Chapter 5
Iris "I thought I asked you to leave, what are you still doing here?" He thundered as whispers and gasps from the crowd filled the hall, displaying their confusion. His smooth voice wasn't the cause of my confusion, his face was. How could I explain what I felt? What I saw yesterday? My mind was a jumbled zone, so I said the only thing that kept ringing in my head. "Your eyes. They… they are different," I forced out, my fingers itching to pinch my skin to be sure that I wasn't dreaming. He scowled, furrowing his brows in irritation. "That shouldn't bother you, lady. Do I have to remind you that I'm not supposed to ever set my eyes on you?" His voice deepened by the minute, and the noise that had thickened because of the prince's rejection died down. My hands fell to my side. "You aren't Prince Devin, are you?" I knew that my probing was of no use to me, if anything, it would only make the man standing in front of me angrier; but I was already in trouble so it would be better for me to know what exactly I was facing. He drew in a deep breath and shut his eyes while I spared a glance at my back. Prince Devin's arms were folded, his expression filled with disapproval and bridled rage that wasn't directed at me but at the man before me. His eyes snapped open again and this time I had to move back. The intensity of his glare was unnerving. "I'm giving you one last chance, get out of here right now and never come back again." He barked, and my hands clutched at the hoodie of my worn-out sweater. His tone held a note of finality I couldn't challenge, so I nodded in fear and took some steps backward. With my heart beating faster than it should, I said, "Don't worry about that, sir, you will never have to see me again." I bellowed. My legs broke into a sprint while the doors automatically opened up for me. I guess, the guards didn't want to go against whoever that man was. Within a few minutes, I was at our house. I gathered the remaining rags I had as clothes, then took a wooden stool and climbed on it, ignoring the fact that one of the legs was almost disjointed from the remaining part of the stool. I was able to find a balance, then I pushed open the ceiling and began to search for the box. Peace settled over me when I found it, and I came down and pulled it open. My eyes widened and the box slipped from my hands as I went numb with shock. My body suddenly became taut and I sank onto the ground and stared at the box. It was empty. The bracelet I'd left inside of it was missing. "How?" I yelled, pulling at my hair in frustration. No one was around when I hid the bracelet in the box and kept it in the ceiling. My sister, who couldn't tell when to mind her business sometimes, was with her boyfriend when I came in yesterday, and I didn't bother telling her about it because I didn't trust her. Wiping off another bead of tears that cascaded down my cheeks, I sprang to my feet. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that the bracelet had disappeared into thin air, but this wasn't the time to search for it. Prince Devin's brother had given me an ultimatum, and he might have sent some guards to make sure I was on my way out of the pack, so I slung my dirt bag over my shoulder and hurried out. My soul left my body when I pushed the door ajar and found him, Prince Devin's brother, staring at me. “W-What are you doing here?" I stuttered, my heart slamming against my ribcage. If I wasn't an omega who was respected in the pack, I'd have asked him how he found my home, but that wasn't the right question to ask because having him here only meant one thing. Danger. His eyes were calm in a deceptive manner. He tucked his hands into his pocket, but the aura that radiated from him was scary. Even though he didn't show it, this man wanted to tear me apart. "The last time we met, I passionately explained to you my hatred for thieves, right?" He said curtly, and I swallowed nervously. My back hit the wall. I didn't even know that I'd taken some steps backward. "How can I forget, Prince?" I whispered, bowing subconsciously while praying fervently that he wasn't here for the reason I thought he was. "It's Prince Gradel. But I don't ever want to hear my name from your mouth,"he warned. I felt his thumb lifting my chin to meet his eyes, and a fluttery feeling spiked in my stomach. A wrong feeling at the wrong time. "But you went against my words and took what belonged to me," I gasped, my eyes reeling from the realization that I'd been found out, but I had to find a way out of this. Technically, I didn't steal it from him because I found it on the ground, but saying that to him would only worsen the situation. So I summoned courage and cut off our connection, his bare thumb was already causing a commotion in my head. I had to think straight if I wanted to escape. "I'm sorry, but I never took anything from you. I have no idea what you are talking about," I lowered my lashes and simultaneously took deep breaths to calm my frayed nerves. He chuckled briefly then folded his arm. "Aside from stealing, there's something else I resent. Lying." I froze immediately and cast a glance at him. "I promise I'm not lying. I left as soon as you asked me to and the only reason you saw me again was because my sister forced me to come for the mating ceremony," "Why did you steal my bracelet?"Chapter 6Gradel The lady was a born liar, I could sense it, but that was one of the many things I felt. The thrills of desire that worked through me when my thumb connected with her chin made me tense. I shouldn't feel this way for someone I hated. For a wrench who disgusted me, so I shrugged off the distasteful feelings and watched her shift from one foot to the other in uneasiness. Her brown eyes were like a blank screen, displaying her uncertainty and fear. I could smell both of them. "I-I don't know about any bracelet," She denied, her voice low and unconvincing. My temper was beginning to simmer, but I had to be calm if I wanted to retract my bracelet from her. "Look, woman, I didn't accuse you just for the fun of it and I don't have the time to visit people who don't matter for no reason. That bracelet is worth more than your existence so I need to have it back." Maybe I should have told her that the bracelet was the gift my late mother gave me before she died, but she di
