Kash:
Early in the morning, my mother sat me down to talk, and the first thing she asked was how I could let Iris stay in my children's lives.
I was stunned she even said that. I reminded her that I was the one who cheated on Iris and that it was me who caused her to leave.
She had given me an option, and I chose otherwise.
But my mother claimed Iris couldn't be a great mother because she didn't have a wolf. Then she brought up the same thing again, Iris's affair with that mystery man.
I wanted to know if she was still seeing him because that would confirm a lot.
I had a full-blown argument with my mother, and then my sister came in crying, saying all she wanted was to see the children, but Iris wouldn't let her.
It broke her.
There was a lot happening. My sister was crying, my mother was upset, and I was already disturbed.
Then, early that morning, when I saw Iris's face, my mood soured even more.
All I could think about was the miserable time I'd spent because of her, and to top it all off, she slipped into the river.
I was standing far away, my back turned, when I heard Lara scream and say Iris had fallen into the water.
I knew she could swim, but somehow, my reflexes kicked in. I dropped the pen I was holding, rushed forward, took off my coat, and unbuttoned my shirt.
But before I could do anything, that asshole who was closer had already jumped in. I watched him pull Iris out of the water.
I didn't understand why he had to hold her like that. His hand was almost under her chest while he helped her out, and then he gave her his robe, and wrapped it around her.
Honestly, that was the last straw.
"I wasn't flirting! She fell in, and I was helping her!" Keith finally realized he couldn't just keep going like that, trying to flirt with her.
And the fact that she was entertaining it made me feel something completely different toward her.
Had she always been this desperate for men's attention, left and right, while she was dating the same guy she'd left me for?
Probably the same guy, probably not. Who knows?
I was hoping it wasn't, because that would at least make me feel at ease.
But the way she was acting, I had a feeling I was headed for disappointment.
She got up from the ground and started walking behind me toward the cabin.
"Everybody out!" I yelled once I entered.
All the designers, cameramen, photographers, everyone who was resting, rushed out. The cabin was just for the two of us now.
I slammed the door shut once she was inside and turned to face her, my hands on my waist.
"What are you doing?" I asked, tapping my foot anxiously.
"What did I do?" she snapped back.
This change in her behavior, it wasn't like before. She used to be so polite and always spoke kindly to me.
But now, every time I talked to her, she acted like she was doing me a favor, and I hated it.
Did she not remember I was the Alpha King, not just of the North but beyond? Why did I always have to remind her?
"You could swim," I said, giving her a hint about why I was so annoyed.
"I was caught off guard, and it's not like I asked him to help me," she argued back.
Before I could say anything else, she added, "And you should ask your fiancée why she pushed me in."
That accusation came out of nowhere. I frowned at her, noticing how confident she looked when she said it.
"Oh, of course, you're not going to say anything to her, because all you fucking know is how to yell at me," she added bitterly.
"I'll speak with her myself. Right now, I'm here to remind you that this is a professional environment. You and that desperate male model flirting with each other don't look very good. I don't want any scandals around my brand or anywhere I work. So it would be helpful if you refrained from acting the way you always do and focused on the project at hand."
With every word I spoke, I noticed her frown grow deeper until she finally clenched her fists and glared at me.
"Say that one more time."
She shocked me when she said it like that.
"Is that a threat?" I asked, and she clenched her jaw.
"Say it one more time," she repeated, making me shove my hands into my pockets as I stepped closer to her.
"You are a scandalous woman, Iris, who loves men's attention. You don't even care that you're at work, and neither do you care that you have a boyfriend. You just entertain everyone, like you did when we were married."
Just like she wanted, I repeated myself and said more than she expected to hear. She listened to all of it in silence.
But then she did the unthinkable. After staring at me for a few seconds, she grabbed a glass of wine from the side and tossed it in my face.
If I'd wanted, I could've stopped it, but I didn't. I let her make that mistake, because punishment was what she was going to receive now.
Anger has always been my biggest problem because of the way I was born and because of the strength in me.
With my powerful wolf, I'd always had trouble controlling myself. And sometimes, in anger, I made the biggest mistakes.
One of them was when she splashed the wine on my face. I grabbed the water glass from the side and splashed it back at her, giving her a tit for tat.
The moment the water hit her face and she gasped, I realized how unmanly it made me look, how insecure, dumb, and utterly stupid I was.
But what was done was done.
She clenched her fists and raised her hand to slap me but then stopped midair. She made a fist and pulled it down.
I knew why.
Because she didn't trust me. She thought that if she slapped me, I'd slap her back.
And no, I never would.
But I guess that's what I deserved for reacting too quickly.
Then the door opened and freaking Keith walked in, holding a cup of hot coffee in his hand.
"I've been worried for you," he said to her.
The asshole I had already warned, clearly knowing she was committed, was back again, with no thought in his damn mind to stay the hell away from Iris.