Chapter 13 The suspicion
DAISY
I’ve known Iris long enough to tell when she’s spiraling. Ever since the whole marking thing, she’s been quieter. Ever since the dinner at the Lycan’s haven, she’s been nearly mute.
I watch her now, stirring her drink like it’s committed a crime against her. Her shoulders are hunched in that way that says she’s trying not to fold in on herself. That’s when I decide that I’m done watching her sulk.
“My mom asked me to come home for my dad’s birthday dinner,” I say casually, like I haven’t been planning this all morning. “You’re coming with me.”
She looks up, blinking. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“I can’t just… show up at your family dinner.”
“Why not?” I swat her arm. “You’re practically adopted into my family at this point. My mom adores you, and my dad thinks you have better table manners than I do.”
Well, she’s never been invited to the pack before because I didn’t know she was one of us, so this was going to be different from the other times she met my parents outside the pack.
Honestly, I was a tad bit nervous, but excited too.
She smiles a little, but it’s small. Fragile. “Are you sure it won’t be a bother?”
“If I thought it would, would I be asking you?”
Her shoulders lift in a slow sigh. “I don’t even have anything nice to wear…”
And there it is; the excuse I’ve been waiting for. I grin. “Which is why we’re going shopping.”
She groans. “Daisy…”
“Nope. You’re not talking your way out of this one. We are going shopping, and you are going to that dinner. End of story.”
“I don’t know…”
“Iris.” I level her with a look. “You need this. You’ve been cooped up in your head for too long. You’ve got that whole ‘moody wolf-girl with a broken heart’ look going on. It’s not cute.”
She laughs then. Not a full one, but enough. Enough to let me know there’s still some fire in her.
I stand up and grab my bag. “Come on. The mall closes in four hours, and I am not letting you wear black jeans to a birthday dinner.”
She drags her feet getting up, but she’s smiling now. “I hate you.”
“You love me. Let’s go ruin your savings account.”
And just like that, a little piece of the old Iris returns, just enough to make me believe I can pull the rest of her back too.
\~~~
“I’m telling you, if I show up in that red dress, your dad’s going to think I’m sneaking out to a club halfway through dinner.”
Iris stands in front of the mirror, tugging at the neckline of the dress I just shoved her into. It hugs her body like it was stitched on, and the slit on the thigh isn’t doing her modesty any favors.
“Okay,” I admit, trying not to laugh, “maybe not that one.”
She deadpans at me through the mirror. “You think?”
I shrug. “I just want you to look… like you. But also like the version of you that doesn’t cry herself to sleep.”
She sighs, but there’s no sadness in it. “I’ll settle for looking like I’m not crying in public.”
After another twenty minutes and three more outfits, we finally settle on a navy blue satin dress. It’s elegant, simple, with a modest neckline and long sleeves, but still hugs her waist in the prettiest way. It’s the kind of dress that says I’m not trying to impress anyone, but you’ll regret looking away.
“You’re getting this one,” I declare, practically throwing it into the shopping bag before she can object.
“You’re so bossy,” she mutters, pulling her hoodie back on.
“And yet, here we are.”
We leave the store, bags in hand, and find a quiet corner near a juice bar to sit and breathe for a second.
I’m mid-sip of my drink when I spot him.
“Wait… is that-” I lean forward, squinting. “That’s Zeus.”
Iris turns instantly, eyes scanning the crowd. Her entire posture stiffens when she sees him, leaning casually against the escalator railing, scrolling through his phone like he doesn’t rule half the wolf population.
“Oh my god,” I whisper, nudging Iris with my elbow. “How does someone look like that in real life?”
I don’t even try to hide the way my eyes travel down Zeus McAlister’s frame. Dark brown hair perfectly tousled, jaw sharp enough to cut through tension, and that perfectly tailored jacket like it was made for a runway shoot. He glances away from his phone and casually brushes a hand through his hair.
“Seriously,” I murmur, “he looks like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Who even wakes up like that?”
Iris rolls her eyes. “You sound like one of those girls who frame wolf posters on their walls.”
“Excuse you,” I say, mock offended. “This is pure appreciation. You just can’t see it because you’re too busy pining after a certain brooding Lycan prince.”
“I am not pining,” she says too quickly, clutching her smoothie cup a little too hard.
I smirk. “Sweetheart, you’ve got it bad.”
She groans and leans back against the bench, tilting her head up toward the ceiling like the fluorescent lights might give her strength.
“He is with someone else, Daisy,” she mutters. “I’m trying really hard not to have it bad.”
“Maybe you need a new distraction,” I tease, nodding in Zeus’s direction. “Imagine the chaos if you walked into Lycan’s Haven on his arm instead of Darian’s.”
Iris snorts. “Please. I’d rather not end up with someone whose ego might actually be larger than his territory.”
We both laugh, and the tension between us eases. But then Iris grows quiet again, her eyes still on Zeus across the floor.
“What?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she says slowly, brows furrowing. “There’s just something about him. I can’t put my finger on it… but something doesn’t feel right.”
I glance back at Zeus. He’s still standing there, cool and unreadable, now texting someone. Nothing unusual. But Iris isn’t the type to say things like that lightly.
“You think he’s hiding something?”
“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just paranoid.”
She stands, smoothing her hoodie. “Either way, I’m keeping my guard up.”
And just like that, the moment is gone. We walk away, but I can’t help glancing over my shoulder one last time. Zeus is gone.