Chapter 2 Future

(Iris)

Jasper’s words stung, but I was used to his cruelty. His announcement shouldn’t have been a surprise. He loved to taunt me. And the only reason he hadn’t rejected me sooner was that I served as his useful prop, showcasing his supposed kindness and benevolence as the new Alpha. 

Rejecting me, his mate, the former girlfriend of the rightful heir, wouldn’t have looked good. But now his reign was secure. 

And he could do whatever he wanted. 

I should have felt triumphant, knowing that soon I would be free from his oppressive grasp, but the reality was far more complicated.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind scolded itself for being so overwhelmed with emotions. I shouldn’t feel as shocked and betrayed as I did. I shouldn’t feel anything at all. He was a killer. I should hate him. 

I really shouldn’t have been surprised he had decided to reject me now. I should have known that was what he wanted. Behind the flirting and the sex, he didn’t want me. There was someone else. And I knew that. 

As if summoned by my thoughts, Naomi burst into my room, her eyes blazing with jealousy and rage. I hurried to cover myself, using the blankets on the bed, but she was too angry to notice or care. 

She stood by my bed, towering over me as if trying to assert her dominance, but she only succeeded in looking like an angry cat. 

“He was here again, wasn’t he?” she demanded, her voice sharp. 

I sighed, too caught up in my emotions to give her any kind of reaction. 

“He is the alpha,” I said, keeping my voice calm and even. “He comes and goes as he pleases.” 

Naomi did not like that answer. 

Her hand struck my face with a sharp crack, the force of it turning my head to the side. I felt the familiar sting and the burn of tears that I refused to shed. Naomi crossed her arms, her eyes alight with hatred. But still, I did not have the energy to react. 

“You think you can win his heart by sleeping with him?” She shouted, her voice echoing in my ears. “He is mine. He will always be mine. You are a toy! He will be bored of you soon enough!” 

She never forgave me for being Jasper’s mate. Even though it was nobody’s fault. 

We used to be best friends, growing up together as the daughters of the pack Beta and Gamma. 

I met her eyes. Even after all this, I didn’t see her as anything but a hurt friend. I couldn’t bring myself to hate her in return. I missed her. She was fierce, but kind. We used to be sisters in all but blood. We had even dreamed of mending the rift between Jasper and Elias as their better halves. But everything changed after my 20th birthday when the bond between Jasper and me was revealed. 

I hadn’t meant to hurt her. Not after everything she did for me. She saved me from banishment after Jasper usurped the throne. Her father had helped Jasper, but my parents had died protecting Elias. 

She was there for me when I cried for them. 

But after my birthday… her kindness turned to cold hatred. The sisterhood we once shared was shattered. And I was alone. 

Still, I couldn’t hate her. I couldn’t even be angry. I could only take whatever abuse she lay down. I felt I owed her that much. 

The sound of approaching footsteps broke through my thoughts, and I looked up sharply. 

Jasper entered the room, his presence overwhelming. Naomi immediately threw herself to the floor, crying out as if I had attacked her. 

“She pushed me for no reason!” Naomi cried, the fake tears already dripping down her cheeks. Her voice was filled with fake innocence, and her eyes were wide and tearful. 

In an instant, Jasper was across the room. He picked Naomi up from the floor, cradling her in his arms. His expression hardened as he checked her for injuries, and he turned to look at me with cold disdain. 

He could have shouted at me. He could have yelled or scolded me for the supposed offense. But he didn’t. He knew that wouldn’t hurt me. So he did something much worse. 

“There is something I forgot to tell you about the rejection,” he said, his voice low and icy. “Naomi’s coronation as Luna will be the same day. You will serve as her omega maid in the coronation after the rejection.” 

He looked down at Naomi with a sickeningly loving gaze, brushing a wisp of hair from her face. 

“Then you can punish her whenever you want, my dear,” he whispered loud enough for me to hear. 

He kissed her softly. It looked so different from how he kissed me. It looked so loving. He knew what he was doing. He knew the pain I was going to experience. 

I couldn’t even process it. All I could think about was how much he looked like Elias. The love in Jasper’s eyes as he looked at Naomi shook me. He looked so much like the gentle and passionate Elias. I thought about how Elias had looked at me the same way. Jasper had taken that from me.  

Naomi’s eyes gleamed with triumph as she nestled into Jasper’s arms. He walked out without another word or glance in my direction, but Naomi peered over his shoulder at me with an ominous expression. 

I let myself fall into the bed, my whole body trembling. Only when the door was closed did I allow myself to fall apart. 

Jasper had officially taken everything from me. My parents were gone. My love was dead at his hand. My future was in ruins. My innocence was destroyed. And now, I was to be reduced to a servant, humiliated in front of the pack I once belonged to. I would be no better than a slave on a leash. 

The rejection would strip away the last remnants of my connection to Elias, severing the bond that had been my only solace. And the thought of serving Naomi, being at her spiteful mercy, was almost too much to bear. 

But I would bear it. I would endure. I had to. I had no choice.