Too Late Alpha The Mate He Never Wanted (Iris and Eric) novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Iris’s POV

“Why are you staring at Rowan like that?”

The question jolted me out of my trance. I hadn’t even noticed Jasmine had finished her call until she was suddenly in front of me, with one brow raised and her eyes sparkling with too much interest.

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I spluttered defensively and too fast.

Jasmine tilted her head, studying me as though she could see right through my lies. Her lips twitched, and I could see a faint smirk. I hated how it felt like she could read me easily.

“I’m sure you don’t,” she murmured with a teasing smirk on her face.

Heat flooded my cheeks. I turned away quickly, holding the bags tighter, praying she wouldn’t keep pressing.

Beside us, Shane fixed his eyes straight ahead, pretending that he wasn’t paying attention to anything that we were discussing. But from the way his shoulders were tense, and he was avoiding both of our eyes, I knew he was aware of everything that was going on.

To my greatest relief, Jasmine dropped the topic.

“Come on,” She said, placing her phone back into her pocket. She picked up the rest of her bags and started walking again.

I forced my feet to follow.

I was aware that every step I took carried me closer to Rowan, and with each step, my heart pounded harder. I tried to tell myself that I was being ridiculous. He was busy, focused on the pack members that he was surrounded with. He wasn’t going to pay attention to me.

But then it happened.

As we drew nearer to the spot where he stood, Rowan’s head snapped up. His eyes cut through the crowd, landing on me.

I froze mid-step.

The air thickened with tension. His eyes lingered on my face first, before sliding down to my good hand where I clutched the bags, then to my injured hand that looked worse than before. His frown deepened immediately.

No. No, no, no. Please don’t-

Rowan excused himself from the circle of pack members with a single, sharp nod. They bowed slightly and stepped back. That was all it took and he was making his way toward me.

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I couldn’t move. My body locked in place as he closed the distance between us.

When he reached me, he didn’t say a word. He just reached out, too quick for me to stop him, and caught my injured hand.

I sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden contact. tensed as I remembered how Chloe had done almost the same thing a few minutes ago.

But his grip wasn’t forceful or painful. It was firm but gentle. His thumb brushed over my swollen knuckles, he tightened his jaw as he studied the red bruises.

“What happened?” His voice was low, but it carried sharp authority. My chest tightened as I watched his eyes darken. An unreadable emotion burned in his eyes.

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “It’s” My voice cracked. I cleared my throat.” It’s nothing.”

Rowan’s eyes flicked up to mine, and he scowled at me. He didn’t believe me for a second.

Before I could try again, Jasmine stepped in smoothly, her tone was light but she subtly slid herself between us. “Let’s not make a scene here, Rowan.”

Her words were casual, and calm, but her eyes held warning and caution. She was reminding him that we were in the middle of a crowded street, and that every eye was watching this interaction.

Rowan’s attention shifted to her, and he glared at her. Jasmine faltered at the force of his glare.

His voice was quiet that only we could hear, but it was heavy and sharp.

“How did this happen?” His eyes narrowed at Jasmine and at Shane. “Where were you?”

Jasmine opened her mouth, but for once, she hesitated. Her eyes flicked toward me, then back to him.

“I-” she started, but Shane cut in.

“Well-”

Guilt swelled in my chest instantly. This wasn’t their fault. It was Chloe’s fault and mine too, but mostly Chloe. My knuckles throbbed painfully.

“It’s not “I began, stepping forward.

Rowan’s head snapped toward me, his eyes were sharp. “Stay out of this, Iris.”

My stomach twisted at the sharp and dismissive tone in his voice. Heat rushed to my face, but it was not from embarrassment it was from anger. My pulse raced.

“No.” I snapped out before I could stop it.

He furrowed his eyebrows, but I didn’t let him interrupt. I tightened my grip on the bags as I

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continued talking.

“It concerns me. This isn’t about Jasmine. This isn’t about anyone else. I’m not a helpless child and I don’t need anyone to cover for me or be blamed for something that happened to me.”

Shane shifted uncomfortably beside us, looking like he wished he was anywhere but there at that moment.

Even Jasmine winced slightly, pressing her lips together.

Rowan’s jaw tightened. For a long moment, he just stared at me with an unreadable look in his eyes. His hand was still holding my injured one gently.

For a moment, I thought Rowan would snap back at me, or punish me or something.

But instead, after a long tense silence, he exhaled slowly through his nose, but his frown didn’t soften.

Without saying another word, he reached for the bags in my other hand, sliding them out of my grip before I could protest.

“Rowan, you don’t have to-”

He cut me off with a sharp look, and I clamped my mouth shut before the words could leave my mouth.

I swallowed hard. I had already pressed too many of his buttons, and I knew that pushing more would be a mistake.

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