IRIS
"You're no good." He kicked my stomach repeatedly. I tasted something like liquid metal on my tongue; Blood and I also felt like passing out.
What had I done to deserve this brutal treatment? Was it my fault that my mother and my brother died?
"Don't kill her, father. We need her around the house. If she sustains much damage, who's going to do the chores? Definitely not me." Lyra sat on the other side of the living room, smiling devilishly at me. I stared at her through hooded eyes and gritted teeth.
"That's true, dear." He gave me one last kick before moving away from me.
"Let's go, honey." He grabbed her school back and together they walked out, but not without Lyra giving me the fakest ugly smile she could ever come up with.
My mother and I used to live happily with my father in the Blood Rose pack. We were the envy of every other family. My father was a beta and so, I got his genes. He was strong and because of that, kids didn't bully me at school.
I was shown all the love in the world but there was one mistake I made; I thought the happiness would last forever. Sadly, my father passed away on the battlefield while trying to fight off some rogues. My mother always thought that it wasn't a mere coincidence and that Alpha Nathan had planned for his execution.
When I heard the news, I fell into a coma for a few days. Since then, I got bullied at school; I was the caricature of the school. My mother and I eventually got banned from the pack because someone accused my mother of trying to kill the Alpha through food poisoning.
We stayed in the woods. I thought we were going to die because we were abducted and lots of wolves were killed in front of us but luckily, Beta Bennett, found us.
He took a liking to my mother and in less than a year, they got married. Sometimes at night, my mom would come to my room and pat my head. She would cry and ask my late father's spirit to forgive her. She would recount all the good times we had before she would retire to bed. Her words made me cry; she was doing it all because she wanted me to have a bright future.
My stepfather and his daughter didn't exactly like me but they did well to accommodate me. All that changed after my mother and Bennett's two years old son died. They put the blame on me, saying I killed them because I was jealous.
If I were that jealous, why didn't I just finish the entire family? Nobody thought of that. Lyra already had her father tied around her pinky finger and did well to turn the entire Blue Moon Pack against me.
I got harsh treatment from everybody, and if not for the kind Alpha we had, I would have been thrown out or fed to the rogues.
I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and stood up from where I knelt. I went to Lyra's room, as I always did, and saw a huge deal of clothes. I was expected to wash all those before going to school but then, we had a test and I couldn't risk failing just for some clothes that weren't even mine.
I painstakingly had my bath and put on some clothes. Why am I still here?
Because of the next in line to be Alpha, Fenrir. I turned eighteen a few days back at school and on my way to the cafeteria, I perceived a scent that made my head spin. I followed the scent and found out it was coming from the Alpha's heir.
From that day, I was happy. Finally, I could leave the trenches and live the life I deserved. Not doing chores but staying in the library all day reading my favorite books with my mate in my arms.
I didn't take much time to dress up because I was already late. I quickly fixed my hair and grabbed my old, torn backpack. I scouted for my skating board but I couldn't find it. When I had a peep in Lyra's room, I found it there. I dared not to take it to avoid another round of brute hitting.
I had only one option; to run. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and I made it just in time. Well, barely. As soon as I settled down, that was when the head teacher was coming in. I felt grateful to the Moon goddess for the gift of running. Mrs. Rowan detested latecomers and never hesitated to punish them.
The door opened and Lyra together with Fenrir walked in. I felt a huge ting of jealousy rush through my blood as I already knew what they were doing. I didn't really bother myself about them because once he finds out that I'm his Luna, he won't have any other choice but to leave her.
"Keep abusing your powers, Fenrir. You'll pay for it one day." Mrs. Rowan threatened but a smirk appeared on his face instead. He didn't feel remorseful for his actions, just pride, pride, and pride. I was disgusted by his attitude but that didn't make me love him less.
Every day I woke up, I wanted to go tell him about my discovery but I didn't want him to hate me. He would think I was just throwing myself cheapishly at him. He hates me already but hopefully, by his eighteenth birthday, he would begin to see me differently.
He sat in front of me and my heart nearly burst out when he turned back to look at me. A smile formed on his lips and I immediately bowed my head.
"What was that all about?"
********
I was the first person to leave the hall, sadly. I aced the test and I had already finished and was helping Fenrir with some answers when Mrs. Bennett caught me. She asked me to leave freely only because she thought Fenrir was using his influence on me. I was happy but then, I wasn't happy.
While reading for the next test we had a week from then, I saw a pair of feet and when I looked up, it was Fenrir. My eyes opened in shock as I stared at him.
"Thanks for today. I hope I can repay you someday." He took my hand, shook it, and walked away.
I stared down at the palm he touched and looked at his back.
I thought he hated me when all this while, he probably knew nothing about me.
I am never washing this hand.
