Chapter 149 Today, I become yours
IRIS
I wake up slowly, the kind of slow that feels warm and safe, the kind that makes me want to keep my face buried in the pillow forever. But before I even open my eyes, I feel it. Someone watching me. Someone close. I blink, lift my lashes, and there he is. Darian. Stretched on his side, head propped against his palm, smiling at me like I am the sun.
He says, “Good morning.”
I feel my lips curve before my brain catches up. “Good morning.”
He doesn't stop smiling. I lift my hand, curl my fingers around the back of his neck, and kiss him. Morning kisses are soft and lazy, but he always makes me feel like he has waited the whole night just to do that.
“You look beautiful,” he says.
I laugh a little. “I literally just woke up.”
“I know. And you’re beautiful.”
The way he says it makes my stomach flip. I press my forehead into his chest to hide the way my face heats, but he still laughs, that low sound that vibrates against my cheek.
“You’re blushing again,” he says.
“No I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Darian, stop.”
“Never.”
I swat his chest, but he only catches my hand and pulls me closer until I am practically lying on top of him. His fingers brush through my hair, tucking some curls away from my face. He stares at me like I am some sort of miracle. I can feel myself melting into him, soft and stupid.
“You know what today was supposed to be,” he says.
I frown a little, because his tone shifts. Not sad, but serious in a way that makes my heart pause.
“What?”
“Our mating ceremony.”
My breath hitches. The memory hits as quickly as the words. We are preparing for it. Final fittings, rehearsals, the whole pack buzzing. And then everything falls apart. My father’s death. The chaos. The grieving. And we put the ceremony away like it no longer belongs in the world.
“Oh,” I whisper.
Darian presses a kiss to my cheek. “I know everything changes. And I know we lose time we can never get back. But I am not going to take that day from you, Iris. I am not letting grief erase the day you are supposed to become mine. So the ceremony is happening. Tonight.”
For a second, I forget how to breathe. I stare at him, searching his eyes for any hesitation, any sign that he is forcing this because he thinks it is what I want. But all I see is certainty.
“Tonight?” My voice cracks.
“Tonight.”
I let out a soft laugh that sounds almost like a sob. “Darian.”
He lifts my chin with two fingers. “Are you surprised?”
“Pleasantly. Extremely. Are you sure, though? With everything going on and everything we are dealing with?”
“I am sure of you,” he says. “Everything else will wait.”
I kiss him again. This time not soft or sleepy. I don’t even realize how tightly I am holding his shoulders until he murmurs my name against my lips.
“Iris.”
“I’m excited,” I say quickly. “And nervous. Mostly excited. I don’t think we will get to do this anytime soon.”
“You deserve something good. You deserve everything.”
“And you?” I ask.
His smile softens. “I just want you.”
Before I can answer, a knock breaks the moment. I stare at the door like I can make whoever is on the other side vanish through pure will. Darian grins and kisses my forehead.
“You want me to pretend we’re not in?” he asks.
“Yes.”
He laughs. “Too bad. It’s probably someone who will break the door down if we ignore them.”
The knock comes again, louder this time.
“I swear if that is your brother, I’ll fight him,” I mutter.
Darian climbs off the bed and reaches for a shirt. “If it’s my brother, I’m not opening it.”
I sit up and brush my hair back, trying to look less like someone who has just been kissing her mate breathless. “Fine. I’ll check.”
When I open the door, Daisy practically falls into the room.
“Oh thank the moon,” she says. “You’re awake. Do you know how long I’ve been knocking?”
“You knock twice.”
“I knock eight times. You only hear two.”
I blink. “Why would I hear only two?”
Daisy’s eyes flick past me. She sees Darian stretching behind me, shirt halfway over his head. Her brows shoot up.
“Oh,” she says. “That explains it.”
“Daisy stop,” I say.
I step aside and let her in. She sits on the foot of the bed like she owns the place.
