Wolf under an oak tree.

“Jacey! Jace! Where are you?” an annoying voice kept yelling which woke me up from my peaceful slumber, and I groaned before snuggling into the warm chest due to my moment, the hand that was around my waist tightened and pulled me closer.

“Jace! It's morning already! What are you doing?” I am going to kill the person who is screaming at the top of his lungs right now. So I slowly tried to move away from Jace, but he only snuggled his head in my hair and mumbled something before I heard his breathing even out again.

And when I thought that the person has finally given up and left the house, that is when the room door abruptly opened, and I quickly got up from the bed to see that Walter was standing in the doorway with wide eyes and his mouth was partly opened, to scream again.

“What happened, Iris?” Jace asked me in a sleepy voice and pulled me towards him again, but I shook his shoulder to wake him up. And he groaned before he opened his eyes, and that is when he saw Walter standing there, frozen in place.

“What the hell are you doing here in my room, Walter?” Jace asked in an annoyed voice. “And that too early in the morning?” Jace asked while he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the sleep. “I...uh...um, I thought you were alone. And I came to inform you that Iris was missing.” Walter stammered, and he looked my way before he continued. “But looks like she is safe and sound,” Walter smirked at the end while looking at both of us and raising his eyebrow suggestively. And I threw a pillow towards him, and since he didn't see that coming, it hit him right on the face. And both Jace and I laughed while Walter frowned.

“Now, why were you looking for us?” Jace asked once the laughter died, and he got up from the bed.

“Uh, Mike is awake, and I also like to say that the trackers have brought the rogue, he is in the dungeon now, ready for questioning,” Walter said, and Jace nodded his head, and Walter gave us a wink before he left us alone.

“Jace, who is this rogue?” I asked him when he was about to enter the bathroom.

“This is the rogue who tried to kill my gamma and my mate,” Jace said, and he entered the bathroom and closed the door leaving me thinking back to that dark alleyway and how I escaped being almost killed, but I still can't get my mind to forget the amount of blood that was around Mike. I think that memory has blotched my memory forever.

I was brought back into reality when I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder, and when I looked I saw that Jace was looking at me with a concerned look on his face. “I have been calling your name for quite a while now.”

“I am sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Anyway, what were you saying?” I asked him with a forced smile on my face, and I see that he didn't look convinced by that smile.

“I felt your fear and sadness again, Iris. What happened, is it about the nightmare that you had last night?” Jace asked, and that is when the nightmare that I had last night can to my mind. But what confused me, even more, is that, why did I see Alan turning into a werewolf?

“Iris?”

“Uh?”

“You zoned out, again. Are you sure you are alright?” he asked me, and I nodded my head before leaning my head on his shoulder.

“I was just thinking about what happened in the alleyway.”

“Iris, please don't think too much about it because what is done is done and I don't think we can change the past now. But what matters is that you are alive and well,” he said, and I nodded my head.

“Jace, um, I don't have any clothes to wear today.”

“I will get something for you. You go and take a shower,” he said, and he got up to go to the closet, and that is when I noticed that Jace was only wearing a towel all this time, and my cheeks heated up, and my throat dried up, so I tried clearing my throat a few times which unfortunately caught Jace’s attention.

“Did you call me?” Jace turned around and asked me.

“Um, uh no I...I was just testing my voice.” I said, but then a smirk appeared on his face, and he started to advance toward me, so I quickly got up from the bed and ran into the bathroom and locked the door after me, and I heard Jace’s hearty laugh from the other side.

“You know you shouldn't be shy, Iris. I am all yours.”

“Shut up, Jace!” I yelled and slid down the door and brought my knees together, and placed my head on it. I don't know what I did in my past life to deserve such an amazing life partner, but I think after being cheated on, looked down on, and physically and mentally abused, I thought that love is not for me. But how wrong was I? Because after enduring all that, I have come to a point in life where I got a life partner who is caring, loving and most of all an understanding person.

And for the first time in my life, the tears that my eyes had were tears of gratitude, joy, and love.

“Iris, I am going to the hospital wing.” Jace knocked on the door.

“I will come there in a while,” I said, and I quickly wiped the tears and got up from the floor and when to take a shower.

After about one hour in the shower, I came outside wrapping a towel, and I saw that there was a purple bag on the bed, and inside was a pair of high-waisted denim and a baby pink crop top with a pair of matching sandals.

Well, at least my mate has good taste in clothes.

I quickly put on the dress and dried my hair and when I was about to leave the room, that is when I saw the small note that was placed on the bedside table with a dead rose. And I know that Jace has not kept that note there.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and my heart started to palpitate, knowing that he has come inside this room while I was in the shower.