I slammed the front door and stormed off into the woods. My short zebra-striped dress wrinkled. Ugh! Why is everything so complicated! I decided to let Crimson take over for a bit and shifted into my wolf. She ran until she came to Erik's mansion. Everyone had already gone back to the house, considering that I was out for a few weeks. I knocked on the large door, a little nervous because patrols hadn't busted me yet. Erik opened the door, yelling over his shoulder. "I don't care!" When he looked back at me his eyes went wide. "Come in, come in!" I didn't know I was crying until I felt a cold tear land on my hand. I went into the bathroom and saw that my mascara was running. "What's wrong?" I explained everything. "I asked Cole about what happened with his last mate and he told me he would explain it later. Then, he decided to take me on a date. So I got dressed up and put on makeup and everything, but then he blew me off with an excuse about how he had to sort out some pack business and he wouldn't be back in a week! Then I asked him about Charlene again, and he lashed out at me!" I showed Erik the bruise on my arm and the one on my cheek. "I don't know what I did wrong!" Erik wrapped me in a hug. "Hey, I'm sure it's not your fault. It's probably just a soft spot to him. Listen, go to your brother. I'm in a rough spot with some rouge problems and I have to take care of some things. I'll send a guard to accompany you to the border. I really am sorry I can't talk." Then, Lionel walked into view. "You don't care, huh?! Well, I do!" He froze when he saw me. A tear slid down my cheek as my eyes met his. "Lionel, we'll talk about this later. Take Iris to her brother's territory. Try not to annoy her, ok?" Lionel stuck his tongue out at Erik as he walked off yelling orders.

Lionel waved awkwardly and nodded his head towards the main door. I sniffed and nodded, trying to wipe my red and stuffy eyes. He was silent on the walk to Leland's territory. "Thank you, Lionel." I accidentally hiccuped. He looked deeply into my eyes, as if searching for my soul. "No problem. If you ever need anything, call me." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and hung his head. "I will, bye." I waved and stepped into Leland's territory. "Who are you and what are you doing in this territory?!" Three bulky men approached me. "I'm Iris, Leland's sister." They all laughed. "Leland's sister died along with his parents." I shook my head. "No, I didn't." I then realized that their smell was similar to a rouges. "Wait a sec." They all growled and attacked me. I turned to a wolf and tore out one guys throat. Lionel's wolf launched from behind me and took out another one. The last one tackled me. A whimper escaped my lips as he bit into my leg. Lionel grabbed him by the neck and a loud snap sounded. The rouges were dead. I changed back to a human, inspecting the large gash on my leg. "Oh god, I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner." Lionel picked me up, trying not to mind my short dress any attention. "Let's get you to a pack doctor." Lionel ran as fast as he could while carrying me. "Lionel, just stop. Put me down for gods sake!" He slowed, confused. With an angry glance from me, he sat me down. I shifted to a vampire and hovered above the ground. "Oh yeah, forgot about that." Lionel rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. "Lionel, just go. I don't even know why you helped me. I'm nothing but a-" Lionel sighed. "Don't say it. It wasn't your fault, I'm just incredibly dense. I should go, you're more than likely safe now." He waved and walked off. Wait, what just happened? I shook myself off and went to the mansion. Convincing myself I was fine, I changed back to a human. Limping, I knocked on the door. A random girl opened the door, letting out a snarl. "Who are you?!" I put my hands up in defense, but she saw it as a threat. She lunged at me, but I was too weak to dodge. "Leland!" I screamed his name just as she tackled me. I screamed as my leg vibrated with pain. "Get off me!" I pushed her off, unlatching my jaw. Leland burst out of the door, and he immediately saw my leg. "Gracie, you idiot! She's the Luna of Cole's pack and my sister!" Gracie whimpered and bowed her head. "My apologies." I cursed under my breath, the pain coursing through my leg. "God, Iris! Quick, I need a pack doctor!" I waved him off. "Don't." My leg started healing. "Iris, I've never seen anyone but Bruno heal so fast. Are you ok?" I've noticed that my healing abilities have gotten better since I found out Cole was my destined mate. "I'm fine, just help me up." Leland pulled me to my feet and then into a bone crushing hug. "What happened to you, why are you dressed up? Were you crying? Was it Cole?" He bombarded me with a series of questions, none of which he allowed me to answer.