“So,” she says. “What’s happening? Because there is a very suspicious joy floating around the room.”
I exchange a look with Darian. He nods like he wants me to tell her.
“Darian says we’re having the ceremony tonight.”
Daisy gasps. She slaps her hands over her mouth, then lowers them and screams anyway.
“Tonight? Iris are you serious? Tonight? Tonight?”
I laugh. “Yes.”
She grabs my shoulders. “Do you have a dress? Do you have flowers? Do you have hair plans? Iris do you have anything?”
“We have everything,” Darian says. “It is all ready before.”
Daisy turns to him. “Okay but do you have everything for Iris? Because that is my priority.”
“Daisy,” I say. “Relax.”
“No I cannot relax. This is your mating ceremony. Tonight. Tonight. Actual tonight. Is there a theme? Do we need a theme? Should we pick a theme?”
“No theme,” Darian says.
Daisy frowns. “That is a very boring answer, Alpha.”
Darian raises a brow. “I’m sorry. Did you want me to say forest midnight starlight enchanted wolf kingdom ceremony?”
“Yes. Exactly that.”
“No.”
She sighs dramatically. “Fine. But I am still in charge of your hair.”
I touch my curls. “My hair is already fine.”
“Your hair is always fine,” Daisy says. “Tonight it must be legendary.”
Darian comes behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “Daisy, she will look perfect no matter what you do.”
Daisy narrows her eyes at him. “Flattery will not distract me.”
“You look happy,” I tell her.
“I am happy,” she says. “You deserve this, Iris. Both of you do. After everything.”
I swallow. “I know.”
“And Darian,” she says, turning toward him again. “Do not mess up tonight. I swear if you make her cry in any way that is not happy, I will climb your roof and throw myself on you.”
Darian nods solemnly. “Understood.”
“Good.”
She stands up abruptly. “I need to go. I have to assemble a hair team. And a flower team. And maybe a theme team even though you say no theme.”
“Daisy,” I say.
“No theme. I hear you. Doesn’t mean there won’t be candles.”
She is halfway out the door when she looks over her shoulder.
“Iris?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really happy for you.”
Her voice softens so much I feel my throat tightening. “Thank you.”
She smiles and disappears down the hall.
When the door closes, Darian slips his hands back around my waist. I lean into him automatically, letting the warmth of his chest sink into me.
“Are you happy?” he asks.
“More than happy.”
“Good,” he murmurs.
“Darian?”
“Hmm?”
“Tonight feels unreal.”
“It will feel real when I mark you,” he whispers near my ear. “And when you mark me.”
My heart skips. “Do you want me to?”
“I want everything that comes with you.”
I let out a breath I don’t know I am holding and rest my forehead against his. His voice drops again when he speaks.
“We should start getting ready soon.”
“I know.”
He brushes his knuckles along my cheek. “Iris.”
“Mm?”
“You really are beautiful.”
And I blush again.
Darian quickly pulls on his shirt when Daisy gives him a look. He gives me one last kiss on the nose before he says he will leave so we can have girl business uninterrupted. I don’t even have the chance to protest before he slips out of the door with a grin.
The moment he leaves, Daisy falls on the bed like she has been waiting for this exact second.
She looks at me once. Just one long look. “You look like someone who gets a very nice fuck.”
I groan. “Good morning to you too.”
“It is a very good morning,” she replies. “Especially for you. Look at your face. Look at your skin. Look at your lips. Iris, please. If you tell me you sleep early and behave, I will slap you lovingly.”
“I am not having this conversation,” I say, trying not to smile.
“You already are. Besides, you look relaxed. Like someone who is properly… handled.”
“Handled?” I repeat. “Daisy.”
“Yes. Handled. Lifted. Tossed. Rotated. Anything that ends in you glowing like this.”
I throw a pillow at her. She dodges it easily, laughing as she comes to sit on the bed beside me.
