Chapter 37
Iris
"Let's go on a race," He said.
My eyes lit up in surprise. "Huh?"
"Are you interested in joining me on a race or not?" He threw the question casually but when our eyes met, I saw his silent plea to agree.
So I shrugged off the surprise while an annoying blush gradually crept to my cheeks. "I'm interested, it's just that I don't have a wolf as you know so how do we go about it?" I explained gibberishly like he wasn't aware of that fact.
"We'll do it like the other time, just watch me shift and then you hop onto my back. Make sure you hang on tightly, I don't want you falling over and breaking your neck."
"Let's do this then," I clapped like a child in excitement.
Today had been filled with several twists and turns that left me breathlessly happy. Strangely, I'd been able to get Gradel out of his shell and now he had gifted me a house that I wasn't looking forward to moving into even though I liked it.
I preferred lying down on his bed every night to waking up with the knowledge that he had slept beside me even though there was no form of intimacy.
He had also admitted that his lifestyle wasn't worth emulating and knowing a bit of his background, it was quite satisfying to see that he could be vulnerable around me.
The loud snap of bones disrupted my thoughts and when I turned around, I met a huge silver-furred wolf peering down at me due to the difference in our heights.
His eyes which were usually blue turned into a darker shade of green which was the most beautiful set of eyes I'd ever seen.
How could a wolf be as beautiful as a human?
Then he crouched to the ground, nudging me to climb on. I did as he wanted and when he was assured that I wouldn't fall off, he broke into a sprint.
The gallop movement of the huge animal I was seated on did nothing to jolt the fun I had watching the trees slide behind us. The moon was not completely out, but it was bright enough to illuminate our paths and then I realized that we were in the woods.
He kept running with great speed that would have worn me out if I were in his shoes until the end of the woods came in sight.
"Where is this place?" I asked in awe when he lowered himself to the ground and I slid down from his back.
In all my years of living in the Grey Rock pack, I never knew that such a beautiful place was in existence. It looked magical with an unfamiliar tree standing at the far end of a glittering blue lake.
"You want to know what this place is?" Gradel's deep voice rumbled behind me, sending shivers down my spine.
The weather was cool but not enough to make tremors exit my body so it was his voice. He had shifted back to his human form but was left in the grey slacks he had worn earlier this evening.
"Yes, I do. I've never been here before," I confessed.
He chuckled and sank onto the grass beside me, covering me with his shirt which warmed me up immediately.
"Thank you," I whispered and he nodded.
"This place is called Ilayra and not everyone in the pack knows about this place and its soothing effect. Just like the one in the pack house, this place is more tranquil and that tree standing at the other side is called the Ilayra tree. It is the oldest tree in this pack and its fruits have high medicinal value that can cure almost all kinds of illnesses."
"Wow," I gasped. "Thank you so much for bringing me here. This feels so surreal and if you know me, you'd know how much I love this kind of place. I truly wish I had a wolf," I sighed, wistfully.
"Why?"
"If I had a wolf, no one would have maltreated me and I'd be able to run into the woods to see such a beautiful place without being scared. Having a wolf would give me freedom, Grade, the same kind of freedom that almost everyone in this pack has." I wished.
"Don't beat yourself up about a situation you have no control over, Iris. The moon goddess has a reason for creating you without a wolf and if you're truly meant to have one, it will manifest at the right time." He consoled me.
He placed his arm on my neck and I intuitively adjusted towards him and leaned on his shoulder, staring at the peaceful lake which glittered under the rays of the moonlight.
We stayed that way, enjoying the companionable silence until he sprang to his feet without warning and dashed towards the lake. The impact of his dive caused water to splash on my already cold body.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I pouted my lips, feigning displeasure although I liked his display of childishness.
He chuckled lightly, his rich baritone voice causing the hairs on my skin to rise. "You can join me if you want."
I bit my lip, contemplating agreeing to his tempting offer or staying back and watching his magnificent sight dive through the water like an expert swimmer.
But the former option promised more fun so I took off his shirt, dropped it on the grass and peeled off my dress as I didn't want to return to the pack house with drenched clothes.
His glassy blue eyes widened with lust when he saw me barely clad in my black lace underwear.
"I'll show you how to play this game," I threatened him and dove into the lake, splashing more amount of water than he did.
He grinned smugly, "Challenge accepted,"
I didn't understand what he meant until I felt him racing after me. Then he lifted me as if I was just a piece of paper and allowed me to fall back into the lake.
"Stop it. You're cheating," I cried but that only sounded like an encouragement.
He picked me up again and repeated the cycle until I was exhausted. "Don't ever challenge me, sweetheart, if not you'll see a part of me that may scare you. Besides, I'm paying you back for what you did with the children. Did you think I'd let you off the hook so easily?" He smirked.
"I still maintain that what you did wasn't fair. We were supposed to be swimming peacefully and you should have shown me the numerous kinds of swimming skills you have and not..."
Within a second, he twirled me and made sure there was no space between us and then he asked. "Is this fair?"
My brows furrowed in confusion and then he crashed his lips on mine without getting a response from me.