Chapter 43 A shift between us
IRIS
Word spreads faster than wildfire on campus.
Darian McAllister’s birthday is this Friday. And for once, it isn’t shrouded in complete secrecy.
The buzz is almost unbearable. Whispers trail through lecture halls, across dorm hallways, over steaming cups of coffee and library desks. Even the professors seem unusually alert, as if trying to sniff out an invitation for themselves. It’s not every day the future Alpha of the most powerful Lycan bloodline opens the door, even a little, to the public.
And “public,” in this case, still means powerful families, heirs to empires, the rich, the elite, the dangerous. But still.
The idea that someone like me, regular, scholarship-reliant, human-Iris-who’s-not-so-human-anymore, could be on the guest list?
It flips the entire hierarchy upside down.
People are talking. People are watching.
And I feel like I’m suffocating.
I’m not sure what makes me take the side route to the cafeteria that afternoon. Maybe it’s the noise. Maybe it’s the weight of eyes and rumors on my back. Maybe I just want five minutes to myself, to breathe.
But fate is cruel.
Because Archer is waiting for me.
I spot him leaning against the wall like some walking cliché, tight black shirt, casual confidence, the smell of cologne that used to make my heart skip. I almost keep walking. Almost pretend I don’t see him.
But he steps in front of me.
“Iris.”
I freeze.
He hasn’t said my name since the night he destroyed me.
I look him over slowly, deliberately. Same smirk. Same arrogant stance. But there’s a flicker of hesitation in his eyes now. He looks… nervous. Good.
“You’re still mad,” he says, more a statement than a question.
I cross my arms. “What do you want?”
“I heard about the party,” he says, hands sliding into his pockets like this is some casual catch-up. “And everything else. About you.”
My stomach tightens.
I say nothing.
“You got an invite to the Lycan’s haven.”
I don’t nod. I don’t flinch. I just stare at him, long enough to make him shift on his feet.
But then, very slowly, I let the change ripple beneath my skin.
It’s not a full shift, just a tease.
My eyes flash gold. A true, unmistakable flicker of what lives beneath my surface now. The kind of thing you can’t fake or explain away. His breath hitches as soon as he sees it.
“You’re a wolf,” he adds, lowering his voice like it’s some sacred secret. “Like me.”
Still, I don’t speak.
I just let the silence do the talking.
He rubs the back of his neck, nervously laughing like he doesn’t know what to do with himself now. “Look, I know things ended messy between us, but maybe we could talk. I wasn’t in the right headspace then-”
I arch a brow.
He swallows, smiling awkwardly “I didn’t know. That night, things got weird. I didn’t realize what was happening. If I had-”
“Stop.” My voice comes out cold. Sharp. I don’t want to hear excuses. Not today. Not ever.
“You don’t get to rewrite history now that it’s convenient,” I snap. “You cheated on me. Lied to me. Gaslit me into thinking I was crazy.”
“I was scared,” he insists. “You don’t understand-”
“I do understand,” I growl, literally. The sound rumbles from my chest, low and dangerous.
His eyes widen slightly. “You’re further along than I thought.”
I take a step forward, the heat of my anger boiling just under the surface. “You don’t get to play the ‘if only I knew’ card. You chose to hurt me. Wolf or not.”
There’s a pause.
Then, high heels click across the pavement, and I know who it is before I turn.
Sabina.
Of course.
She sidles up next to Archer like she owns him, sliding a possessive arm around his waist. “Everything okay here?” she asks sweetly.
Archer glances at me, and there’s something almost apologetic in his eyes.
But Sabina’s already smug.
She rests her head on his shoulder. “Iris, you remember Archer. My mate.”
The word is loaded.
I stare at her blankly for a beat. Then, I laugh. Not a bitter laugh. Not a sarcastic one. Just a genuine, amused chuckle that catches them both off guard.
“Mate?” I repeat, smiling like I know something she doesn’t. “Right. Good luck with that.”
She frowns. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” I say, turning to walk away. “I just suddenly remembered I used to cry over that guy. Kinda tragic.”
I don’t wait for her reply. I don’t need to.
The past can stay where it is.
I’m barely a few steps out of sight when I hear footsteps pounding behind me.
“Iris! Wait-please!”
I grit my teeth and keep walking.
Of course he’d come running.
“Iris!” he calls again, and this time I stop only because the desperation in his voice is impossible to ignore.
I turn slowly.
He slows to a stop in front of me, slightly breathless.
“I just… I wanted to ask if there’s any chance I could get an invite,” he says, voice hopeful. “To the party. Darian’s. I mean I know it’s exclusive, but-”
“You have got to be kidding me.”
He flinches a little at my tone.
“I’m serious,” he says quickly. “I know I messed up-”
“Messed up?” I scoff. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
His mouth opens and closes like he wants to argue, but doesn’t know how. “Look, I didn’t know you were, what you are. That night… things happened.”
“You’ve been spewing out the same nonsense all Dat, Asher. I don’t have time for this.”
“No! No, of course not. I just-” He runs a hand through his hair, struggling. “I just thought maybe we could talk. Maybe I could come to the party, you know, clear the air…”
“You think my invitation to Darian’s birthday is a free pass for you to worm your way into social circles you were never part of to begin with?”
His jaw tenses. “That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair is you pretending to care now that my life is something you can’t touch,” I snap. “You didn’t want me when I was human. You didn’t respect me when I was your girlfriend. But now? Now that you know I’m a wolf, that I have a place beside someone powerful, now you care?”
He looks away, jaw tight, and for a second he doesn’t speak.
“You used to be kind,” he mutters.
“I used to be naive,” I correct. “But don’t worry, I’ve evolved.”
I turn, heart pounding, walking away without another glance.
He doesn’t follow this time.
And thank the moon for that.