Chapter 149

Iris

The sun beats down mercilessly on my back as I stand on the very top rung of a rickety ladder. Sweat trickles down my back, making my yellow sundress stick to my skin. But the banner needs to go up, and I’m determined to get it done myself.

“Just a little higher,” I mutter, stretching as far as I can. The colorful “Children’s Day for the Arts” banner refuses to cooperate, the breeze catching it just enough to keep it tantalizingly out of reach of the branch I’m aiming for.

The ladder wobbles precariously beneath me, and I gasp. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. But we’re short on volunteers, and everyone else is busy setting up the activity stations around the park.

I rise up on my tiptoes, still gripping the ladder with one hand while the other reaches for the branch. Almost there…

“Iris! What the hell are you doing?”

Arthur’s alarmed shout startles me, causing the ladder to wobble even more dangerously. I glance down to see him jogging toward me.

“Hanging a banner,” I call down, as if it isn’t obvious. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“It looks like you’re trying to break your neck before the event even starts,” he barks, reaching the ladder and steadying it with both hands. “Get down from there. Now.”

I roll my eyes but begin my descent. “I almost had it,” I grumble as I reach the halfway point.

“And I almost had a heart attack,” Arthur growls, but he’s smiling now. “The future Luna of Ordan, found dead after falling off a ladder while hanging party decorations. What a headline that would make.”

When I’m eye level with him, I lean forward and press a quick kiss to his lips. “You worry too much, Alpha. I was fine.”

His hands come up to my waist, and he easily lifts me the rest of the way down. “Normal Lunas get volunteers to do the dangerous jobs, you know.”

“Well, I’m not normal.” I smirk and brush a sweaty strand of hair from my face. “And neither are you, Mr. Alpha President who apparently has time to micromanage his mate’s charity event setup.”

“I may have cleared my schedule for the afternoon. Couldn’t miss the big day.”

The simple admission warms me more than the summer heat. “Well, since you’re here, make yourself useful and hang this banner for me. You’re tall enough to reach without risking your life.”

He takes the banner with a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

As Arthur secures the banner between the two trees, I take a moment to survey the park. It’s been transformed from a simple grassy area to a children’s wonderland. Colorful tents house face painting areas, craft tables, and game stations. Volunteers in matching t-shirts scurry around, setting up the final touches.

I can’t help but feel a surge of pride as I look around. Seeing my very first project come to life is more satisfying than I imagined. In just an hour, the place will be filled with children from all over Ordan, including the children from the orphanage.

“All done,” Arthur announces, returning to my side. “Banner secured, at least until the next strong breeze.”

“Thank you,” I say, linking my arm through his. “Want to see the rest of the setup?”

He hesitates. “Actually, we need to talk.” He stops and turns to me. “I had a visitor today. A representative from the Ordan Humanitarian Society.”

I want to feel excited—the Ordan Humanitarian Society is the biggest charity in Ordan—but the look on Arthur’s face tells me that the visit wasn’t a happy one. “What happened?” I ask.

“She came to complain about you organizing a public school fundraiser while sending Miles to Wellington. Called it hypocritical.”

I frown. “How does anyone even know about Wellington? We’ve been so careful…”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Arthur says, his jaw tightening. “She made it sound like common knowledge.”

A flash of anger cuts through me as I recall the nasty email from a couple of weeks ago. “So what, I’m not allowed to support public schools because my son goes to a private one? That’s ridiculous.”

“I know,” Arthur says. “I told her as much. But just in case any of their representatives show up today, maybe kill them with kindness? Or just ignore them completely.”

I nod, although ignoring them might be harder than Arthur makes it sound. Arthur goes on, “Have you told anyone about the school besides your parents?”

I think for a moment, mentally running through conversations I’ve had in the past few weeks. “Caleb knows, and Hunter and Alice. Emi and Ezra know, of course, too, just by association.” But those are all people we both trust wholeheartedly. None of them would utter a word.

Arthur nods slowly, brow furrowed as he considers. Suddenly, I recall my visit with Veronica.

“Oh, and Veronica knows,” I add. “I told her when I was getting her advice on my presentation a couple weeks ago.”

Arthur’s eyebrows rise slightly. “Veronica? Why would you tell her?”

I shrug. “She noticed that I had paperwork from Wellington in my hand. She just said it’s a very prestigious school, and that was the end of the conversation.”

Arthur seems to consider this for a moment before shrugging. “Well, I doubt Veronica said anything to anyone. I’m going to blame the paparazzi for this. They always find ways to get information they shouldn’t have.”

“We’ll be more careful going forward,” I say with a nod.

The rest of the setup passes quickly. Before I know it, the park gates are open, and families begin streaming in. The turnout is even better than I hoped—hundreds of children with their parents, all eager to participate in the activities we’ve arranged.

I spot the bus from the orphanage arriving and hurry over to greet the children. Giulia throws her arms around me, kissing me on each cheek. “Iris, darling, you’re practically glowing,” she breathes, pulling back to look at me. “I still can’t believe it… You’re a werewolf…”

I smile, even though the reminder makes my heart pound. Frankly, with no wolf, I forget it myself. “Thank you for coming, Giulia. I hope the children have a fun day.”

Giulia beams. “This is a good thing you’re doing. The kids are very excited.”

“As they should be.” I pull out a stack of papers and hand them to her. The papers contain small maps of the event grounds with spots for stickers. “Make sure all of the kids get one of these. Each station will have an attendant that will add a sticker to each space. Once the kids have filled their map, they can come to the prize tent for a goodie bag.”

Giulia grins, and as she and the kids make their way into the park, I return to the central area where Arthur is chatting with some of the donors who contributed to the event. He looks handsome in his casual attire—jeans and a button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Less like the Alpha President and more like just another dad enjoying a family day out.

Miles is here, too. I spot Emi, Hunter, and Alice leading him around the festival from afar; he’s got his face painted like a clown fish, and he waves at us excitedly. I offer him a little wiggle of my fingers and stick my tongue out, making him giggle.

The day progresses smoothly, with the activity stations bustling and the donation boxes filling nicely. I’m in the middle of helping a little girl string beads at the craft tent when one of the volunteers approaches me.

“Miss Willford? The blindfold game is starting in five minutes. Do you want to participate?”

“Oh, right!” I’d almost forgotten about this activity—a game where children are blindfolded and have to find their parents using only their sense of smell. Even though many of the kids participating aren’t werewolves, I thought it would be a fun game to incorporate.

I quickly finish helping the little girl with her bracelet before making my way to the game area, where Arthur is already waiting with Miles.

The volunteer in charge explains the rules: the children will be blindfolded and spun around three times, while the parents arrange themselves in a circle. Then the kids will try to identify their parents by scent alone.

Miles stands still as the volunteer secures the blindfold over his eyes, then giggles as he’s gently spun around. Arthur and I move to our spots in the circle, standing side by side with the other parents.

“He’ll find us right away,” Arthur whispers to me. “His nose is already better than most.”

I nod, watching as Miles steadies himself after the spinning stops. He takes a few tentative steps forward, his nose twitching adorably as he sniffs the air. Several other blindfolded children are doing the same, some heading directly for their parents while others wander aimlessly.

Miles, however, seems to have caught a scent. He moves with surprising confidence, heading straight toward us. Arthur and I exchange a smile.

But he doesn’t come to us.

Instead, Miles walks right past where we’re standing without even hesitating. My smile falters as he brushes right between our legs, heading out of the circle. Arthur and I turn, our gazes following our son.

To my surprise, he reaches his arms out toward someone else. My heart drops as I recognize the woman who is smiling and scooping him up.

Veronica.