Chapter 20: Maybe I Should Send You To Your Parents
Iris’s POV
Their laughing cheers increased as I tried to steady myself. Dust swirled in the air, caused by the frantic movements of the low-ranking wolves sparring under Torin’s watchful eye as they enjoyed the scene before them. My heart pounded in my chest as I forced myself up and stood in the ring, my knees still stinging from where I’d stumbled after someone shoved me.
The crowd’s mocking laughter didn’t fade, their voices slicing through my sanity as my vision blurred. Sienna stood a few feet away, her braid swinging as she cracked her knuckles again, her lips curled into a smirk that oozed confidence.
I clenched my fists, my cheek throbbing, where Sienna’s fist had landed moments ago as blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. The crowd’s jeers grew louder, their words now a relentless assault as always.
"She’s got no wolf and experience! What’s she doing in the ring?" someone shouted.
"Thinks she can stand Sienna, huh? She can’t even stand the most powerless omega. Wolfless murderer!" another voice sneered, followed by a chorus of laughter.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stand strong even though my legs felt weak. I wasn’t here to prove them right. I wasn’t here to be their punching bag. I was here because I had to be, because I needed to train, to grow stronger, to protect myself. To stop making them see me as weak, to stop being discriminated. Most importantly, to prepare myself for the future. To show whoever tries to bully me that they’ve made a greater mistake.
Suddenly, the memory of my past life came filling my head. In my past life, the triplets, Zane, Cade, and Kael had made my existence a living hell. I could still feel the cold stone of the dungeon floor where they’d dragged me as they took turns shoving me, kicking me for fighting Liora who tried to bully me. I’d begged them, tears streaming down my face. "Why do you hate me? What did I do? I only tried to defend myself from Liora. Why so much hate?" I sobbed.
Zane had crouched down, his face inches from mine, eyes cold as he replied.
"Because the alpha position was meant for our father, not yours," he’d spat. "Your father stole it, and you’re nothing but a reminder of that theft."
His words had cut deeper, always reminding me of the sins of my father between theirs. But it wasn’t true. My father had told me the real story, and my mother had confirmed it, as had Elara, Amelia’s mother. Darius, the triplets’ father, had been a rogue when my father found him, a broken, feral thing on the brink of losing himself to his wolf. My father had taken him in, given him a home, a purpose, and eventually the beta position.
He’d trusted Darius, believed in him. And yet, while my parents were still alive? I’d overheard Darius and Alpha Trent once conspiring.