IRIS The happiness on my face disappeared when I noticed my stepfather standing at the door with a whip. I gulped hard as I approached him. I knew the whip was for me but what I didn't know was my offense. "Good afternoon, sir." I greeted him and made to walk past him but the glare on his face was enough to make me rethink that action. I wondered what Lyra had said this time to make him look that angry. "What's your mission, Iris? Haven't you taken enough from me and now, you want to take from my daughter?" He said through gritted teeth and fire-blazing eyes. What was he talking about? "I'm sorry, sir." Trying to ask questions would only make things worse, I learned this the hard way over the years. I bowed my head, my eyes meeting the ground. I dared not look into his face. The next thing I felt was a lash on my arms. I instinctively moved away from him, holding my arm. "Now, Iris, let me give you a warning. Stay away from Alpha Fenrir. He belongs to my daughter. A lowlife lik
IRIS "What do you mean by that? That's not for you to decide. It's the custom and I have to abide by it." I defended myself against them. "See, daddy? I told you she has eyes for him. She just wants to show her ugly face to the world and the prince. She thinks he likes her just because he spoke to her a few times." Lyra scoffed and folded her hands. "I don't want her to go there, daddy. Stop her." "You heard my daughter, take off your clothes and find something reasonable to do," Bennett commanded. As expected, I was supposed to bow my head dejectedly and give in to their demands but no! Not today. "No, I refuse to let you tie me down here when every other person will be at the party," I yelled in defense. Bennett took predatory steps toward me while I carefully moved away from him. "I see you've grown wings." He slapped me with his full strength, making me fall to the ground and yelping in pain. He started kicking me all over. All I could do was cry and watch Lyra smile at the t
IRIS "You piece of shît!" Bennett slammed my small body into a series of trash cans. Loads of dirt fell on me but he still didn't leave me. He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to the house. I knew I was done for. Bennett wasn't a merciful man. He abused his strength whenever it got to my case and tonight, it was either he killed me or I kill myself out of frustration. I was bothered about what the outcome would be. The fact that Fenrir rejected me made me forget all my sorrows. It was as though I had become numb to the pain. The one way I thought I could exert my revenge on the people who treated me badly had just flashed before my eyes. "He knew I was his mate," I muttered to myself. "All these while, he knew and yet, he didn't say anything." I was pained, hurt, and broken. The thought of Lyra taking my place wounded my heart severely. The worst part? I had no friend to turn to. I was more or less a lone wolf. "I'm going to treat you like the trash you are, Iris," Bennett
IRIS I slowly opened my eyes, only to be overwhelmed by sharp pains all over my body and an eye-stinging light. I shut them back immediately. "She's awake." I heard a muffled voice and the torch was taken away from my face. "Set the fire... dinner is set." Someone said and the men left. I struggled to sit up but the pain wouldn't let me. Where was I? "Struggling is pointless, my dear. Don't worry, you are in safe hands." He smiled crookedly and sat down beside me. I wanted to shift away but I couldn't. I was too tired and weak. "Where am I?" I asked him. "You're with a hunting group." He replied. "We found you lying unconsciously by the river. Were you trying to commit suicide or something?" He questioned. I didn't know what to tell him but I was sure glad for his help. "Thank you for saving me." I simply said. The memories were still fresh; from the brutal rejection to being thrown down a cliff. I couldn't hold back my tears. I thought I was going to die and I was happy. I th
IRIS The pain I felt in between my legs was nothing to write home about, coupled with the darkness and hunger I had to live with. I hope the goddess was enjoying the show because it just got better. "Stand up!" One of the female guards yelled at me and I stood up. The other one roughly grabbed my hand and pulled me alongside them. I wondered where they were taking me. During all three days in prison, I reminisced on my past, my present, and my future. I used to think I was special but now, all I know is that I have no reason to live. In a few days, I had turned worse than trash. I hated my parents, I hated myself, my parents, and the world. To hell with the goddess or whatever her name was. I was taken to a large kitchen and was asked to sit on thr floor. I obeyed without arguing. A tray with food was placed in front of me to eat. At first, I felt uneasy but after my stomach growled, I began to eat. The food tasted so nice that I began rushing it. I almost choked on the food. "Lo
IRIS "You're excused, Iris. You will meet your tour guide on your way out. Take good care of yourself." He smiled. I bowed and left the room to avoid much drama. "I wanna go back." Artemis cried. Artemis is my wolf. Aside from Fenrir, she was one of the reasons I wanted to stay alive. She would console me every night I woke up from a nightmare and every night I would stay up because of some severe injury inflicted on me by my stepfather. "Suck it in, Arti, shouldn't you be dying for Fenrir instead?" I rolled my eyes. "That idîot. This one is more good-looking than that stûck up fool." She grouched. "Glad we think alike." As Alpha Finn had said, I met a man waiting down the hallway for me. "Is this place too hot or is it just me?" Artemis asked on arrival to the man. "Shut up," I whispered to her and kept my cool. "Hello, Iris. My name is Damon, the Beta of this pack, and I will be your tour guide for today." He took my hand and kissed the back of my palm. I could sense Artemi
IRIS I stared down at the clothes that were now properly arranged in the wardrobe. Thinking about everything, if felt like a dream; a dream I never wanted to wake up from. "Oh, mother," I sighed and walked to the window. "I wish you were here to see all of this. Finally, I can live the life you've always wanted." My hand trailed the glass windows as I stared down the building. "I'm no longer a slave. I'm being treated like a human being." Although lots of things had been taken from me, I was still grateful I was alive. At least, it was better than being dead or living in fear with some rogues out in the woods. The memories of what had happened were still fresh in my mind. I was meant to be dead. For goodness sake, I was thrown off a cliff by someone who once told me to call him father. And raped by a notorious man was enough to cause a great shift in my life but there I was, standing strong and hoping that one day, I would exert my revenge. I moved away from the window when I h
IRIS "Good evening, Alpha Finn." I greeted him with a slightly deep bow. I refused to take my eyes off the ground. I didn't want to see the previous look from before. "Look up." He commanded and I did as he said. He was smiling and his red eyes seemed warm. His eyes didn't depict the tone of his voice. I was left in utter speechlessness. His chin was resting on his right arm, giving him an alluring look. "How are you, Iris?" He asked and stood up. He walked over to the table and poured some liquid into two classes. "I'm fine," I replied. "Wine?" He offered but I shook my head. "Don't worry, it's harmless. Make yourself comfortable." His back was facing me so I couldn't see his face. I found a seat and sat down. He brought the wine to me and I took it with shaking hands. "I don't bite, Iris. Be free with me. Besides, I'm not your Alpha." "Yet," I muttered. "You will be soon." "Oh? You plan on staying forever?" I nodded. I didn't have anywhere to go and he had been the only on