CHAPTER 33: I’LL LOVE TO HAVE YOU AS MY PERSONAL MAID ON THE DAY OF MY MATING CEREMONY

Iris’s POV

"Have this." A familiar male voice cut through the haze of my panic, pulling my gaze upward to the sound of the voice. My gaze fell on Lucas standing right in front of me, stretching out something to me to takeHe is in warrior attire or perhaps a training outfit. What is he doing here? Had he been watching us? Following us?

"What are you doing here?" I blurted.

Lucas’s expression didn’t shift to something playful, his eyes were cold and unreadable as he replied. "Are you going to take it or not?" he asked, as he extended his hand further towards me. In his palm was a small, white container, a strange, cylindrical thing I’d never seen before.

"What’s that?" I asked, my brows knitting together as I stared at it.

"It’s an inhaler," he said. "For your friend."

I glanced at Amelia, her chest still heaving with struggles to breathe and desperate gasps, her fingers clawing weakly at the grass. "I don’t know how to use it," I admitted, my voice with fear and frustration and confusion. I hated how helpless I felt, how Amelia was struggling for her life and I could do nothing.

Lucas didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and knelt beside Amelia with a swiftness that belied his broad. "Hold still," he murmured to her, though her eyes were half-lidded, barely seeing him. He pressed the inhaler to her lips. "Breathe in," he instructed. He pressed it again as she inhaled, her gasps easing slightly, her face losing some of its ashen pallor. Her fingers loosened their grip on her chest, and her breathing steadied, each breath less ragged than the last.

I watched. That was all I could do. When he was done, he stood, glaring at me. "She’s asthmatic," he said, holding the inhaler out to me again. "Keep this. She might need it again before you reach Black Bane."

I took the inhaler. "How did you know she needed it?" I asked.

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then he said, "I’m asthmatic too." The way he said it looked as if he’d rather not share it. Before I could say more, he turned to leave, walking away without waiting to hear what else I had to say.

"Wait!" I called but he didn’t stop, didn’t even glance back. I stared after him as I wondered why he was suddenly acting cold towards me. The last time I spoke to him, he looked friendly. Or maybe I thought wrong.

Just then, Amelia’s weak voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Iris..." Amelia’s weak voice pulled me back. Her eyes were open now but she looked really weak and confused as she reached for me. "What... what happened?"

I dropped to my knees beside her, my heart still pounding. "Are you okay? Can you breathe now? How do you feel?" The questions spilled out in a rush, my hands hovering over her as if I could somehow shield her from whatever had just happened so it doesn’t happen again.

"I’m... fine," she replied, her voice a bit steadier now. She pushed herself up slightly, her brow furrowing. "What happened to me? I don’t... I don’t know what’s wrong."

I hesitated, my fingers tightening around the inhaler. "It seems like you have asthma," I said carefully, watching her face for any sign of recognition. Her blank expression told me she didn’t understand. "I don’t know much about it either, but... a Good Samaritan saved you. He gave me this." I held up the inhaler. "You need to keep it with you, always. Use it if you feel like that again."

Amelia nodded slowly, her eyes still clouded with confusion, but she took the inhaler. I helped her to her feet, brushing dirt and grass from her dress. Her legs wobbled weakly, but she steadied herself against me, her grip tight across my shoulder for support. "Let’s get back to Black Bane," I said. "We’ve been gone too long. Can you walk or do you need some time to rest?" I questioned.

"I’m fine." She said.

The trek back was slow, Amelia’s steps sluggish and I did not stress her over it. It took us 3 days to arrive. As we approached the maid quarters of Black Bane, an angry voice cut through right in front of us.

"Where have you two been?" Scarlett, the assistant chief maid, stood in our path, her arms crossed. Her graying hair was pulled back tightly and her eyes glinted with irritation. "Your duties were left undone! Do you think you can just wander off and leave the pack house in disarray?"

I opened my mouth to at least apologize, but Scarlett’s hand shot up, silencing me. "No excuses. Get to your posts now, or I’ll report you to the king."

Amelia and I exchanged a glance and we hurried past Scarlett, our heads bowed. We reached the laundry room. Piles of laundry waited for us, stacked high on the wooden tables. I grabbed a basket, my hands moving as I began sorting them, while Amelia joined.

As we worked, Amelia’s voice broke through. "Have you heard about the Mother of Wolves born from our pack?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I have." A small smile tugged at my lips as I resumed squeezing the cloth. "Whoever she is, she must be lucky. Imagine having that kind of power." I glanced at Amelia, my tone turning playful. "If I ever find her, I’ll beg her to share some of it with me."

Amelia smiled. "You’d probably ask her to make you shift into a wolf whenever you wanted and you won’t be needing that book anymore." she teased. Then her expression sobered slightly. "I also heard the triplets’ mating ceremony with Liora is happening at the full moon."

Before I could respond, a smooth, mocking voice cut through from the behind. "Yes, you’re right. And I’d love to have you as my personal maid on that day, Iris."

I turned as I saw Liora standing a few feet away in her beautiful princess dress. It hugged her curves, as it flowed around her legs, her hair which cascaded over her shoulders in perfect waves made her look beautiful as always as a smug mocking smile played on her lips.