Chapter 18
ROWAN
Sitting down to breakfast with Iris and my father isn’t something I ever imagined. Honestly, if someone told me a month ago that this would happen, I’d have assumed they’d slipped me one of Iris’sexperimental teas. Even now, I’m not convinced I’m fully awake.
Across the table, Iris and Marius eye each other with a level of contempt normally reserved for political coups or burned cookies. The tension between them crackles like static, and every so often, one of them makes a noise—an offended sniff from her, a low grumble from him—followed by an awkward silence so thick Liz has attempted to fill it three separate times.
Though I’m pretty sure we’re all quietly impressed that Marius has managed to shut Iris up.
She stares at my father like he’s a stranger who just insulted her favorite coffee cup. I know she hasn’t seen him in years, but it’s not like she hadn’t realized he was in love with her daughter. And Iris Prescott absolutelydidherresearch—she would’ve run background checks, interviewed the moon, and bribed the wind if it helped her get answers about my mother. That much I’ve learned about her already.
I poke at my eggs with a fork. I only requested them to make Cade happy, but the sight of them makes my stomach churn. I skipped dinner last night, but exhaustion is still dragging at my bones hard enough that food feels like an abstract concept I’m not entirely convinced exists. If I could sleep for a full day without worrying about the world falling apart, I would.
Unfortunately, the world has zero respect for personal boundaries.
Elias enters the dining room abruptly, his deep voice booming enough to startle Archie, who stiffens, then puffs up like a bristled mop and mutters something about “unnecessary dramatics” before closing his eyes again.
“We found one of the council members,” Elias announces.
Cade’s chair scrapes the floor as he stands. “Who?”
“Bram. From Stoneclaw. But he’s in Riverstone territory.” Elias squints like he’s still not convinced of the information he’s sharing.
Before he can proceed with the meat of the story that I’m sure is coming, Cade cuts in, glancing at Marius, then back at Elias. “Who is Bram, and why is he on the council instead of Gabriel?”
Oh, right. Iris had previously told me that Marius’s dad, and by extension…my grandfather, is the alpha of that pack. Hell, if he’s about to tell Marius that his father is dead…
I brace for the bad news, but instead, Elias says, “Gabriel stepped down about six months ago. He was concerned with his mind and age, but I’m assuming we can blame Malrik for that. Either way, Bram is the new alpha, and he entered Riverstone without permission, and it seems he’s…hunting.”
“For what?” I ask because Cade has gone very still beside me, thinking far too hard for this early in the morning.
Elias glances between the two of us. “The other surviving alpha.”
Liz snorts. “Isn’t that a good thing? Wewantthem all gone.”
It’s Marius who answers next, voice low and steady. “Not Bram.” His eyes flick between Cade and Elias. “I don’t know what he’s doing now, but my father made the right choice giving him the position in my absence. Bram wouldn’t side with Malrik. Not willingly.”
Iris folds her hands primly on the table and gives him a look that could sour milk. “How wouldyouknow that? You abandoned your people decades ago.”
My mouth drops open at her disrespect, which seems harsher than normal.
Cade’s alpha command snaps across the room like a whip. “Enough, Iris.”
His power rises—warm, electric, the kind that makes the tiny hairs on my arms stand at full attention. It’s ridiculously sexy, something my wolf practically hums over.
“You’re not one of us,” Cade continues, sharp but controlled. “You don’t get to judge him. And you sure ashell don’t get to insult Rowan’s father in front of her, especially when he’s the reason she’s with us right now.”
The silence that follows is absolute.
Then Iris stands, flinging her napkin onto the floor like she’s declaring war.
“Right. Likethisisn’t my house and you’re suddenly in charge.” Her voice wobbles between indignation and something almost wounded. “Fantastic breakfast reunion. You all have fun. I’ll be in the basement.”
She marches out, and the room stays frozen for two full heartbeats after the door swings closed.
My eyebrows creep up. “Okay, what the hell was that? And also—who was that? Because it wasn’t Iris.”
Liz nods slowly. “Yeah, no. Our Iris is chaotic, sure, but she’s not—” She gestures vaguely as she stands. “That. I’ll go talk to her.”
