Chapter 28

Iris

I consider turning around and leaving the bar, but Arthur spots me before I have a chance, and

waves me over. Partially driven by curiosity and maybe slightly driven by the mate bond tugging

on me insistently, I sigh and make my way over to him.

“Iris,” he says, standing as I approach. He pulls my chair out for me, as if we’re in a fancy

restaurant. “You came.”

I take my seat, trying my best to ignore the sensation of goosebumps raising on my exposed

skin as his eyes skim across my outfit. I’m not sure why I assumed that Arthur would invite me,

his sordid human mistress, to a nice enough place for a dress like this.

Wishful thinking, I guess. The sort of thinking I thought I squashed like a bug over the past five

years, but it still occasionally rears its ugly head.

“Your Beta said you wanted to talk,” I say.

Arthur nods, then waves over the waiter. He orders a cocktail for himself, then gestures to me.

“Water, please,” I say, to which Arthur responds with a raised eyebrow.

“Just water?”

“Yes. Just water.”

“I’ll pay for more.”

“I don’t want more.”

Arthur seems to give up and sighs, signalling the waiter to leave. Once we’re alone, there’s a

brief, uncomfortable silence. I try not to fidget too much in my chair.

Finally, I glance around the smokey, dim-lit bar and say, “Why did you choose this place?”

Arthur shrugs. “It’s an ideal spot for not being recognized. It’s packed, dark, and the patrons here aren’t likely to look too closely.”

“Right,” I say slowly, suddenly regretting agreeing to this at all. It’s obvious to me that my brief moment of hope that he might actually try to make things right was completely misguided. “So this is the ideal sort of place to bring your mistress.”

With that, I grab my purse and move to get up, not intending to continue this conversation any further. “Goodbye, Arthur.”

“Wait—Iris, where are you going? You just got here.”

I shoot him a withering glare. “I thought I made it perfectly clear that I have no interest in being your human mistress. Honestly, I shouldn’t have even come here.”

To my surprise, Arthur actually looks… confused. As if he didn’t invite me to a dive bar, in disguise no less, after everything that has happened between us. “Why do you keep referring to yourself as my mistress?” he asks.

I blink at him, incredulous. Is he playing dumb? I know he’s not actually that dull.

Still, curiosity gets the better of me once again, and I place one hand on my hip, saying, “Just tell me why you wanted to meet and then I’ll leave.”

Arthur hesitates for a moment, his mouth working as if he’s struggling with what to say. I make no effort to hide my impatience as I wait. Finally, he says, “You signed a contract at Marsiel today, didn’t you?”

I frown, although something begins to twist uncomfortably in my stomach. “How do you know about that?”

Arthur gestures for me to sit, and for some reason, I do. I think it’s because my legs are beginning to tremble ever so slightly.

“Now that you’ve signed it,” he says without answering my question, “I guess it’s time you know the truth. It’s only fair.”

“Know what, Arthur?” I hate the way my voice shakes.

He levels me with a knowing look. “I’m your patron, Iris.”

His words hit me like a freight train. My mouth drops open, my heart stopping in my

chest. At that moment, the waiter brings our drinks, but I’m suddenly not feeling very thirsty.

“Oh, Goddess,” I breathe, jumping to my feet. “It was you? You were the ‘anonymous patron’?”

“Iris, I—”

“Save it,” I hiss through clenched teeth. “It’s bad enough that you seem to think I’m just a shallow gold digger content with being your side piece, but this? Tricking me into accepting money from you? Did you think this would convince me to sleep with you again?”

“I did it because I love your work,” he says calmly. “Iris, sit down. You’re drawing unwanted attention.”

I scoff, refusing to sit. “Fuck your attention. And I’m calling bullshit, because if you even understood the nature of my work, you would have known better than to use your wealth and status as a weapon against me.”

Before he can answer, I turn on my heel and storm out of the bar. The cold night air slaps me across the face as I burst out onto the street, and people are staring, but I hardly notice.

All this time, I thought that the anonymous patron was a genuine lover of the arts, of my art. I thought that my career was making strides, that I was finally being noticed by the higher-ups in the art world.

And yet, it was Arthur. Fucking Arthur.

I feel like I’m going to be sick. Stopping to breathe, I grip a nearby stop sign, hunching over to

get air into my lungs.

“Iris!”

Arthur’s voice makes me feel nauseous all over again, and I straighten, picking up my pace

once more. But then he’s in front of me again, blocking my way.

“Move,” I growl, trying to resist the urge to slap him.

“Iris, listen to me.” Arthur moves wherever I move, blocking me from making my way down the

street. “You’re not thinking straight.”

I scoff. “I’m thinking perfectly ‘straight’. You only gave me that patronage to make me compliant,

didn’t you? Did you think that I was going to come crawling back to you once I realized that you

were the anonymous donor?”

“No,” he growls, clearly growing agitated. “And if you would just listen to me—”

“I’m tired of listening to you,” I cut him off, my voice rising slightly. “Frankly, Arthur, I can’t tell if becoming Alpha President changed you, if she changed you, or if you’ve always been like this and I was just too stupid to realize.”

His eyes narrow. “Like what?”

“A self-righteous prick who thinks that all human women are nothing but gold diggers who are content with being paid concubines,” I retort. “Perhaps some people are like that, sure, but not me. I thought you knew me well enough to know that I didn’t need money to love you. Even if we had been on the streets, so long as we had each other, I would have been happy!”

By now, tears are in my eyes, clouding my vision and turning the amber street lights blurry. But I keep going, backing toward the curb as I speak.

“You chose her over me,” I choke out, shaking my head. “Despite everything, despite how much I cared for you, despite how much I sacrificed to help you with your campaign, you chose her. Because you only saw me as worthy of being your human sex doll, sordid and secret. And you still see me that way.”

Arthur blinks, almost as if he didn’t expect me to say that.

“Wait, Iris—”

“You broke my heart, Arthur,” I go on, stepping into the street. “I won’t forgive you. And I won’t let you hurt me anymore.”

Before he can answer, I turn and flee into the street. All I can think about is getting away, putting as much distance between us as possible. I need to find a cab, a bus, anything—anything to never have to see him again.

But in my haste and despair, I forget to look before I cross the street. And a moment later, the bright glare of headlights fills my vision, the loud blare of a car horn blocking out all other sound.

I freeze, turning, and stare at the car as it screeches toward me.

“Iris!”