“It’s not my fault,” she continues. “You look happy. And your happiness is loud. Like loud loud. Like I walk in here and the room literally smells like after-sex peace.”
“Stop talking.”
“Never.”
I hide my face with my hands. “You are ridiculous.”
“I know. But I am right. Look at you, Iris. You are floating.”
I let my hands fall and exhale. “Maybe I am a little.”
“A little,” she repeats. “Sure. A little. Meanwhile your soul is dancing in the corner doing backflips.”
“You are dramatic,” I say.
“And you are in love. It cancels out.”
I stare at her and feel a smile crawl up my face before I can stop it. She sees it and points immediately.
“Aha. See? That smile. That is not just love. That is the he ruins my backbone and I like it smile.”
“I hate you,” I say.
“You adore me.”
I sigh and give her a playful shove. “Why are you even here?”
Her eyes brighten immediately. “Right. The real mission. I am here to take you to get ready.”
“For what? It is still morning.”
“You have a mating ceremony tonight,” she says, widening her eyes as if I somehow forget. “We have a full day of preparation. Don’t argue with me. I already make the plans.”
“What plans?”
“Spa,” she says. “A very good spa. We start with that. You need to be relaxed and glowing and silky smooth everywhere.”
“Everywhere?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
She raises her brows. “Everywhere. Iris, please. Tonight is your ceremony. Do not embarrass me.”
“How is it your embarrassment?”
“Because you are my best friend. If you show up to your ceremony with stress skin, dry feet or unshaved anything, I will be judged.”
I laugh so hard I have to lean forward. “Who will judge you?”
“Everyone,” she says. “Spiritually and physically. So stand up. We go. And don’t worry, I tell them to prepare the couples package.”
I pause. “Couples package? Daisy I am not going to a spa for couples.”
“It is not for couples,” she says quickly. “It is just a package. For two. Two friends. Two women. Two besties. Not romantic. Just luxurious.”
I squint. “Daisy.”
“Fine,” she says. “There is one couples treatment in it but it is just because it is the best one. And it includes chocolate. I know you like chocolate.”
“You are evil.”
“And you are easily persuaded. Which is perfect for me. Now stand up.”
“I haven’t even eaten.”
“Breakfast is waiting downstairs. Darian already arranges it.”
I blink. “He does?”
“Yes. And he tells me to steal you before anyone else does. His words.”
My heart warms immediately. “He says that?”
“Yes,” she says. “And he looks very territorial. It is cute. Anyway, get dressed. Not too dressed. Something you can easily take off because you will be undressed for most of the spa.”
I shoot her a glare. “Can you pretend to have shame?”
“No. I lose it when I meet you.”
I slide out of bed and begin pulling on a simple dress. Daisy watches me like a hawk, correcting me when I try to wear something with too many buttons.
“No. Not that. Too complicated to remove. Wear something comfortable.”
“Daisy, it is a dress.”
“A dress with twenty small buttons down the back,” she says. “Do I look like someone who wants to unbutton twenty small buttons?”
“You’re impossible,” I say, switching to a looser dress.
“That one,” she says approvingly. “Perfect. And take your hair down. They will wash and oil it.”
I let my curls fall across my shoulders.
Daisy gets up and claps her hands. “Yes. Good. You look like a woman ready to be pampered until her bones melt.”
I laugh again. “You are excited.”
“I am excited for you,” she says. “And for tonight. I can’t wait to see his face when you walk in. You are going to be the most beautiful thing in that room.”
Her voice grows soft at the end, unexpectedly tender. I meet her eyes and feel a squeeze in my chest.
“Thank you,” I say.
“You deserve today,” she replies. “All of it.”
I reach for her hand, squeeze it and nod.
“Alright,” she says, straightening with dramatic flair. “Let us go before someone else claims you for the next task. Today belongs to us.”
She grabs my wrist and drags me toward the door.
“Slow down,” I laugh.
“No,” she says. “You have a ceremony tonight. We have work to do. Come on. Spa time.”