Iris’s POV
Nobody dared to stop , not even Zane. Humiliation was written all over his face, his jaw still stayed tight, his eyes burning with a fury that couldn’t touch anymore. I walked through the parted crowd. The whispers from them followed , a soft buzz of shock in their words and awe.
"Oh my!"
"Did she do that?"
"Alpha Darius won’t spare her!"
"She’s got the guts!"
"Does she really know the gravity of her cri?"
Their words kept coming but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. If I did, I might crumble under the weight of what I’d just done, stood up to the Alpha’s son, bared my soul to the pack, and walked away with my dignity intact. For once.
By the ti I reached the small, weathered door of my room, my legs felt like they might give out. I pushed it open, slipped inside, and shut it behind with a soft click.
Leaning against the door, I let my body slide downward, collapsing into a heap on the cold floor. Then, the dam broke, and tears spilled over, hot and unrelenting, pooling in my hands as I buried my face in them.
mories of what had just happened flashed through my mind like cruel snapshots, Zane’s smirk, the crowd’s mocking words, the sting of Alia’s desperate pleas for to apologize.
Everything ca hunting , as if wanting to regret doing what I have done out there. I didn’t want this. This wasn’t the life I’d envisioned for myself. Where was the happiness I’d dread of as a child? The love, the peace, the warmth of a pack that cherished ? I choked on a sob, my chest heaving as I whispered into the empty room, "Dear Moon Goddess, do I really deserve this?"
The words felt hollow, as if the moon goddess was deaf to my plea. Of course she is. I was tired, so tired of this life, of the constant humiliation, of being treated like I was less than nothing. My hands clasped tightly. "Please, Moon Goddess, I’m begging you. If there’s any rcy left for , grant my mate. Soone who will love , cherish , take away from this place to a pack that sees my worth. A mate who will hold close and make feel like I’m enough." The tears kept coming, blurring my vision, and I let them fall, too exhausted to wipe them away.
Eventually, I dragged myself to my feet, my legs shaky as I headed to the small, cracked mirror propped against the wall. I sat on the rickety stool in front of it, staring at my reflection. My fingers traced the contours of my face, my high cheekbones, full lips, eyes that still held a spark despite the redness from crying. My hair fell in tangled waves over my shoulders, and though my face was streaked with tears, I wasn’t ugly. Far from it. I tilted my head, studying myself as I wiped the tears again but it kept flowing. I knew I was a spec by what the mirror was showing except I was being deceived by it. My beauty should at least make them choose right? Or maybe they hated because I hadn’t had my first transformation yet. Could that be it?
Without my wolf, I was as good as human to them, an outsider in a pack that valued strength and power above all else. Or could it be that their hatred for had no reason?
Shortly, my mind drifted to my past life, to days when I was younger, when my parents were still alive, and I was just a girl trying to find her place in the world. Back in college, I was beautiful, more beautiful than most of the females who caught the triplets’ attention. Zane, Cade, and Kael, with their chiseled features and effortless charisma, had been the center of every girl’s universe, including mine. If they’d wanted to treat right, they could have started from there. They’d seen , noticed , but instead of kindness, they chose cruelty.
I rembered one night vividly, a mory that still stung . It was during a stupid college ga, a mix of truth or dare and spin the bottle, played in the common room. The triplets were there, lounging like kings with folded arms. When the bottle landed on , and Cade was dared to kiss , my heart soared and at the sa ti excited that I’ll finally get to kiss my college senior who was my crush. For a mont, I thought maybe, just maybe he’d finally get to do this with .
But his face twisted into a sneer, his voice dripping with disdain as he said, "Kiss her? I’d rather lick the floor." The room erupted in laughter, and my cheeks burned with sha.
Then, to twist the pain deeper, he turned to Lila, one of the player with a smug smile, and kissed her passionately right in front of . His hands cupped her face, their lips locked in a display that felt like it lasted forever.
When he pulled back, he smirked at .
"See, Iris? That’s what a real kiss looks like and I enjoyed every bit of it with Lila."
I’d stood there, frozen, the laughing mocking sound of the crowd ringing in my ears only made tears roll down my eyes.
I couldn’t say a word, couldn’t fight back. They were my seniors, and I was just a fresher then. I’d fled ho in a Blackbane pack that night, locking myself in my room and crying until my throat was soar. My parents were still alive then, but I never told them. How could I? They’d have been heartbroken to know their daughter was suffering, and I didn’t want to burden them. Instead, I hid my pain, bottling it up until it beca a part of .
Alia was the only one who knew. She’d found so many tis, curled up on my bed, my face buried in my pillow as sobs wracked my body. She’d sit beside , her hand rubbing gentle circles on my back, and ask, "What happened, my princess?" I’d spill everything, every cruel word, every mocking glance, every mont that they made feel worthless. She’d listen, her eyes soft with sympathy, and then she’d say, "Don’t cry over them, my princess. You’re a gem, and one day, they’ll see it. And you don’t need their validation. You’re enough just as you are."
Her words had been a lifeline, but they couldn’t erase the pain. I leaned forward now, my forehead resting against the cool surface of the mirror, my breath fogging the glass. "I’m enough," I whispered, recalling Alia’s words, but they felt like a lie. If I was enough, why did I feel so broken? Why did the pack treat like I was nothing? Why hadn’t the Moon Goddess answered my prayers?
I closed my eyes, letting the mories fade, but the ache in my chest was still there. I wanted to believe I was strong, that I could rise above this, but the weight of years of rejection and cruelty pressed down on . I opened my eyes again, staring at my reflection. "You’re Iris," I said softly, wiping my tears. "Daughter of an Alpha. You’re not their toy. You’re not their punching bag. You’re enough."
The words felt truer this ti, but they didn’t erase the doubt. I stood, brushing my hands over my face to wipe away the last of my tears and then I crossed to the window side, pushing it open to let in a breath of fresh air.
I leaned against the windowsill, my hands gripping the worn wood, and let my gaze drift around outside. Sowhere out there was my mate, I told myself. Soone who would see , truly see , and love for who I was. I will cling to that hope as it was, because it was all I had left. "Please, Moon Goddess, one last ti," my voice is barely audible. "Don’t let walk this path alone."
Just then, my door burst open. I turned, only to see Alia standing there.
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