Chapter 4
Iris "I shouldn't be here," I whispered to myself... as I dragged my feet along the staircase. My head was bowed as I made my way to the pack's hall, and my heart galloped wildly in my chest as I imagined what would happen if I was found out. No. I couldn't afford to be seen. I pulled down on my hood and tugged at my sister's sleeve. "Remind me again why we are here, May?" I whined. I was secretly mad at myself for letting her cajole me into something this silly. A couple walked right past us, and from the looks on their faces, I could tell that they just found each other. Mates. Ugh!! "Don't be such a party popper, Iris. Be optimistic, who knows you can find your prince charming here." She replied with so much confidence that stirred up glints of jealousy within me. "And what about you? Aren't you scared of not finding a mate today?" She halted on her steps and slanted a nonchalant look at me. "I think you should be more worried about your shabby appearance, than my chances of getting a mate." She wiped off an invisible speck off my shoulder and traipsed on, leaving me dejected. At this point, I decided to turn around and leave. Being here was of no use to me when I knew that my well-being was on the line. If Prince Devin showed up for the ceremony and found me here, I'd be done for. Besides, I also had very expensive jewelry to sell. I hadn't taken any step further when the iron doors of the hall slammed shut, caging me in and disrupting my plans. My clammy palm went to my forehead as I began to wonder what kind of luck I had. Why did they have to shut the door right after I'd decided to leave? Asking them to allow me out wasn't even an option as I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to myself. After accepting my fate, I reclined in the back row of the hall where the omegas like me stayed. Since we were in the same rank, the bullying would be less. The hall became quiet as soon as the Epsilon climbed the platform, and immediately, my heart beat faster than normal. I wasn't expecting to find a mate so I couldn't understand why my body was reacting strangely. My attention was drawn back to him when he cleared his throat. I scrutinized him from head to toe, secretly wondering why he didn't have a successor yet with the number of grey hairs seated on his head, and the wrinkles on his face. He couldn't even stand properly as he was older than I could tell, but even with his reclining physique, I could tell by the clarity in his voice that he was a strong man when he was younger. "Today, we are gathered for the mating ceremony where I'll be bringing the people that the moon goddess has ordained for each other together, and announce them as mates officially." He announced, his lips stretching into a smile as they encouraged him with a round of applause. I smiled as well. The fact that my life was moving in a downward trajectory didn't mean that I shouldn't be happy with those who already had their lives planned out. "On that note, let's get the show started." I clasped my fingers together and retreated slowly as I didn't want to get in anyone's way while they made their way to the podium, and luckily for me, I succeeded. "The first people on my list are Prince Devin Dai and Iris Damine" My eyes widened and my ears tingled as I sucked in air shakily. I leaned against the wall to steady myself as Epsilon's announcement got me dizzy on the spot. My breaths burst in and out heavily like an athlete who just completed a very long race, as I clutched onto the torn neckline of my dress tightly until a part of it ripped off. We were mates? How was that even possible? The moon goddess had to be joking because he didn't act like he knew that I was his mate, and why didn't I sense it even after he left? Audible gasps resonated in the previously quiet hall as I shyly pushed forward. I tried to block out the taunts and the harsh words that were fired at me as I headed toward the platform. Finally, I got to the front of the hall and waved at May whose eyes popped when they met mine. A scowl of disapproval covered her face as she glared at me, but I ignored it with my heart beating in a staccato rhythm while I forced a bright smile at the man whom the moon goddess fated to me. "Prince Devin?" I whispered, standing behind him with my heart thudding harder by the minute. I didn't know what to expect—trash that, I already knew that he didn't like me, but I secretly hoped that this news would mollify any atom of hatred he bore towards me. He turned around slowly, aggravating my anxiety so I shut my eyes and counted from one to ten. 'One, two, three...' "What kind of sick joke is this?" His fury-laced voice cut through my brief meditation as my eyes flew open. I was almost forced to shut them again as nothing prepared me for the kind of burning anger I saw in his amber eyes... Wait a second. Amber eyes? I knew that I had a forgetful memory, but I was so sure that I'd seen a pair of glassy blue eyes yesterday, not angry amber orbs. What the hell was going on? "You had blue eyes yesterday," I pointed out as the words flew out of my lips before I could stop myself. He smirked, but it wasn't flirty or mischievous as I'd have expected, instead, it was a lucid show of disgust and repugnance. "What does the color of my eyes have to do with you? Why are you even standing here?" "Because according to the Epsilon, I'm your mate and I'm supposed to show myself after the announcement." I retorted, still wondering if his eyes could change so easily. Well, he was a werewolf so that was very possible. He snorted and gave me a condescending once-over that caused my chest to constrict with pain. Without uttering a word, I knew what he was going to do, but my body visibly trembled as I wasn't prepared for it. "You're not just ugly and dirty, you're stupid as well. Didn't your little brain tell you that we can't be mates? What makes you think that the next Alpha of the Grey Rock pack will stoop so low to accept a wolfless omega as a mate?" He belittled me while I sniffed, trying to hold back the tears that fought so hard to spill down my cheeks. "But the Epsilon..." I knew I sounded stupid and the fact was glaring, but I hoped that he wouldn't reject me this way. I thought he would save me from the embarrassment and then deal with me later. "Iris, or whatever your name is, I reject you. You can't be my mate, and you will never be no matter how much you try." He snickered and snapped his fingers at me. "Leave right now before I ask the guards to escort you out of here." With my head inclined in shame, I trudged ahead, deciding not to follow the same route I came through. I pressed my lips hard as my eyes burned with unshed tears. I didn't look, all I knew was that my legs were moving on their own accord, and I was so close to the door when my body bumped into a solid mass. I jerked in fear and raised my head to meet a familiar pair of blue eyes peering down at me with a sneer. My lips parted as I ogled at him in sheer surprise. I glanced at the man behind me then darted my gaze again to the replica of the man I'd seen earlier staring at me. "I thought I asked you to leave, what are you still doing here?" The blue-eyed replica of Prince Devin growled.Chapter 5Iris"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 bett
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