Chapter 14
Iris & Arthur
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Iris
I should feel angry when I see those pictures. I should feel violated and self–righteous at the obvious invasion of my privacy.
But I don’t. Not really.
Instead, I just feel… sad.
Despite everything, I am Arthur’s fated mate. Even now, five years later, the unshakable bond that grips our most primal urges is
as strong as it ever was the kiss last night and my body’s reaction to Arthur’s proximity tonight have only proven that.
And yet, no matter what happens, I’m just his mistress. The other woman.
Arthur knew that, of course, five years ago. He made it abundantly clear when he decided to get publicly engaged to a werewolf
woman while having his human mistress hidden away at home, conveniently kept from the public eye.
Because it wouldn’t look good for the Alpha President of Ordan to have a human mate and wife, would it?
No, it wouldn’t. Ordan is still years behind Bo’Arrocan, and although humans have finally been given all of the same rights as
werewolves, we’re still seen as ‘lesser‘. Not even our own fated mates will ever see us as equals. I learned that the hard way five
years ago………
Which is precisely why, right now, I’m glad that I left Arthur all those years ago when I found out what he really thought of me. 1 thought he wasn’t like the others, but I was wrong. Even now, he only sees me as a gold digger who he can manipulate with
money.
Good riddance, I suppose.
Brian, however, is more furious than I am. “You know what?” he huffs, puffing his chest out and planting his fists on his hips in
that way he always does when he’s pissed, “I’m going to be attending the Ordan Alpha gathering in a few days. I’m gonna have
words with that asshole.”
I jolt up from my chair. “Brian, don’t-”
“No, I’m not gonna sit around and watch this prick ruin all of your hard work,” Brian insists, his eyes flashing dangerously.
“You’ve made great strides since you left him, and his selfish actions are overturning it all in the span of a night? I call bullshit.”
I’m not sure how to respond; when Brian has his mind set on something, then it might as well be engraved in stone. But I must
look panicked, because Brian takes a step forward and softens his tone, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, darling. No one will know it’s you. Besides, the paparazzi didn’t even get a clear shot of your face.”
1/2
Arthur
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The Ordan annual Alpha gathering is one of the most prestigious events in the city. And 1, as the Alpha President, am at the head
of it all.
Normally, I don’t mind these gatherings. It’s really just all fanfare–shaking hands, making toasts, donating to obscure charities
most people have never heard of beforehand. Selina and I know exactly how to smile and who to rub elbows with, what sort of
talking points to push and which ones to avoid.
All in a day’s work for the Alpha President.
But the event this year is different. Last night, paparazzi photos of Iris and me together sparked online curiosity and outrage, and
if there’s one place that people are going to be talking about it, it’s the Alpha gathering.
I already talked to Selina about it, of course. I told her that I just ‘happened‘ to run into Iris and assisted her with an injury,
nothing more. I hoped that would be the end of it, but of course, nothing is ever over with Selina.
Selina and I aren’t… together in that way. We both understand that our relationship is for appearances and mutual benefit and
nothing more.
But I think she might be a little pissed. Maybe more than a little. She said she wasn’t concerned, but I can almost smell the
annoyance on her skin.
“Is it true that you have a human mistress?” someone asks, without a hint of remorse over asking the Alpha President such an
invasive question.
Before I can answer, Selina cuts in. Her gloved fingers find my arm, and she grins in that show–stopping, radiant way that she
practices in front of the mirror for an hour before we go out.
?” She laughs and waves her hand as if Iris is nothing more than a fly buzzing around her face, then tucks a
ir behind one ear. “Yes, well, she tried to seduce my husband. But of course, it didn’t work. Our bond is
it, my love?”
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