Beta's Second Chance

Opportunity

Maverick kissed Iris; his eyes were closed as he held Iris's face. It had been so long since he kissed someone. The last time was that fateful day when he and Ofelia kissed before she left for her doctor's appointment. He felt Iris's hesitance as she didn't move her lips. Hope still lingered, and Maverick moved his lips as gently as possible. Then, Maverick felt her hands and arms on his shoulders as she slowly kissed him back. Her lips slowly moved along with his. The Beta wanted to howl and jump with joy. The excitement got so much that he felt tears forming in his eyes; he couldn't help it. 

Iris thought she would fight back and push him away, but feeling Maverick's big and warm lips felt so right. Maverick's kiss was gentle, passionate, safe, and warm. The young woman slowly put her hands and arms around Maverick's neck. Iris kissed him back and deepened the kiss. While kissing, she felt a quiet and soft growl from Maverick as he let go of her face and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. 

Moments later, they separated from the kiss as a bit of saliva dripped. The two were slowly catching their breaths. Iris slowly looked at Maverick's eyes, which focused solely on her. What surprised her were the tears that slowly dripped down. "Maverick," she said while wiping them away. "I-I-I..." Iris didn't know what to say as she slowly turned her back toward him while hugging herself. "I can't believe I kissed him back! How can I look at him!?" She closed her eyes and puckered her lips. "But the kiss was amazing."

"Iris, are you still afraid of me?" The deep voice he permanently had changed almost to a pleading and weak tone. Iris felt it wasn't out of desperation but more for understanding. "I know that I am is a shock. Again, please believe me that I would never harm you because I-I love you. I would have still loved you even if I was human." When Iris didn't respond, he feared she didn't believe him. "I-I don't expect that you accept me and my feelings, but all I ask from you is to please give me a chance to prove the man and...werewolf that I am." He slowly walked toward her but left an inch of space between them as he looked at the back of her head. Maverick wanted to kiss and touch her hair, but he didn't want to scare her. 

"Are Matthias, Laura, Waylen, and Rickon werewolves?"

"Yes, and there are more of us, especially around this small area. That's why we live far from the city and live one with nature. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

"Even Asher?"

"Yes."

Iris bit her lower lip when she remembered the young child and his condition. "Y-You mentioned that his family died in an accident. Was that a lie or the truth?"

Maverick didn't want to talk too much about the situation, but she would discover he lied to her if Iris gave him a chance. "His family was killed, but we don't know who did it. We are trying to find out. I wanted Asher to live with me because I wanted him to be safe." He was quiet momentarily and took a deep breath. "You know the truth, Iris. I understand that it must be annoying always to assure you that I only want you to be happy and safe, but I will give you the time and space you need."

Iris didn't respond, and the silence made the Beta anxious that his heart would burst. Then, she slowly turned around and looked at him. "I-I am upset that you hid this from me, but you eventually did the right thing. I appreciate that, but I still need time to accept and adjust everything that you told me."

Maverick felt that his legs wanted to give out. "She is going to leave..."

"I won't leave you because you are a good man or...werewolf. However, I'm still confused on what I feel."

Relief overwhelmed the Beta so much that he immediately hugged Iris as he contained his werewolf strength not to crush her. "Thank you! Thank you!" He looked and then kissed her forehead. "I will give you all the time you need! I will do everything I can to help you and answer any questions you may have!" Maverick hugged her again as his face was on top of her head. He suddenly felt her arms around his waist, making him feel secure that everything would turn out alright.

Suddenly, a loud growl echoed, making both flinch in surprise as they separated. Maverick noticed the blush on Iris' face; he chuckled. "You're hungry. I will order anything you want. We will have a nice dinner and I will answer all your questions since I imagine you have many."

The young woman blushed as she put her hands over her stomach. "Y-Yeah. I was wondering if we could order some food."

"Sure, anything you want? Chinese, Italian, Indian...?"

"Let's have some Chinese food; I've been craving."

Maverick felt his heart beating slowly as he noticed Iris's voice and personality returning to normal. He knew he had to work hard to earn Iris' trust again and prove that he and his kind were not to be feared. He took out his phone to place an order at one of his favorite Chinese restaurants, but he received a call from the hospital before he could dial.

"Hello?"

"B-Beta Maverick, I am Nurse Beca from the Pack's Hospital! We are calling because the child, Asher, is not in his room or anywhere in the hospital! He ran away!"