Chapter 15 - Iris

A knock sounded on the door, but before I could do anything, the door burst open, the wood splintering as it slammed into the wall, two of the hinges breaking. A gunshot rang out, and a thump from across the room. I was frozen in place as a horrifyingly familiar figure strolled into the room, gun in one hand, knife in the other.

"Dad," I said.

The smile he gave me was not particularly paternal. Behind him, Jason emerged, holding a long strand of rope loosely in both hands.

"Time to come home now, Iris," Dad said, and Jason lunged toward me.

I screamed, trying to dart around them so I could get to the door and to freedom. But just as I neared it, a faceless figure appeared, blocking the doorway.

I blinked, heart racing. The apple I'd been holding had fallen to the ground. My entire body was trembling as the room swam in front of me with sickening vertigo. But my brother and father weren't here. The door was intact.

"Iris?" Alek's voice called from upstairs as heavy footsteps raced toward the stairs and down them. "Iris, are you all right? I heard screams."

He gripped my shoulders, looking me up and down with concern

"I'm fine. Just a stupid vision," I said, sounding less unfazed than I would like. It had seemed so real.

"You look really pale," he said.

"I'm fine," I repeated. "It was just very realistic."

The fingers on my shoulders tightened as a flash of panic washed over his eyes. "How realistic?" he demanded.

My brow furrowed. "I don't know. Pretty realistic?" I didn't want to tell him the truth, just how real everything had been. I'd only had a few visions intrude the way this one had. For a moment, I hadn't even realized it was a vision. Malcolm was teaching me the basics of how to control when visions happened and trying to teach me to focus on a certain subject. But he could only teach me so much in a short amount of time.

Alek frowned, scrutinizing me.

"What?" I asked, my skin crawling. He knew something I didn't.

"Malcolm didn't tell you what it meant?" he asked. When I shook my head, he sighed. "Figures. I guess he didn't want to scare you."

"Scare me? What didn't he tell me?" The lump in my throat had swelled to double its size, seeming to cut off my airways despite the fact that I was still breathing.

"That the visions getting stronger means they're more likely to happen." He studied my face, then added, "And at some point, a stronger vision will inevitably come true. But Malcolm doesn't know how you can tell when that's the case."

"Oh." I collapsed back on the couch, staring at the far wall. "Oh."

Alek came to sit down next to me, his hand wrapping around mine. "I'm not going to let that happen," he promised. "Jameson and I have been talking. When I'm not around, one of the other Silver Wolves will be here with you."

"It might not be your choice," I pointed out. I could remember the clarity of the last vision. Dad's leering face as he sauntered into the house, the door swinging from one hinge. Jason was a few steps behind, rope swinging from his hands.

For a moment, panic raced over me. I didn't want to go back. I couldn't. Not after everything. What if the vision was already going to happen?

But then I remembered the faceless blob, another figure that hadn't come into focus yet. And the way the edges had been distorted, like a dream.

"It's not a guarantee yet. I don't think," I muttered.

Alek's shoulders sagged, but he must have noticed the tautness in my face and the stiffness in my own muscles.

"I can't go back there," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"It won't happen," he said. "I won't let it."

"I don't even know why they would want me, either," I continued. "They hate me. Why go to all this trouble?"

He shrugged. "You would probably know better than I would."

"Control, probably," I said without really thinking.

Alek's brow furrowed. "They'd go through all that trouble just to make sure they had control over you?"

"You'd be surprised what they'd do for that." Again, the words were out before I could think better of them.

Alek stared at me, brow furrowed, and I winced. I hadn't wanted to bring it up. But I suppose he would have found out eventually.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Did you ever wonder why I vanished on you last time?" I asked.

"Of course," he said. "The only reason I didn't ask was because I figured you would tell me if you ever wanted me to know."

"Yeah…" I coughed. "Growing up, my Dad used to lock me in my room as frequently as possible. Basically, he just wouldn't let me hang out with kids or do anything beyond go to school and whatever chores he had lined up for me." I could feel Alek tensing beside me, his grip on my hand tightening. "As I got older, it got harder for him to do it as often, mostly because it's a lot harder when your daughter's a teenager to keep her shut up like that. But he still would whenever he could get away with it.

"When you and I met, I kept it a secret from Dad and Jason. I didn't want them interfering or running you off." Alek snorted, and I gave him a half-smile. "Yeah, well, I didn't know you were a shifter back then, did I? But anyway, that last day we met in the clearing after you left, I turned around, and my brother was standing right there. He'd followed me. And he dragged me back to Dad and told him what had happened. Dad was livid and locked me in my room for months. Sealed the window so I couldn't get out. I had a shower and bathroom in my room already, so the only interaction I had with anyone was when they brought me food. I don't remember how long it was until Dad decided I learned my lesson, but I figured you were long gone by then, and he'd made it perfectly clear that the next time I started seeing someone behind his back, I'd be kept prisoner for twice as long. And down in the basement."

I finished in awkward silence, shifting uncomfortably while I waited for Alek to say something.

"He locked you in your room for months?" he finally said through barely contained rage. Glancing over at him, I could see the fury burning in his eyes. "Because he found out you were seeing someone?"

I shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."

He stared at me in disbelief. "How can you be that matter-of-fact about it? He locked you in your room."

"I was used to it by then," I said. "It sucked, but the only thing unusual was the length of time."

He shook his head. "Malcolm's right," he said. "You're stronger than you think you are."

I blinked. "What?"

"You managed to handle living with those abusive assholes for your entire life," he said. "You can't get through that without being strong. Trust me."

I wasn't sure how to answer. Me, strong? After letting Jason and Dad push me around for years, it was hard to imagine.

But at the same time, Alek was right. I'd survived a lot that other people wouldn't have been able to handle. And I wasn't curling into a ball in fear after finding out my family was out looking for me.

I'd only ever considered myself weak, a pushover. But maybe that was because Dad and Jason had made me believe it, not because it was true.

"Maybe you're right," I muttered.

Alek pulled me toward him, planting a kiss on my forehead. "I know I am," he responded.