Chapter Sixty Nine

Chapter Sixty Nine
Iris Pov

Bang! Bang!

I was jolted awake by the sound of the door pounding. My eyes flashed around the room, and I realized I was in my bed. The last thing I remembered was blacking out at the witch’s house. My breath came in short, shallow gasps as I struggled to steady myself.

I opened my mouth to ask who was at the door, but the pounding only grew louder, echoing in my skull.

“Iris, help me!” the unknown voice called, and a shiver ran through me. My legs moved before my mind could catch up, carrying me toward the door.

But when I opened it, no one was there. The other side of the doorway looked wrong, distorted, nothing like the front of my house. Before I could react, a force shoved me backward, slamming the door shut behind me.

Then I heard them. The thudding of paws.

A horde of wolves surged forward, their fur stained white, eyes blazing red, jaws parted in a menacing snarl. My hands slammed against the door, pounding, but it didn’t budge. My pulse raced, and the room seemed to spin around me, vertigo twisting my senses.

A gust of wind ripped through the space, clouds twisting overhead like living shadows. My body trembled uncontrollably. Instinct surged. I shifted into my wolf form, hitting the floor on all fours and surging forward, claws scraping the wood beneath me.

Faster than the army behind me.

My wolf skidded to a trembling stop, only two steps from a massive chasm yawning before me. Darkness seeped from its depths, and a deep, rumbling growl rolled upward. My ears flattened, tail stiffened, and every muscle froze with terror.

Danger pressed in from both sides. My heart hammered as I froze, unable to choose which threat was worse.

The wolves closed in from behind. The creature surged upward from the chasm ahead.

Just as both forces were about to crash into me, I screamed and jerked awake. Blinking rapidly, my body drenched in sweat, I tried to steady myself.

I could feel my body trembling even after I’d woken. My blanket clung to me, heavy and warm, but it couldn’t chase away the lingering terror. My hands shook as I pulled it closer, still trying to make sense of what was real.

I took a closer look around and realized I was in my room. Darius must have carried me home, though I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious.

“At least no one is banging on the door this time,” I sighed.

I pulled the blanket off my body, and when I looked down at my stark‑naked form, I noticed my wolf tattoo had shifted from my front thigh to my inner thigh.

The door groaned, and my heart stuttered in my chest. My eyes locked on it as it creaked open, slower than it should. One enormous foot pushed through the gap. I shut my eyes, pressing my hands over my ears, trying to steady the frantic pounding that felt like it would tear me apart.

“Hey, Kitten,” Darius’s voice called. His hand brushed the strands of hair that sweat had glued to my face, and the contact jolted me, shivering through my body, pulling me back from the edge of whatever nightmare my mind had wandered into.

I lowered my hands and blinked, letting my eyes focus on him and the room.

“What’s wrong, Baby?” he asked, concern furrowing his brow.

“Nothing,” I murmured, though my voice trembled. “I just… I woke up, and everything felt different from the last place I blacked out.”

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you about that part. You were out for close to three days.”

“How long have I been out?” I asked, my voice small, wary.

“Roughly thirty-seven hours.”

My eyes widened in shock. “What?” I whispered. I swallowed hard, trying to keep the memory of the wolves, the chasm, the darkness from surfacing again.

“Do you want to train?” I added, rising from the bed, Darius’s eyes following me.

“Baby, it’s time for the Evening Pack run and”

“Never mind. I’ll train alone,” I snapped, cutting him off before he could respond. I shifted into my wolf form, the memory of the hallucination fueling my need to run, to take control of something, anything. I stormed from the room, claws scraping lightly against the floor, muscles coiled and ready, my mind still haunted by the echo of the nightmare.

The training ground was quiet, just the way I liked it. The space calmed me. I shifted back and headed toward the equipment side, still trembling slightly, still tasting fear at the back of my throat.

Now, I could shift whenever I wanted without hesitation, and that was likely the best thing that had happened to me in days. I picked up a sword, its weight solid and grounding in my hands, and began lunging it into the air, over and over. Each strike was sharp, precise, but my mind kept wandering. I inhaled deeply, trying to focus, and continued my training, but it wasn’t giving me the satisfaction I needed.

Frustration burned in my chest. My shoulders tensed, jaw clenched, and even my breathing felt too loud in the quiet of the training ground.

“Hey, B, let’s train,” Darius’s voice called from behind.

I turned, watching him shift, and a little spark of joy flickered through me. I shifted, and we lunged at each other. Our heads collided with a dull thud before we broke apart, circling.

I crouched low, muscles coiled and ready. Every movement was precise. My claws scraped the ground, and for a heartbeat, I swore I saw glowing red eyes staring at me from the corner of my vision.

“You ready to talk about what’s going on with you?” Darius asked through the link as he slammed into me again. His claws tore into the dirt beside my ribs. He was holding back, trying not to hurt me… but I needed the pain.

“Can you stop talking and fight?” I snapped, shutting him out, shutting Nyx out too as she growled in the back of my mind.

He hesitated for a while before crouching again, ready to strike. I closed my eyes, focusing on his steps, on the shift of weight in the dirt.

But instead of him, I saw the edge of the cliff, then felt the ground crumble beneath me.

I jolted.

And shifted back into my human form without meaning to, chest heaving, skin slick with sweat.

Damn it.
I was letting this dream dig too deep into me.