CHAPTER 81: 81-TRYING TOO HARD FOR HER ATTENTION

Kash:

"Come on, drink some water," I heard Luca insist to Iris, acting like he was the only one who cared for her ever since he saved her from a fall.

I would have done it too if he hadn’t jumped in from behind and taken the opportunity to hold her.

He had been acting like her savior, and the annoying part was that she let him.

I tried to act like I was examining the area around us, but every now and then, I couldn’t help but stare at them bluntly.

At this point, I was wondering why I even let Iris come here. She should have stayed back in the tent.

"And then Luca would have been with her," my wolf muttered, hands on my waist, staring into the distance.

The clouds seemed close from here, and the wind was so strong that all I could hear was it whooshing past.

Lara was busy taking selfies and pictures nonstop. It seemed like a great adventure for her.

"Well then, I should have brought Luca with me," I said to my wolf, imagining a scenario where Luca would have been away from her.

"But just look at them. Don’t they seem madly in love?" my wolf commented.

I could feel the sting of it. I mean, my ears felt hot and were ringing, so I could only imagine how much it hurt him to see this.

Iris was sitting on the ground, with Luca squatting in front of her, trying to make her drink water as if she couldn’t manage it herself.

Even when she tried to grab the bottle, he clicked his tongue, opened the cork, and held it to her lips.

She didn’t even hesitate before drinking.

She took sips of water, and then he pulled out his handkerchief to wipe her face.

"Why is she sweating? And fine, if she is scared without a wolf, why is he using his dirty handkerchief on her?" I complained.

"How do you know it’s dirty?" my wolf asked.

"Because it is. And Iris takes a lot of care for her skin. She doesn’t use anything that isn’t properly washed," I complained.

"Okay, it seems like you’re just jealous and staring too hard," my wolf snapped.

I instantly looked away before anyone noticed.

"Look, Kash, come take a picture here. A few good ones," Lara babbled. "I’ll post them on social media and call this our pre-engagement celebration or something. Of course, I’ll crop out anyone else."

I just watched her, noticing how her expression shifted from happy to excited, then annoyed when she glanced at Iris and Luca.

She slammed the phone into my hands and struck a V pose with her fingers, bending one leg backward.

I sighed and started taking pictures for her, mostly as an excuse not to look at Iris and Luca.

"Okay, that’s enough," I snapped, stretching my arm out for her. I noticed her smile fade as she grabbed the phone.

"We didn’t take any pictures together. Let’s take selfies," she insisted.

I saw Iris finally get up and notice the other people around.

"Yeah, sure. Come here," I said.

The petty part of me woke up. I wrapped my arm around Lara and pulled her closer, making sure Iris could see us.

I hugged her from behind as we took selfies, my eyes lingering on Iris the whole time.

I noticed her cheeks turning red, her ears flashing color just like mine. Even with a man, she was clearly bothered.

"Kash, we look like idiots," my wolf commented.

I groaned, stepping away from Lara.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re just giving her a taste of her own medicine," I said.

"Why? We were the ones who cheated on her. Don’t you think she’ll get mad at us for being in her face?" my wolf spoke softly.

I had to admit, this new Iris could be pretty fierce. Not just my wolf, but I was scared of her tantrums too.

"Everyone, we need to move forward. We cannot just think that climbing a mountain was our end goal," I called, getting the attention of everyone around me.

Lara looked around at the two of them, lost, as if she had no idea we were here for a task.

"Where is this cave you were talking about?" Finally, Iris seemed to notice I existed and came to speak with me.

I gave her a quick, judgmental glance, silently asking if she even remembered I existed. I held onto my anger.

"It’s on the mountain, like I said. I mean—it’s somewhere in that direction." I briefly snapped, then caught myself and pointed toward far ahead.

The fog at the top of the mountain was thick, making it hard to see ahead.

"There’s only one cave I know of there, and if my knowledge is right, we might get lucky with the healing herbs," I said, noticing Iris’s face brighten whenever I mentioned the herbs.

"Let’s go then."

Of course, Luca couldn’t resist getting in the way and reminding us that he existed.

Every time I saw them together, I felt a stab of something I couldn’t ignore. Even when I told her I had moved on, I hadn’t. I couldn’t.

"She can’t just be in front of me and expect me to be okay with her being with someone else," I muttered.

"But we’re with someone else," my wolf countered.

I gave him the silent treatment, he knew that wasn’t the truth. I was tired of explaining myself.

"Anyway, let’s get going," I said, briefly slowing my pace so Iris could be in front.

"I’ll go in front of you, Iris. It’s all foggy. We don’t know what’s hiding in it."

Then Luca jumped ahead, making me feel like a loser for staying behind.

The only reason I was lagging was to keep Iris close to me, but Luca always seemed one step ahead.

I felt my frustration building as my mind wandered from the mission to them.

Finally, we began walking through the fog. I felt a hand slip into mine.

At first, I thought it was Iris, since she was nearby, but when I tightened my fingers, I realized it wasn’t hers, it was Lara’s.

Then, the fog finally cleared, revealing a large cave ahead, almost as if it were waiting for us. But something else caught my attention.

The minute the fog lifted, I saw Luca and Iris. She was holding his hand.