Chapter 7Iris My eyes flashed open with my breaths bursting in and out heavily. I shrank backward with fear pounding hard in my chest. My body felt clammy and then I noticed that I was drenched with a cold liquid—water. How that happened I didn't know. A scary-looking guard strolled in, his gait intimidating. "You're not going to sleep all day, lady." "I'm sorry," I muttered, wondering why he came to visit then I heard light footsteps behind him. That couldn't be a man's step, I thought. May approached me, clutching onto the skirt of the dress she wore to the mating ceremony earlier. "Hi," She waved at me, keeping a long distance. I wanted to ask her why she couldn't come closer, but I already knew the answer. I was filthy and probably stank worse than a crate of rotten eggs. "You're here," I acknowledged quietly. I didn't want anyone around, not even my sister. Ever since the bracelet went missing, my ability to trust people wilted. "I'm sorry that you're in this condi
Chapter 8Gradel That was stupid. I shouldn't have said that. I was out of character. I wasn't the type of person who got attracted to anything in a skirt. Hell, women hardly intrigued me, but this captive of mine willed some control over me. It felt like my brain froze each time I met her. At first, I thought it was a mere coincidence, but now, I couldn't explain it. How could my body want a woman who stole from me without remorse? I spared her a glance and rolled my eyes. Her small chapped lips were still parted, and her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets in surprise. I cleared my throat as I slowly got a grip on myself. Thankfully, my slacks were loose enough to concede the bulge that had no business growing rapidly. I gulped and shut my eyes, regaining some strands of control. "You heard that wrong. I only came here to ascertain that you are still alive, after all, I can't execute a corpse. There won't be any fun in it." I said curtly. "I'm... I'm fine, sir." He
Chapter 9Gradel "You will do no such thing, Gradel. You have to stay here and fulfill your duties!" He hollered. "And what if I don't, Alpha Cronus?" I retorted sharply, my breathing coming in hitches. I was tired of his overbearing attitude and he should be happy that I hadn't given orders to the servants to prepare for my trip. The shock on his face switched to a death scowl. It was his signature expression that made his subordinates do his bidding without thinking twice, but it barely moved me, that was why he liked me. "Gradel," He began calmly, "I know that after all these years you haven't forgiven me for what happened in the past, but can't you keep your grudges aside for the sake of this pack?" We had already met face to face and his hands were on my shoulder, gripping me strongly. The respect I had for him was what stopped me from shrugging his hands off. I was about to respond when Devin let out a chuckle, clapping his hands as his chuckle metamorphosed into laughter.
Chapter 10Gradel The information my father just dropped on us solely occupied my thoughts to the extent that I didn't even remember I had asked Hegar to bring a woman over. Going to war was the last thing I looked forward to and now it seemed like my father told me, intending to stop from returning to the human world entirely. I was torn between acting nonchalant and getting my personal effects ready and staying back to help him with this war. "Hello, Prince Gradel, I've been waiting for you." I heard the moment I stepped into my room. Still irritated by the news, I glared at her, more disgusted that she sat on my favorite chair. I snorted at her and she jumped out of the chair, bowing her head. Her face became red in embarrassment as she kept shifting from one foot to the other. The act only reminded me of the woman I'd kept in the cell which made my skin crawl. I wasn't supposed to remember that. At least not when I was about to get a little respite. "Take off your clothes.
Chapter 11Gradel I wanted nothing else, even watching Iris secretly than attending the pack's welfare meeting. I could imagine what they would talk about, and my head was already aching, by merely imagining the kind of stares the elders would throw at me. Against my wish, I found myself trudging towards the courtroom, my mind occupied with why I cared about what my father wanted. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. I doubt you will understand whatever we will deliberate on today." The annoying voice of my brother stoked the flames of anger that I'd barely squashed. I was torn between replying to him or behaving like I didn't hear someone speak, but I chose the former option and turned around. Putting on my most deceptive expression, I took a few steps towards him. "I don't believe I'm that dumb, I'm still a member of this pack and somehow I'm affected by what happens to us," "So now you care?" He interrupted me sarcastically. I snorted, as his question struck an invisi
Chapter 12Iris Returning to the cold cell was like having your warm rug of comfort being pulled out under your feet, and then left alone to deal with the cold that comes. That was my situation after the guard dragged me out from the comfortable room I'd gotten used to and brought me back to this Godforsaken hell hole. I was so sad that the tears remained in my tear ducts, refusing to roll down my cheeks. Loneliness reared its ugly head again, this time it was more real and prominent. I just wished that the Alpha prince hadn't ordered me to be taken care of, I might have been in a better place with my parents. The hinges of the iron bars clanked and I stared at its direction. My lips stretched into a wide smile as Hazel's figure advanced towards me in a hurry. "Hazel, you are here," I said warmly and rose to hug her. She patted my shoulder and lowered herself onto the ground. "If Prince Gradel finds me here, he'll have my head, but I couldn't stay back knowing that you haven't
Chapter 13Iris He froze, his gaze trained on me and for the first time, I saw him lose control. My heart fluttered and deep down I wished that he would confess that he liked me. "I'm waiting for your response," I demanded with a harsh tone. My voice was disrespectful, but I didn't care. After all, I'd die the next day so I could do as I pleased and if he wasn't comfortable with that, he could go ahead and kill me now. I batted my lashes at him and then he swept swiftly across the cell and grabbed me by the neck, pulling me closer till there was almost no space between us. "No, wench, I do not care about you. Don't feed your mind with illusions that will never materialize because you're not even up to my standard!" He spat, his nose flared while he breathed heavily. His blatant rejection caused bile to rise to my throat and though I swallowed numerous times, it remained stuck, unmoving. I'd shot myself in the foot, thinking that the Alpha Prince would be interested in me. If hi