"Leland!" He shut up. "I'm dressed up because Cole offered to take me on a date, then he blew me off and lashed out at me. Rouges attacked me and I ended up here." I was crying again. Why am I such a baby?! Then our birthday's popped into my mind. "Leland, our birthday's!" Leland rolled his eyes. "We're both too busy anyways. Come in and I'll call Cole. Then you can explain in further detail." He led me to a bathroom and I washed up, getting rid of the running mascara and tear stains. Then I met Leland in his comfy office. I explained to him what happened then listened to him yell very loudly at Cole over the phone. "DON'T YOU EVER HURT HER AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Silence, then a muffled yell. "I DON'T GIVE A CRAP! SHE'S YOUR MATE AND SHE NEEDS YOU!" More muffled yelling. It continued like this for more than an hour, until the line clicked dead when Leland was in the middle of throwing the phone. "You're staying with me for a month, no arguments." Ugh. I hated when people made decisions for me. "Leland, just get me food and a change of clothes and I will gladly stay with you." Leland did as I asked and I ended up eating a salad and some pasta, later taking a shower and curling my hair. I got dressed in some tight jet-black skinny jeans and a crop top shirt that has a smiling cupcake with fireworks surrounding it and the words KAWAII writing slanted across the top in bold, sparkly letters. My brother knows me well. I ended up bonding with Gracie that night over a huge bowl of popcorn and old horror movies. She ended up doing my nails. "Wow, you really are a professional!" She smiled as she finished putting my favorite emoji on both my thumbs in a teal nail polish. The other nails were teal with white stripes, but my pinkies were special. They had kawaii written across them in small, but eligible, gold letters. "Cute!" I marveled at them when they finished drying. "Thanks. I worked in a salon for 4 years. Do you mind if I mess with your hair?" I eagerly let her do my hair in a fishtail braid. She braided in a sparkly teal ribbon to match my nails. "Oh my gosh, you are my new favorite person!" She laughed. My toes were done the same as my nails. I then asked her to do my makeup. I wanted to post some cute pics on Facebook. She agreed and my eyeshadow was gold, matching the kawaii nails, and my lipstick was bright pink. She put on mascara and eyeliner and sparkly blush. I looked amazing. She did her makeup and hair and nails and we took about one million pictures. We ended up posting all of them, too. I immediately got a like from Hannah, Connor, Kyle, Tanner, Leland, Cole, Drake, and Jose. I giggled. Leland walked in at that exact moment and dropped a piece of paper he was holding. "Iris, you look great!" I thanked him, then saw the paper. "NO WAY, YOU GOT ME A NEW IPHONE 6S!!!" He laughed, taking the box out from behind his back. "I heard what happened." I tore the box from his grasp and put in all the numbers I knew, even Victoria's. Gracie gave me hers and I put it in. I downloaded about a thousand apps and logged into Facebook, making Gracie send me all the pics we took from earlier. I posted them on my Facebook page, too. We had a total girls night, which ended in a popcorn fight, which ended at 1:24 a.m. the next day. "Oh my gosh, I feel like I have a hangover." I laughed as Gracie face planted into a pillow. She's 23, by the way. "Well, I'm not old enough to have a hangover, so I can't relate."

I laughed with her. "I think I drank too much soda, or maybe it was the popcorn." I smiled. "Well, I feel fi-" The door slammed against the wall, one hinge coming loose, as Cole stepped inside. The sound scared me and I ended up falling backwards off the bed. Gracie jumped in front of me, growling. I rolled my eyes, laughing to myself. "Gracie, it's just Cole." It took a moment for the words to sink in. "Cole!" I scrambled to my feet, images of him slapping me coming into my head. "I know, that's why I'm standing here." I had told her what happened. She hated his guts. Cole was just staring at me. To be more specific, the bruise on my cheek. That's right, it's still there. Gracie growled, catching his attention. "So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to apologize to her?!" I avoided his gaze. "You're right. Iris, I'm sorry I hit you. I really am, I honestly don't know what came over me. I've been wanting to apologize to you ever since last night, but I got caught up in work. Will you forgive me?" I thought for a second. Then, I decided to take up Leland's offer to stay for the month. "Give me a month, I'll be staying here with Leland." Shock covered his face. "A-a month?!" I had to admit, his stutter was adorable. "Yeah, I just need a break and some girl time." Cole sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "If you need a month, you can have as many was you want. I'll give you some space, but promise me you won't go out alone. I heard what happened with the rouges, you had me scared, Iris." I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine. Bye, love you." He smiled. "Love you, too." He looked back at the bruise, and then left. "Cole, send someone to fix the door!" I heard a laugh. A few minutes later a dude came with a toolbox. When he left, I relaxed a little. "Ok, maybe he's not as bad as he was that night." I nodded, staring at an old picture on Facebook. It was Charlene and Cole at a fair, they were at the top of the Ferris Wheel. Gracie looked at the picture and growled. "Is he cheating on you?!" Then she saw the caption. "Oh, his ex-mate." She stole the phone from my hands and exited out of Facebook. Then she handed it back. "Don't feed yourself bad things, feed yourself breakfast." I laughed as she tugged me down the hall. "What will I be feeding myself, exactly?" She thought for a moment as she tugged me into the kitchen.

