of him that still knows me. “Stopping me?” he repeats, voice hoarse. “From what? From killing a murderer?”
I bite back the edge of my own fear, the instinct to flinch. “Yes. From killing him,” I say firmly. “I know what he’s done. I know everything. I know how much he’s hurt you, us, our family, but killing him won’t fix any of it.”
Darian’s nostrils flare. His chest rises and falls rapidly. “Iris… you don’t understand. He ruined everything. He destroyed our father, our family, every moment we could have had!” His voice cracks, raw and ragged. “You’re standing in front of me… to protect him?”
“Yes,” I whisper, holding my ground. “Because I know that right now, you’re not seeing clearly. You’re seeing revenge, rage, and you’re ready to throw it all into death. But that won’t bring him back, Darian. Not your father. Not the way things were supposed to be.”
He laughs bitterly, shaking his head. The sound makes my chest ache. “You don’t get it! If I don’t stop him, if I don’t make him pay, nothing matters! Everything he’s done, it won’t be punished!”
I step closer, hands raised slightly, careful not to provoke him further. “And do you think killing him will bring justice? Do you think it will heal your grief?” My voice trembles slightly, but I force it firm, like iron. “It won’t. It’ll only chain you to this anger forever. That’s what he’s always wanted.”
Darian freezes. His jaw clenches, and his eyes dart down toward Zeus, lying in the mud, bloodied but alive. Then back to me. His body shakes, tense and rigid, a coil ready to spring. “Iris… you’re protecting a murderer,” he says, almost as if saying it out loud might make me step aside, might make me fall in line with his fury.
“I’m protecting you,” I correct him, voice firm. “I’m protecting what’s left of your heart from breaking entirely. And I’m protecting what little of humanity you have left. Killing him now… it won’t change the past. It won’t undo the pain. It won’t bring your father back.”
He flinches at the mention of my father, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through his storm. But only for a moment. His fists curl at his sides, muscles taut, the desire to strike simmering beneath the surface. “Iris…” he growls, voice low, dangerous, almost pleading. “I can’t… I can’t just… let him live. He deserves everything!”
I step closer, lowering my voice, softening it in the rain. “I know. I know what he’s done, and I know the anger you feel. But revenge… revenge isn’t going to fix this. You’ll only lose yourself. And I… I can’t let that happen.”
Darian shakes his head, stepping back slightly, frustration and grief colliding in his gaze. He glances at Zeus, then back at me. His teeth grit, his voice low and trembling. “Everything he’s done… all of it… you’re saying it doesn’t matter? After all he’s done to us?”
“It matters,” I say, firmly. “It matters to you. It matters to me. But ending him like this… it won’t bring closure. It won’t give us peace. And it won’t bring your father back. Don’t you see it?”
He stares at me, chest rising and falling, rain soaking through his fur, mud streaked across his form. His wolf instincts hum just beneath the surface, ready to surge, ready to kill. But he’s hesitating, and I know, just know, that the only thing holding him back is the thread of connection we share, the bond that’s stronger than his rage.
Darian’s voice cracks. “And you… you’re just going to let him go? After everything?”
I glance at Zeus briefly, lying in the mud, shivering, bloodied. My stomach twists. Why am I helping him? I don’t like him. I don’t trust him. He’s caused us so much pain, betrayal after betrayal. But right now, this isn’t about him. It’s about Darian. “I’m helping him because you’re my priority,” I say, voice steady. “And because I know what would happen if you… if you lose yourself to this rage. I can’t let that happen.”
Darian’s shoulders slump slightly, just enough for me to see the strain, the internal war raging inside him. He’s fighting between the part of him that wants vengeance and the part of him that knows I’m right. He’s trembling, though I know he’d never admit it. “I… I can’t just… walk away,” he mutters, voice rough, guttural. “He deserves it!”
I step closer, placing a hand gently on his chest, feeling the heat of his body even through the rain. “I know. I know what he deserves. But right now… you deserve something more. You deserve to live. You deserve to face him another day, stronger, without losing yourself in the process.”
Darian glares at me, rain dripping from his brow, mud clinging to his fur. His fists clench, and I can see the internal battle raging—rage against reason, anger against love, vengeance against restraint. He finally exhales sharply, turning away with a harsh laugh that’s more a sound of frustration than amusement.
“You… you’re impossible,” he mutters, voice heavy with anger and grief. Then, without another word, he storms off into the forest, leaving mud and rain in his wake.
I watch him go, my heart clenching with worry and relief all at once. Slowly, I turn to Zeus, still lying in the mud, shivering and bruised. I glance at him, and for a brief moment, I wonder why I’m even helping him. Why am I saving the one who has caused so much pain? My chest tightens, but I shake my head, dismissing the thought.
“I need you to move,” I tell Adrian, who’s standing nearby. “Get him to the healers, now.”
Adrian nods, stepping forward to lift Zeus. The bloodied man glares at me briefly, and I feel a flicker of guilt mixed with confusion. I glance at him for a second longer, wondering what I’m doing, why I’m choosing to help someone like him. But there’s no time to dwell. Darian is out there, somewhere in the forest, and he’s still consumed by rage.
I take a deep breath, letting the rain wash over me, trying to steel myself for what’s next. I glance toward the direction Darian disappeared, my heart tightening. I know I need to follow him, need to stay close, and make sure he doesn’t do something irreversible.
“Iris…” my wolf hums in my chest. “Come on. You have to go after him. You can’t let him face this alone.”
I walk in the direction that he stormed off, determined, ready to follow him into whatever darkness he’s walking into, knowing that I am the only thing tethering him to something human