Chapter 29: You Are Going To Get Us Both In Trouble!!
Iris’s POV
Darius’ words only made the courtyard erupt in a loud deafening roar of cheers as his words, commanding voice sliced through the festive clamor. I stood at the edge of the crowd, half-hidden, my heart sinking as if to feel sad that the alpha’s I once graved for would be mating with another. The thought of it only made my eyes wet. The mention of Liora’s name twisted something sharp in my chest, but I forced myself to stay still and not cry because of the triplets who had countlessly treated me like a scum bag. A part of me hate them with so much passion and for some strange reason, the other part of me never stopped loving them.
Shortly, Alpha Darius raised a hand, silencing the crowd with a single gesture. His piercing and commanding eyes scanned the pack, commanding absolute attention and then he continued. "This is a sacred moment for Black Bane," he continued, his voice resonating. "We must prepare for this day with reverence. Do nothing to offend the Moon Goddess, for her blessings are upon us. Black Bane is a pack chosen, remembered by the Moon Goddess herself, for it is in our generation, in our pack, that the Mother of Wolves has been born!"
My eyes scanned as I saw some of the crowd murmuring among themselves, nodding in approval, then erupted again, their cheers louder, more fervent. As the maid’s words from earlier echoed in my mind. Alpha Darius’s voice boomed again, cutting through the noise. "Soon, the Mother of Wolves will be revealed to us, her identity made known by the seer. And with her presence, Black Bane will rise to unmatched glory!"
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. He continued. This mating ceremony of my sons and their Luna," he declared, "will not only unite my sons with their destined Luna but will also strengthen the sacred bond between Black Bane and Warborn. Our packs, long allied, will become one in purpose, one in strength, under the Moon Goddess’s divine will!"
The cheers swelled again. I couldn’t bear it any longer. Slipping away from the courtyard, I walked through the crowd, keeping my head low to avoid the curious glances that always followed me, the cursed one, the outcast. The music and laughter faded as I hurried toward the pack house, the maid’s quarters.
I reached my room. My door creaked as I pushed it open, and I stepped inside and sank onto the edge of my bed, clutching my worn pillow to my chest as my eyes form tears gradually. My fingers dug into the softness of the pillow as I could hear my own heart beating fast at Liora’s mating ceremony and then the maid’s harsh words as my urge to not show weakness intensified. And then my thoughts drifted back to my experience at warborn.
Especially that book. I needed that book. It holds the answers to what had happened last night at my transformation perhaps, to the pain and power of my first shift. But Warborn had cast me out. How could I possibly get it? The thought only got me worried.
I hugged the pillow tighter, tears streaming down my eyes now. There had to be a way. My mind churned, searching for a solution, when suddenly, Amelia’s name flashed my memory. My only friend and sister in this wretched pack, the one person who’d never looked at me with scorn.