Iris’s POV
Zane’s hands moved as it crossed over his chest. Then he leaned against the wall beside the door, his cold eyes piercing through mine as it locked onto mine with a predatory intensity that made my skin prickle. They were devoid of no emotions. Kael, standing nearby, noticed the tension in the air and broke the silence with a mocking lilt in his voice. "Well, well, the bear is finally here," he said, his lips curling into a sly grin as he chewed his gum nonchalantly, blowing a small bubble that popped with a soft snap as he placed his both hands in his pocket, his eyes moving to Zane and then back to with a smirk as he understood the atmosphere.
Zane’s gaze didn’t waver from , but then he spoke. "You indeed deserve an award for what you pulled out there," he said as it sent shivers down my spine, the hair on my hand standing.
He pushed off the wall as he approached, his eyes still fixed on as I instinctively took a step back, my heart thudding against my ribcage. The laundry basket in my arms felt like a flimsy shield against his advancing presence.
Just then, Kael broke the silence again. This is about to get fun," he said, his voice filled with cruel amusent. He glanced at Zane, who didn’t spare him a glance. "Don’t let interrupt," Kael added as he turned and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving I and Zane inside.
The air in the room thickened. My pulse raced, my fingers tightening around the basket’s handles. Kael’s eyes flicked over , his expression unreadable as I could tell he was enjoying my discomfort while his presence was ssing with my head again..
He is dressed in a simple black singlet with a casual short and importantly, his necklace was around his neck as always. His dark hair was tousled, falling slightly over one eye, and those storm eyes studied with an intensity that made my breath catch.
I forced myself to focus. Zane’s hair was still damp, small droplets of water clinging to the strands, as if he had just had his bath but didn’t dry his hair properly and then the faint scent of his deodorant wafted toward , intoxicating to how good he slled.
Before I could shake the thought, Kael’s voice cut through my daze. "Still not afraid?" He paused as his hands towards my cleavage. "Trailed carefully, don’t forget why I’m here."
I snapped my gaze back to him. "I don’t regret what I did," I retorted, clutching the basket tighter. "I’m here for laundry so let go."
He chuckled, stepping closer until the space between us felt impossibly small. "Sure you are," he said.
I glared at him, my patience fraying. "Can you just let do my job?" I snapped and just as I was about to take a step away, he gripped by the throat, holding tight as I struggled to breathe, struggling to pull his hand off my neck but he was too strong as Lyra’s words filled my senses. "Don’t act weak for him Iris!" As if her words fueled my mindset, with all the energy I had, I gathered all so saliva in my mouth as I forcefully spat on his face as it splattered across his face and without warning, his grip on loosened as his face frad irritatedly, disgusted by my act as he moved away, looking for sothing to wipe it off. "Bitch!" He cursed and with that, I grabbed the basket and sprinted.
I headed for the door and ran out, shutting the door behind , nearly collided with another maid, Mara, one of the quieter girls among the maids. I steadied myself, my hands fluttering as I caught my breath, trying to act fine. "Iris, thank goodness I found you," she said, her voice urgent. "Beta Rowan wants to see all the maids tonight. She requested we wear our best maid attire, the special ones. Don’t be late."
I nodded, still trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside . "Thanks, Mara," I said, watching as she hurried off down the corridor. The special maid attire was reserved for rare occasions. formal pack gatherings or important announcents.
They were only worn when the pack’s leaders wanted to present sothing important, which made wonder what was happening tonight. A pit of unease settled in my stomach as I headed back to my room, the laundry basket heavy in my arms.
I finished my work two hours early, giving ti to rest before the eting with Beta Rowan. I sank onto my bed, my body aching from the work as I closed my eyes, trying to push away the lingering tension from my encounter with Kael and Zane. Then my hands moved to my face and other part of my body to check the injury I had gotten from when Zane had shoved to the ground at the training field but to my surprise, it wasn’t there. In fact my skin looked like there was no injury at all. Shocked, I pulled off my dress to examine but still can’t find any wound. Just then, Lyra’s voice broke the silence. "You can’t find it Iris. It’s healed.
Rember you’ve got your wolf." Her words made recall it. In my past life, while growing up, my mother had told stories about werewolves being able to heal from minor injuries, injuries that would likely take a life of a re human. "Wow!" I muttered.
"Yes Iris." Lyra replied. That was amazing as I didn’t know how to express my happiness. Then I got dressed.
Needing a distraction, I wandered outside, my feet carrying toward the training grounds where the low-ranking werewolves were being trained by the pack warrior, Torin. He had a towering intimidating stature, all muscle and scars. His dark hair was cropped close as he was bare shirted with just a short and a scandals as the low-ranking wolves, those who hadn’t yet had their first transformation or were deed too weak for higher ranks, were sparring in pairs at his command.
I stood among the small crowd of onlookers, my eyes drawn to the ring where two young wolves were locked in combat. One, a girl of around my age nad Elias, was quick but sloppy, his punches wild at her opponent, a girl nad Sienna as Sienna dodged each attack. The crowd cheered as Sienna then landed a solid kick, lifting Elias and sending Elias stumbling. Torin called a halt, and Sienna raised her fists in victory, her face flushed with triumph. The onlookers clapped, so shouting her na.
Just then, Torin’s voice bood over the crowd. "Anyone want to challenge the winner?" he called, his eyes sweeping the group. My heart lurched, and before I could think, my legs moved, carrying forward. Lyra’s voice echoed in my mind. "Go for it, Iris."
"!" I declared, stepping into the ring without thinking straight. My voice sounded too confident and all of a sudden, the crowd fell silent for a mont before murmurs rippled through them. I didn’t care what they were saying.
"She’s lost her mind," soone said out.
"No wolf, no training, and she thinks she can fight Sienna?" another scoffed.
"What’s a wolfless murderer doing in the ring? She’ll get herself killed," a third voice added.
I ignored the taunts. Sienna, my opponent, was my age eighteen but she was one of the strongest among the low-ranking wolves. Despite her lean body, she was deceptively powerful, her hair pulled back into a tight braid, and her eyes glinted with confidence as she turned to and then let out a mocking laugh, as if seeing my attempt to fight with her was an insult. She’d been training for years, her skills honed through countless spars, while I... I had nothing but Lyra’s stubborn encouragent and a burning need to prove myself. I wanted to be strong, to protect myself, to one day bring justice to those who’d taken my parents from .
"I’ll love to challenge her," I said again and the crowd’s murmurs grew louder, so letting out a mocking laugh too.
Suddenly, one of them shoved from behind, and I stumbled into the ring, my knees hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Pain shot through my legs as I tried to scramble to my feet, brushing off the dust.
Sienna stepped closer, her lips curling into a smirk. The crowd’s cheers swelled loudly as they cheered her na, their voices a roar in my ears as they chanted continuously. She cracked her knuckles, her eyes locked on mine, sizing up like a prey. I swallowed hard, my hands clenching into fists and I finally stood on my feet, but before I could steady myself, a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Iris!" I turned to see Alia running toward as she pushed through the crowd, her eyes filled with panic. "What the hell are you doing? Leave there!" she yelled, her voice filled with worry.
I ignored and before I could process her words, I turned back to the ring as Sienna’s fist ca out of nowhere as it slamd into my cheek with a forceful punch that sent stars bursting across my vision as blood flew from my mouth, splattering around as I fell to the ground in a loud thud.
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