Wolf under an oak tree.

I was still very much traumatized by what I saw, but at the same time, I was beyond confused too. I mean, I have never been able to see a vision of my future, and how was I able to see that now?

“Iris? Iris, open the door, honey.” it was my mom’s voice, so I quickly got up from the floor and slowly opened the door, and there stood my mom, and that is when my eyes started to water again, and I quickly crossed the few steps that were keeping us apart and hugged her tightly.

None of us spoke a word while I rested my head on her shoulder and silently cried, she ran smoothing circles around my back. While she uttered a few consoling words now and then, but, other than that, she let me cry till I had no tears left.

“Darling, do you want to talk about it?”

“Mom, I...I think Alan found me.” I mumbled, and I felt her stiffen, and a gasp left her mouth before she gently pushed me away from her till I was looking at her face, her eyes were wide open, and her pupils were dilated. Fear and pain were clearly visible in her eyes, and I felt guilty for making her feel that way.

Mom is the only person to whom I have told about Alan’s cruel behavior, and she was the person who helped me escape that hell whole and send me to Egypt. But, it's almost a year now, and I have had constant nightmares, but mom brought me out of that, and just when I thought that I can start a new life.

Alan came back.

“Mom...mom? say something?” I shook her shoulders, which made her come back to her senses again. And she placed both her hands on my shoulders and held me firm to the point that I might end in bruises tomorrow.

“Bu...but Al...Alan is dead! darling., Don't you remember that you killed him?” she whispered, and her voice was barely audible but since the room was eerily silent, I heard it. And my lips started to tremble again, and I slowly shook my head.

“I thought he was dead too, mom. But yesterday, when I was at a friend's house, I saw him standing outside, and he was looking straight at me. An...and his eyes held a promise for revenge.” I said, and she just nodded her head to keep going, so I continued. “And then last night, I think he came to my bedroom since he had left a note and a dead rose on my bedside table.”

“Why didn't you call me last night, Iris? Who knows he could have killed you when you were out?” mom raised her voice, and she was distressed too. She moved away from me and started pacing in the room.

“How is a dead man alive, Iris? Didn't you say you killed him?” she stopped pacing and looked directly in my eye, which told me not to lie and tell the truth.

“I should have known better, mom. When there was no police investigation regarding a murder., Maybe he survived that night.” I mumbled and took a seat on the floor again. And mom came and sat next to me.

“I think we should be thinking about what we can do now. I suggest you go somewhere else, maybe Poland or even Antarctica sounds good, you can find a polar bear for a boyfriend that way I will have a son-in-law who isn't going to control you again. That would be much better than a human.” mom joked, which made a smile appear on my face.

“Mom! Seriously this is not the time to joke.” I told her, and she nodded her head, but the earlier tension from her face was now gone. And she turned around and pulled me into her embrace.

“I have something else that I want to tell you about too.” I started, and she looked down at me again.

“Did you see another vision?”

“Yeah, but this time it was different.” this pricked her interest.

“What do you mean by different, darling?”

“I saw a vision of my future. I mean, my heart says that it is a vision, but my mind is saying that it is a nightmare.”

“But, that is not possible! You were never able to do anything like that.”

“That's what I thought, too. But I still don't know, mom.”

“I think we...” mom stopped her sentence halfway, and when I was about to question her, that is when I heard the commotion downstairs. It sounded like my brother was yelling at someone to stop, but the conversation was not that audible, a few minutes later, I heard heavy footsteps coming towards my room, and in no time, Jace was standing there in my doorway wearing only track pants, and he was breathing heavily as if he has run from his home to come here.

But what made my mind completely distracted was his chiseled abs, which were glinting with sweat, I slowly moved my eyes up towards his neck and then to his perfectly sculptured face, which looked alarmed, and a few minutes later, Walter was right behind him.

“Seriously man... Next ti...time you want to run all the way to Iris’s house, inform me so that I wouldn't have to waste my breath and energy running behind you in my pajamas.” Walter wheeze.

“Hey, Iris!” Walter greeted, but he looked like he would rather be anywhere else than here.

“Hey, what made you two come here this early in the morning?” I asked, but my eyes were fixed on my mate, Jace.

Hmm, from when did you start calling him your mate, Iris?

But Jace didn't answer my question, instead, he scanned me from head to toe for any injuries before his shoulder relaxed. “I thought something happened to you,” Jace said, and before I could reply my brother, Ada and dad came into the scene.

“Iris, you are alright right, dear?” my dad asked me, and I gave him a reassuring smile before nodding my head.

“This young gentleman just bragged into the house without permission. But the question here is, do you two know each other?” dad asked me in his no-nonsense tone.

“Um...uh...he is my boyfriend, dad. I...uh played a prank on him saying that I fell from the staircase and told him to come here quickly.”

Wow Iris, from when did you start lying to your parents about boys?

“Wait, when did you two become a thing?” Cole asked me, and I shuddered my shoulders.

“I thought you were with Walter,” Ada asked me.

“Walter is just a friend, and he is the person who introduced me to Jace, and the rest is history,” I said, which was partially true.

“Alright then, since there is no problem here, I guess we should all go down and have breakfast while these two lovebirds solve whatever issue they have.” mom announced, and she got up from the floor and pushed everyone outside, leaving Jace and me alone.

“Hey, good morning!” I greeted him but from the look, he is giving me, I know that this was not a good morning for him.

“I need to know something.” is all he said, and I know that something is not right.