Chapter 4
Iris
"I shouldn't be here," I whispered to myself as I dragged my feet along the staircase.
My head was bowed as I made my way to the pack's hall, and my heart galloped wildly in my chest as I imagined what would happen if I was found out. No. I couldn't afford to be seen.
I pulled down on my hood and tugged at my sister's sleeve. "Remind me again why we are here, May?" I whined.
I was secretly mad at myself for letting her cajole me into something this silly.
A couple walked right past us, and from the looks on their faces, I could tell that they just found each other. Mates. Ugh!!
"Don't be such a party pooper, Iris. Be optimistic, who knows? You could find your prince charming here." She replied with so much confidence that stirred up glints of jealousy within me.
"And what about you? Aren't you scared of not finding a mate today?"
She halted in her steps and slanted a nonchalant look at me. "I think you should be more worried about your shabby appearance, than my chances of getting a mate." She wiped off an invisible speck off my shoulder and traipsed on, leaving me dejected.
At this point, I decided to turn around and leave. Being here was of no use to me when I knew that my well-being was on the line.
If Prince Devin showed up for the ceremony and found me here, I'd be done for. Besides, I also had a piece of very expensive jewelry to sell.
I hadn't taken any step further when the iron doors of the hall slammed shut, caging me in and disrupting my plans. My clammy palm went to my forehead as I began to wonder what kind of luck I had.
Why did they have to shut the door right after I'd decided to leave?
Asking them to let me out wasn't even an option. I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to myself.
After accepting my fate, I reclined in the back row of the hall where the omegas like me stayed. Since we were in the same rank, the bullying would be less.
The hall became quiet as soon as the Epsilon climbed the platform, and immediately my heart started to beat faster than normal. I wasn't expecting to find a mate so I couldn't understand why my body was reacting strangely.
My attention was drawn back to him when he cleared his throat. I scrutinized him from head to toe, secretly wondering why he didn't have a successor yet with the number of gray hairs seated on his head, and the wrinkles on his face.
He couldn't even stand properly. He was older than I could tell, but even with his reclining physique, I could tell by the clarity in his voice that he was a strong man when he was younger.
"Today, we are gathered for the mating ceremony where I'll be bringing the people that the moon goddess has ordained for each other together, and announce them as mates officially." He announced, his lips stretching into a smile as they encouraged him with a round of applause.
I smiled as well.
The fact that my life was moving in a downward trajectory didn't mean that I shouldn't be happy with those who already had their lives planned out.
"On that note, let's get the show started."
I clasped my fingers together and retreated slowly. I didn't want to get in anyone's way while they made their way to the podium, and luckily for me, I succeeded.
"The first people on my list are Prince Devin Dai and Iris Damine"
My eyes widened and my ears tingled as I sucked in air shakily. I leaned against the wall to steady myself. The Epsilon's announcement got me dizzy on the spot.
My breaths burst in and out of my lungs in heavy beats, like an athlete who just completed a very long race. I clutched onto the torn neckline of my dress tightly until a part of it ripped off.
We were mates?
How was that even possible?
The moon goddess had to be joking. He didn't act like he knew I was his mate; and why didn't I sense it even after he left?
Audible gasps resonated in the previously quiet hall but I shyly pushed forward. I tried to block out the taunts and the harsh words that were fired at me as I headed toward the platform.
Finally I got to the front of the hall and waved at May whose eyes popped when they met mine. A scowl of disapproval covered her face as she glared at me, but I ignored it. My heart was beating in a staccato rhythm while I forced a bright smile at the man whom the moon goddess fated to me.
"Prince Devin?" I whispered, standing behind him with my heart thudding harder by the minute.
I didn't know what to expect. Trash that, I already knew that he didn't like me, but I secretly hoped that this news would mollify any atom of hatred he bore towards me.
He turned around slowly, aggravating my anxiety so I shut my eyes and counted from one to ten.
'One, two, three...'
"What kind of sick joke is this?" His fury-laced voice cut through my brief meditation and my eyes flew open.
I was almost forced to shut them again. Nothing prepared me for the kind of burning anger I saw in his amber eyes...
Wait a second!
Amber eyes?
I knew that I had a forgetful memory, but I was so sure that I'd seen a pair of glassy blue eyes yesterday, not angry amber orbs. What the hell was going on?
"You had blue eyes yesterday," I pointed out. The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
He smirked, but it wasn't flirty or mischievous as I'd have expected. Instead it was a lucid show of disgust and repugnance. "What does the color of my eyes have to do with you? Why are you even standing here?"
"Because according to the Epsilon, I'm your mate and I'm supposed to show myself after the announcement." I retorted, still wondering if his eyes could change so easily.
Well, he was a werewolf so that was very possible.
He snorted and gave me a condescending once-over that caused my chest to constrict with pain.
He had yet to utter a word, but I knew what he was going to do. Still my body visibly trembled as I wasn't prepared for it.
"You're not just ugly and dirty, you're stupid as well. Didn't your little brain tell you that we can't be mates? What makes you think that the next Alpha of the Grey Rock pack will stoop so low to accept a wolfless omega as a mate?" He belittled me while I sniffed, trying to hold back the tears that fought so hard to spill down my cheeks.
"But the Epsilon..." I knew I sounded stupid and the fact was glaring, but I hoped that he wouldn't reject me this way.
I thought he would save me from the embarrassment first and then deal with me later.
"Iris, or whatever your name is, I reject you. You cannot be my mate, and you will never be no matter how hard you try." He snickered and snapped his fingers at me. "Leave right now before I ask the guards to escort you out of here."
With my head inclined in shame, I trudged ahead, deciding not to follow the same route I came through.
I pressed my lips hard as my eyes burned with unshed tears. I didn't look, all I knew was that my legs were moving on their own accord, and I was so close to the door when my body bumped into a solid mass.
I jerked in fear and raised my head to meet a familiar pair of blue eyes peering down at me with a sneer.
My lips parted as I ogled at him in sheer surprise. I glanced at the man behind me then darted my gaze again to the replica of the man I'd seen earlier staring at me.
"I thought I asked you to leave? What are you still doing here?" The blue-eyed replica of Prince Devin growled.