Chapter 82

Iris

I stare at my phone for the hundredth time, checking for messages or missed calls from Arthur. Nothing. Not a single word since he rushed out during dinner last night.

So much for family time. So much for “let me prove it to you.” Just another broken promise to add to the pile.

Miles finally fell asleep after crying for hours. He doesn’t understand why Arthur left so suddenly, why he didn’t even say goodbye. I couldn’t give him answers because I don’t have any myself.

Just the same old pattern repeating itself—Arthur choosing something else over us. Always something more important than his “family.”

I try to sleep, but my mind won’t quiet down. Every time I close my eyes, I see Arthur’s face as he rushed out the door. That look of… what? Anger? Fear? Determination? I can’t place it, but something was very wrong.

Not that it matters. Whatever emergency called him away, he could have at least texted to explain. A simple message would have sufficed. But nothing. Radio silence. As if Miles and I don’t even matter.

By morning, I’m exhausted and irritable. I make Miles breakfast, grateful that Alice will be picking him up soon for a playdate at the park—she offered so I could rest and recover. Although shockingly, my body feels… great today.

Better than great, actually. It’s amazing. I woke up hardly sore at all. I feel like I worked out yesterday, that pleasant muscle soreness you get from a good gym session, but that’s it.

It’s as if I didn’t almost die a week ago.

It must be Arthur’s blood, just like the doctors said. He is the Alpha President, after all, and he was always a strong Alpha before that. He must have very potent blood.

I’m scrolling mindlessly through news on my phone when a headline stops my heart.

“BREAKING: Alpha President’s Ex-Fiancee in Critical Condition After Fall.”

My fingers tremble as I tap the article. A photo loads at the top—Arthur sitting beside a hospital bed, his head in his hands. Selina lies unconscious, tubes and monitors surrounding her.

The article is sparse on details, but I get the gist of it: Selina suffered a severe head injury after falling down the stairs in her home. She’s in a medically-induced coma. Arthur brought her to the hospital last night and hasn’t left her side.

I read it three times, trying to make sense of it. Arthur rushed from dinner with us… to go to Selina? And now she’s injured? And he’s keeping vigil at her bedside?

My stomach twists painfully. I can’t seem to decide if I’m jealous that he’s with her or horrified that something so awful happened to her or… I try to push away that tiny part of myself that almost wants to be glad she’s injured.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I’m getting dressed, calling a cab, and stopping at a florist on the way to the hospital. I’m not sure why I feel compelled to bring flowers—maybe as a peace offering, maybe as armor. Either way, the bouquet of white lilies feels like a shield as I enter the hospital.

Finding Selina’s room isn’t difficult. There’s a small crowd of reporters being held at bay by hospital security near the elevators on the fourth floor. I slip past them, keeping my head down. My Flora disguise helps—no one looks twice at me.

The door to Selina’s private room is partially open. I hesitate outside, suddenly questioning my impulse to come here. What am I going to say? What do I expect to happen?

Before I can decide whether to enter or flee, I hear voices from inside.

“—completely irresponsible! My sister is in a coma because of you!”

“I know, Caleb. And I’m sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”

That’s Arthur’s voice. I edge closer to the door, peering through the gap.

Arthur stands at the foot of Selina’s bed, looking exhausted. His clothes are rumpled, dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes. Across from him is a tall man with the same aristocratic features as Selina—must be her brother, Caleb.

“Sorry doesn’t fix this,” Caleb snaps. “Sorry doesn’t wake her up!”

“The doctors say the swelling is already reducing,” Arthur says quietly. “She’ll recover.”

“You pushed her down a flight of stairs!”

My breath catches in my throat. Arthur did what?

“It wasn’t like that,” Arthur sighs, running a hand through his hair. “We were arguing. I gestured—maybe too forcefully. She stumbled. Lost her balance.”

“Convenient explanation,” Caleb sneers. “I’m sure that’s what you’ll tell the police when I file charges.”

Arthur doesn’t argue. Doesn’t defend himself. Just drops his head in apparent acceptance.

That’s when I push the door open, unable to stop myself. Both men turn to look at me, surprised.

