Iris’s POV
Startled, the book slipped from my hand and fell as I turned swiftly to the voice and saw the chief maid, Margery, standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with sothing that looked like fear and rage. As if my heart lurched into my throat, pounding so hard I could barely hear her next words.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Margery’s voice was sharp. "This is a punishable offense, Iris!"
"Offense?" I stamred as I took a step forward. "It’s just a library!" My eyes darted around the room, taking in the sagging shelves, the cobwebs clinging to the corners and It didn’t feel like a place of danger. It’s just a library.
Magery’s response ca without hesitation. "It’s not just a library!" she snapped, her voice dropping to a harsh tone as she gestured. You need to leave here before anyone else sees you!" Her eyes flicked around, as if afraid of soone to burst through at any mont.
I opened my mouth to argue, but the urgency in her expression stopped but my curiosity didn’t let keep shut.
"Why?" I asked. "What’s so wrong with this place?"
"Don’t ask questions! This room... is sacred and . The forr Luna, Alpha Trent’s mate, died here. Right in this library. Ever since, it’s been haunted. Anyone who steps foot in here is marke cursed. They contaminate the pack. Or worse... they die."
What!? How?
"Haunted?" My eyes scanning the shelves, half-expecting a ghostly figure to erge from the shadows. "How did she die?" For as long as I rember, she had died while giving birth. At least that’s what I heard.
"It doesn’t matter how. What matters is you’re not supposed to be here. Only the destined one, chosen by the Moon Goddess to be the Mother of Wolves, can enter this place without bringing tragedy. And trust , girl, that’s not you. The Mother of Wolves doesn’t exist, not anymore." Her voice was firm as she spoke terrified.
"Co out girl." She added.
I wanted to ask more, to demand answers, but Margery grabbed my arm from where I stood at the door, her grip surprisingly strong. "Co on," she said, pulling outside. "Out. Now."
I stumbled after her, my mind racing. The book I’d dropped lay forgotten on the floor, its pages splayed open. Margery shut the door just as I had seen it.
Margery’s grip on my arm loosened, but she didn’t let go as we hurried through the overgrown archway. The half-moon hung above us, still casting a silver glow over the Warborn pack grounds.
"Why aren’t you afraid of ?" I asked suddenly. "If I’m cursed now, if I’m... contaminated, why are you holding my hand?" I stopped walking, forcing her to pause with . Her fingers were still wrapped around my wrist.
Margery’s eyes t mine. "Child," she said softly, "so things are better off not known. There’s a lot I’d advise you to stay clear of."
She released my wrist and took a step back, her expression unreadable. "Go back to your room. Don’t speak of this to anyone."
Her cryptic words only made my heart skip as I nodded. I turned and made my way back to the maids’ quarters, hoping to see Alia back but unfortunately she wasn’t. On the other hand, the image and encounter with Margery of the library refused to make sense. Lyra, my wolf, was silent, offering no teasing remarks, no guidance as she used to and now she had gotten into huge trouble, she’s just not speaking.
I sank onto the bed. The mirror on the wall reflected my still injured face, the faint bruises on my arms too still visible as it began to bleed, stubborn in their refusal to heal. I traced a finger over one of them, rembering Lyra’s words about learning to control my abilities. But before I could dwell on it, the door burst open with a bang, and my heart leapt.
Two guards stord in, their eyes and faces cold as they grabbed my arms, yanking to my feet. "Let go!" I cried, twisting in their grip, but their hands were so tight on . "What’s happening? What did I do?"
They didn’t answer, dragging out of the room and down the corridor. My bare feet scraped against the floor, my pulse racing as panic clawed at my chest. The guards’ silence was scary and their faces set in hard lines, their grips bruising my already bleeding injury.
We reached the grand hall, its towering doors pushed open by two guards as the other two guards dragged inside and shoved to the floor in the midst of everyone. I stumbled, my knees hitting the floor that sent pain shooting up my legs. The hall was filled with pack mbers, their murmurs rising as I struggled to my feet. Every eye was on , so curious and was whispering to one another. Liora stood near the front, her arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips. Lord Varn was there too but Silas... was nowhere to be seen.
Alpha Trent rose from his throne and approached.
"You have committed a grave cri." He paused. "You entered the sacred library, a place forbidden to all but the destined. Your presence there threatens the safety of this pack, defiles the mory of our late Luna, and risks bringing calamity upon us all."
The crowd erupted into whispers. "Cursed!" soone hissed. "She’ll doom us all!" another shouted. "Banish her!" Another added.
Alpha Trent raised a hand, and the room fell silent again. "The full moon is in two days," he continued. "Your presence here will only bring disaster. For the safety of Warborn, I hereby banish you from this pack. You are never to set foot here again."
The words hit . Banishnt? I had done nothing wrong. Before I could speak, the crowd surged forward, their voices rising into a cacophony of insults. "Witch!" "Traitor!"
Sothing hard struck my shoulder. It was a stone thrown at by one of the pack, gnawing a gasp from my lips as I winched. Another stone hit my arm, then my back. It didn’t stop coming.
Lord Varn stepped forward, his voice cutting through the chaos. "I knew she was a bad on," he sneered. "I never wanted her here. She’s nothing but trouble, a blight on this pack."
I searched the crowd for a friendly face, for Alia, for anyone who might speak for , but there was only hostility, only judgnt from these people.
"Take her away." Trent declared.
The guards seized my arms again, their grips bruising as they dragged toward the towering gates of Warborn.
"Please..." I said but my words were swallowed by the crowd’s jeers, their faces blurring into a sea of anger as the guards hauled through as we neared the gigantic gate of warborn, my feet scraping against the hard ground, and with shove, they threw out. I stumbled, falling to my knees in the dust, the towering gigantic gates of warborn slamming shut behind .
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