Mag-log inIris POVA thin beam of morning sunlight sliced through the narrow gap in the window frame. It cut straight across the dusty floor, landing over my knees where I crouched on the bed.I stayed curled into a tight ball, my knees pressed flat against my chest. The morning air was freezing, making my bare skin shiver, but I couldn't move. My head pounded with a dull headache, Tears had dried into stiff, itchy tracks across my cheeks, tightening my skin every time my face twitched. My lower lip quivered, dry and cracked, as raspy breaths escaped my throat.“Your father is dead!”Ryker’s voice didn't just stay in the room—it lived inside my head now. It spun around in a violent, unending loop, slamming against my brain like a heavy fist. *He’s dead. He’s dead. He’s dead.* Every single repetition felt like a fresh physical blow, knocking whatever little air I had left out of my chest.“No!”I screamed, kicking my legs out wildly, my bare feet slamming hard against the mattress. The sheets
***Ryker POV*** "Why did you hurt her? Why did you hurt our mate?!" Aries muttered continuously in my head after I threw Iris against the wall and left the room. The impact of her back striking the hard surface moved through my spine as though I was the one affected. This beast is really annoying, my teeth gritted, the enamel grinding together so hard my jaw muscles throbbed. I raised a heavy hand and rubbed my forehead in frustration. "Shut up Aries!" "No I won't, you are selfish Ryker." His voice inside my skull was a low growl, vibrating down to the soles of my feet, making my blood boil with heat. "Shut up!" "Gideon is already dead, you should get over it Ryker. She's innocent." Arghhhh. I slammed my hands hard on the table. The sharp, thunderous crack echoed off the stone walls of my study, sending piles of papers flying onto the ground and drifted through the air like fallen leaves before landing on the floor. The force of the strike vibrated up my fore
IRIS POV“He is dead!”The word rang in my ear like an exploding bomb, instantly muting every other sound in the room. My heart stopped mid-beat, hanging heavy in my chest like a block of ice.I stared at Ryker’s face, searching frantically for any sign of a lie. Any tiny twitch that would tell me he was playing a cruel mind game.I laughed bitterly.“Yo….. You must be joking!” I stammered, and shook my head to convince myself it was a kind of joke.Ryker face hardened. “I said he is dead! His voice roared through the small room, vibrating the thin metal window in their frames. He took one long, towering step toward me, his massive shadow completely swallowing me. “Do I look like a joker to you?”My blood ran cold, cold sweat broke through me.What?“No! No! No!” I yelled my eyes burning.Ryker tilted his head down, watching me crumble with absolute, cold indifference.“Your precious father is burning in hell now iris.”The world spun around me. I grabbed my hair, my fingers tangli
Iris pov A violent wave of wind roared, spinning dust and dry leaves into a tight circle around my me. My dress slapped against my legs like a sail in a storm. I squinted my eyes from the sand flying in the air. My feet almost slipped on the stony muddy floor, each step i took a battle just to stay upright.Where am I? “Iris… Iris… Iris,” A familiar voice reverberated straight inside my ears, echoing from every direction. My breathing stopped for a second, the air in my windpipe froze solid. Father– I gasped and turned around so fast my feet skidded in the floor. A few feet away, a shadow stood beside the thick trunk of an oak tree. Warm light lit up his smiling face. His hands shoved casually into his coat pockets. The storm raged all around him, but not a single hair on his head moved. Is this real? Oh my moon goddess! Please let it be real. Tear filled the corner of my eyes, blurring his frame into a soft, glowing halo. The fear that had been clawing at my throat dissolv
IRIS POVMy throat hurt from thirst. It felt like I swallowed broken glass. Every time I tried to breathe, my dry, swollen throat burned. The sun had set and the hot afternoon that baked the blood onto my skin was gone. Now the night was freezing cold. The air cut through my torn uniform like knives and made me shake hard against the thick wooden post. The courtyard was deserted now, everyone had returned to the warmth of their quarters.Flies buzzed against my ear, their erratic, high-pitched droning echoing loudly in the silence of the night. I could feel dozens of tiny, heavy legs perching on the wound at my back, and feeding on the sticky half-dried blood.I twitched my muscle uncomfortably, trying to chase the pest away, but it was useless. The minor movement sent pain shooting straight up my spine.A breathless sob escaped from my lips. My forehead pressed hard against the rough, unforgiving bark of the post. The heavy iron cuffs holding my wrists behind the wood rattled we
IRIS POV The world cracked open beneath my feet, swallowing me whole. The cold stone of the courtyard felt like ice against my skin, but it was nothing compared to the absolute frost expanding in my chest. Every eye was pinned to me, burning with an unadulterated hatred that felt heavy enough to crush my bones. “I didn’t know how it got there!” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a frantic, desperate rush, my voice sounding incredibly small and hollow in the open air. My hands were shaking so violently that I could barely keep my balance. "I swear on the Moon Goddess, I didn't take it! Someone put it the–“Before the final word could even leave my lips, a sharp, whistling sound sliced through the air.SPLAT.The head maid's hand flew across the space between us, and a brutal slap hit my face.The sheer force of the blow snapped my head sharply to the side, sending a violent jolt of pain straight down my neck. I tasted blood right away. The inside of my cheek got cut by my teeth