“Iris,” Arthur breathes, his eyes widening. “What are you doing here?”

I hold up the flowers awkwardly. “I heard about Selina. I wanted to… I don’t know. Pay my respects? See if you were okay?”

Caleb looks between Arthur and me, his expression darkening. “So this is the human,” he says, with a dismissive once-over. But there’s a strange look in his eyes as he takes me in, and truthfully, I feel a little strange, too. Somehow, there’s a part of me that almost seems to… recognize him, even though I’ve never seen this man in my life.

And it’s not just in appearance that I seem to recognize him. It’s on a deeper level. Almost as if we…

But then he turns back to his sister, ignoring me, and the moment passes.

Moving forward, I place the flowers on a side table and approach Selina’s bed. She looks so different unconscious—younger, more vulnerable. Without the malice animating her features, she could almost be ethereally beautiful.

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” I say softly, although I doubt she can hear me. I glance at Arthur. “What really happened?”

Arthur hesitates. “We were arguing. About you and Miles, actually.” He looks down. “Selina admitted that she was behind the car accident. That she sent the CPS agent to your apartment.”

My blood runs cold. “She tried to kill me? To take Miles away?”

Arthur nods grimly. “When I confronted her, things got heated. I was angry—furious, actually. She said terrible things about you both. I pushed her, not intending to hurt her, just to create space. But she fell.”

“Accident or not, you put her here,” Caleb says, pulling out his phone. “I’m calling the police.”

“Wait,” I say, surprising myself. “Please don’t.”

Both men stare at me in shock.

“Why the hell not?” Caleb demands. “He assaulted my sister!”

I take a deep breath. “Because I know Arthur. He would never intentionally hurt anyone, especially not a woman.” I meet Caleb’s gaze. “What happened was an accident. A tragic one, but still an accident.”

“You’re defending him?” Caleb looks incredulous. “After everything?”

“I’m telling the truth,” I say simply. “Arthur is many things, but he’s not violent. Not like that.”

Arthur is watching me with an expression of complete bewilderment. I can’t blame him—I’m a little surprised by my own defense. But despite all of the lies he’s told over the years, I know in my heart he wouldn’t deliberately harm Selina. Or anyone, for that matter, unless they truly deserved it.

“Besides,” I continue, “if what Arthur says is true, and Selina was confessing to attempted murder and manipulation of child protective services, that context matters. She was threatening me and my son.” My eyelashes flicker as I look at Arthur. “Our son.”

Caleb studies me for a long moment, his nostrils flaring slightly. Then he slowly lowers his phone. “Fine,” he says curtly. “I won’t call the police. Yet. But if Selina’s condition worsens, or if she corroborates a different version of events when she wakes up, all bets are off.”

“Understandable,” Arthur says. He looks relieved, and more than a little grateful.

Caleb ignores him, still staring at me with that odd intensity once more. Now that I’m standing closer, I feel another strange pang in my chest, too, even stronger this time. In fact, this close, I almost feel like I’m looking in a mirror. He’s older and male, his hair graying and his eyes a different color than mine—mine are amber and his are gray—but our facial structure is similar.

They say the average person wouldn’t be able to tell if they met their doppelganger, but I’ve spent enough time painting my own self portraits to know what I look like.

But we’re not related. We definitely can’t be. In fact, the thought of being somehow related to the Willfords, the most powerful werewolf family in Ordan, is almost laughable.

“So you’re the human mate,” he repeats, as if testing each word once more. His nostrils flare again, and he takes a small step toward me, then back, his brow furrowing as his eyes flick over me. “Are you sure she’s a human, Arthur?”

Arthur frowns. “What are you talking about? Of course she’s human.”

I look between them, confused. “What do you mean? Of course I’m human.”

Caleb opens his mouth to respond, but a knock at the door interrupts him. A doctor enters, carrying a folder. She looks solemn as she approaches.

“Mr. Willford, Mr. President,” she acknowledges. “I have Miss Selina’s blood test results.”

“And?” Caleb prompts.

The doctor glances at me and Arthur uncertainly. “I’m sorry, but you two need to leave.”