"Bacon, eggs, and toast?" I nodded eagerly. She started to make the food, and the aroma must've drew Leland in. "Is that bacon?!" I laughed. "You're like that dog from the bacon treat commercial!" Leland grinned. "OOH BACON, BACON, BACOOON! I LOVE BACON!" We were laughing our hearts out. "I-can't-breathe!" I put my hand over my heart and bent forward, laughing. Leland flopped down into a chair, holding his stomach. Gracie was trying to hold in her laughter and it looked hilarious. "Serious face!" As I said that we all contained our laughter, putting on our most serious face. That only caused us to laugh harder. "Leland-you-finish-the food! I don't-think-I will-make it!" She doubled over with laughter. A sense of power filled the room as a very well built man walked in. He looked to be about 63. Leland and Gracie tensed up, no longer laughing. I, however, was on the verge of tears I was laughing so hard. "Straighten up in my presence!" My head snapped around as I let out a snort of laughter. The man narrowed his eyes at me. I shot him a a glare right back. "Well, excuse me! As far as I'm concerned, you should be bowing to me! Do you even know who I am?!" The man growled and stepped towards me. I crossed my arms and looked up at him, bravely standing my ground. "HOW DARE YOU!" I growled, becoming annoyed. "No, how dare you!" I was keeping myself calm, unlike the shaking hulk in front of me. "OUT OF MY HOUSE!" I stayed put. His hand wrapped around my neck. Anger and power surged from me. His eyes widened. "RELEASE ME NOW!" He dropped me and stumbled back, my power obviously throwing him off guard. "If you ever lay a hand on me again, I will personally kick your butt, old man!" Leland put his hand on my shoulder, easing my anger. "Who in the world are you?!" I smiled. "Iris Malden, a Demon Blood Wolf hybrid and the daughter of the Ancestors." If remotely possible, his eyes grew wider. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have breakfast to fix." I turned and flipped the bacon, took the toast out of the toaster, and moved the eggs around. The room was silent and tense. "Bacon, bacon, bacon! I love me some bacoooon!" That earned a snort from Gracie and Leland, who were trying to hold down their laughter. "Go ahead, it's ok to laugh. It's healthy." That sent them into a laughing frenzy, much to Mister Hot-shot's annoyance. "Have you forgotten you're in my presence?" I whirled my head around to meet his gaze. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOU'RE IN MINE?!" He swallowed, grabbed a coffee mug, and left. Gracie nearly spit rainbows. "DID YOU SEE HIS FACE!" Leland snorted. "He was all like, oops, forgot I'm not the most powerful ex-Alpha anymore!" I rolled my eyes and went back to cooking. "Food's done!" I made four plates. "Four?" I nodded, sitting one aside for me and picking up another. "It's an apology plate for Mister Hot-shot, I never express my true power and I feel kinda bad for it. I'l be back, touch my food and your'e dead." I turned and sniffed out the old dude with a grudge. I nudged open a cracked door with my foot.

Inside he was reading a book on the Ancestors, probably trying to find out if I was lying or not. "Brought some breakfast!" He whirled around so fast that his chair nearly tipped over. "Whoa there! Easy boy!" I grinned, but he was anything but amused. I sat the plate down on a table. "Sorry about before, I usually never express my power. I don't like bragging." I twirled the end of my braid in my hand, my nails reflecting the light. KAWAII reflected and the light bounced off his glasses, nearly blinding me. "You're welcome and bye!" I turned to walk away but heard something move. My reflexes kicked in and I swirled around in time to catch a fork which was flying towards my head. It was an inch from my nose. He smirked. "Well, you take after your father well." I froze, dropping the fork. Pull yourself together, Iris. I blinked a few times. "He used to catch all of my throws. Your mother, however, would chase me down with a bloody fork. She was a good singer, are you?" I swallowed. I turned and fled the scene before I broke down. Sitting myself in the kitchen, I desperately shoved bacon in my mouth. As I moved to the eggs, I started to feel sick. The world blurred. Gracie looked like mom. Leland looked like dad. The kitchen started changing into the restaurant, my body shrinking down to a kids. I was shaking all over, cries of pain and sadness escaping my lips. Their faces. The silence. The pain. The blood. I ran from the house and threw up in a bush. I couldn't hear anything. When I looked up I could see the bushes splattered with blood. Blood. Blood everywhere. I spun around. Blood. Blood everywhere. "NOOOOOOO!!!" A bloodcurdling scream shook my body as I ran to the woods. I ran and ran, trying to escape my problems. But problems are like shadows, they are constantly attached to you, you can't escape them without first entering their world of darkness, that's when you really forget they exist.