72: SHE IS A KIND WOMAN

SHE IS A KIND WOMAN

The poem was carved meticulously, it must have taken so much effort to carve such a long poem on the root of this huge tree.2

"I read that it is your pack tradition to carve a poem on the tombstone of your deceased loved ones." Iris was not sure whether Cane heard her or not at this moment, because his eyes were fixed on the poem that she carved on the root years ago. "I didn't read many books about poems. This is the only poem that I can find and I thought it has a beautiful meaning."

Iris tried to explain herself, she was afraid that the poem was not to his liking or she offended him in some way, because Cane didn't say anything after reading it.

Was he angry at her? She couldn't say that for sure. The alpha was unpredictable and hard to read.

"I collected their ashes inside an urn and buried it beneath the tree." Because Iris was nervous, she started to talk in more detail about this. "I heard that you are planning to move back to the pack house of the Howling Wolf pack, so I thought I need to let you know about this, just in case you want to take them back home," she explained.

Take them back to their home…

Cane felt a mixture of bitterness and longing that he couldn't explain. He felt like he was on the edge of desperation. This was the last thing that he thought could happen to him.

Taking them back…

They would love to go home again after being so far away from home for so long.

"Leave me alone," Cane said. His eyes were still fixed on the poem that Iris carved on the root.

The chain will link again…

"Okay, I will wait for you in the carriage," Iris said, understanding that he needed some alone time. She didn't wish to disturb him from having this moment.

Therefore, she stood up and trudged down the hill, leaving him alone there.

"Why is the alpha still up there?" Will asked when he saw Iris return alone, while the alpha was still in the same position.

"He needs some alone time," Iris said, which made Will furrow his brows.

He had never heard the alpha needing some alone time before this and he wanted to know what actually happened, but he immediately realized that this question was not appropriate before he could voice it.

Iris climbed into the carriage and waited for Cane to return. She closed her eyes and felt so tired after letting him know the truth.

She knew that she couldn't do much for him, but at the very least, he could bring his family back to their homeland.

Iris felt the cold wind that caressed her face, as she watched the alpha's back from afar. She was curious about how he felt right now and what was in his mind.

However, Iris could feel the grief and anguish radiating from Cane's back, knowing he was the sole survivor in his family and had a huge responsibility on his shoulders.

Iris bit her lip to hold back her tears, she didn't know why, but she had this sudden urge to cry at the sight of him right now.

Not even once did he show weakness and now, he wanted to be left alone to conceal his agony, the sight of him mourning alone made Iris want to hug him.

She wanted to help him with everything that she could. Probably, this was her way of paying him back for what her father had done to him and his family or maybe she just wanted to do it, not because for any reason, but because she knew he was someone that you could lay your faith on.

In the end, Iris was too tired to wait and fell asleep. She thought she had fully recovered after drinking all the bitter herbs that Grace gave to her, but it seemed, she was still in demand to rest more.

Iris woke up when she felt the carriage rattling. The carriage was moving. The first thing that caught her eye was the gloomy sky out there. It was already night and Cane was sitting across from her. His expression was unreadable per usual, but his eyes were on her, once he caught her movement.

"I am sorry, I fell asleep." Iris immediately wiped her lips, afraid she would embarrass herself. But, Cane simply looked away from her.

"You are tired," he said simply, without looking at her. He stared at the dark road. "We will arrive in an hour."

"Oh, okay…" Iris didn't know how to respond to that.

Silence stretched between them until Cane spoke again. He tapped her knees to get her attention back on him, because right now, Iris was staring into the distance through the window beside her.

"How?" He asked. "How could you get them?"

Actually, what happened at that time was not very complicated. "My father ordered a guard to burn your siblings and your… son," She was a little bit uncomfortable when she mentioned the baby, but Cane didn't show any reaction, thus she continued. "Hanna talked about that and I went to see the guard, who was tasked to do the job. I gave him two gold coins for him to put their ashes into the urn and not say anything to my father. He agreed."

Iris actually got those two gold coins from Mason. She stole them from him, but he didn't realize it, since he didn't bother about measly two gold coins when he had his hands on the treasure.

"At first, I wanted to bury them around the pack house, because I am rarely given permission to go out, but I didn't feel comfortable with it." Iris didn't need to explain why, because Cane could grasp the discomfort pretty quick. "Hanna then reminded me of the hill, so we decided to go there. Thankfully, I was allowed to go."

"Hanna is a kind woman," Cane said.

"Yes, she is."

"So are you."

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