All Chapters of The Cursed Heiress : Chapter 21 - Chapter 25

POV: IrisThe presence did not judge my fear. It simply stated a fact. “To bind power you must bind something in return. There are many things you might place on the altar—time, sight, memory, name—but whatever you give becomes the tether. It will hold what you gain, and it will mark you.”I tasted panic. The list of possible losses unrolled in my head with cruel precision. Losing memory—what a betrayal that sounded like. To forget the sound of my mother’s humming at night, to let the face of my father fade into smudged lines. To have the soft things taken seemed worse than the physical blows. But what would be worse would be to keep them as anchors while I tried to move like a weapon.“They want a price,” I said, voice thin. I thought of my mother’s lullaby, of the small room and the way warmth felt pure and simple. “They want me to sell what is left so they can give me something to cut with.”“Not so crass,” the voice said, and I understood it was not interest in my sentimentality b

POV: Iris “Lyra.”The name hung in the air like a blade, cutting deeper with every second of silence that followed. My lungs squeezed as though invisible fingers were wrapped around them, and my throat burned with words I couldn’t speak.I forced a breath. One. Then another. Then I shook my head, fast, too fast, as though shaking hard enough would rattle the word out of existence.“You’re wrong,” I said. My voice cracked, betraying me. “I don’t know who that is.”He smiled. Not kindly. Not even cruelly but knowingly, which made it worse.“Of course you know,” he murmured. “I can see it in your eyes. When I said her name, it tore you apart inside. You can deny it all you want, but your body knows the truth, even if your lips won’t admit it.”My fists clenched at my sides. My nails dug crescent wounds into my palms. “I said you’re wrong. My name is Iris. Beta of Oakwood and nothing more.”“Nothing more?” he echoed, tilting his head. “That’s what you believe in and what you’ve built for

POV: Iris “Again,” the Beta barked.I wiped the sweat from my forehead, my chest heaving. My arms shook, my knees burned, but I forced myself upright.“Again,” he repeated, stepping forward, impatience dripping from every word.My wolf growled in the back of my mind. You’re weak. They’ll see it if you falter now.“I said again!”I lunged, but too slowly. His palm cracked across my face, the sound ringing sharp. Pain exploded across my cheek that made me stagger back, clutching my skin, heat burning beneath it.The laughter followed—snickers from the edges of the ring. “She can’t keep up,” one of them muttered. “Beta in name, nothing more.”Humiliation coiled in my stomach like a viper. I bit down hard, blood flooding my mouth, and straightened. “Again,” I whispered.The slap had rattled me, but not enough to stop.My wolf snarled louder. Fight back. Tear him down. Make them bleed.“I can’t,” I muttered under my breath. “If I lose control, they’ll see me. They’ll know.”He came at me