Iris's POV
"You think you can just defy my father like that? Apologize to her, now, before this gets worse."
I yanked my arm free.
"Let go of me." I snapped.
Lyra sneered softly in my mindas she cursed him. "Ass hole."
Ever since Lyra had come into my life, everything had changed. In my past life, Cade would treat me as trash in the presence of everyone. I remember when he had invited his friends over as they played a truth or dare game where the loser had to take a shot of the alcohol. When it got to Cade's turn, he would intentionally pick the shot and ask me to drink it and I would drink it without complaining and they would laugh and make jest of me when the alcohol suddenly starts to have effects on me. I was their laughing stock. Now, I wasn't that girl anymore and won't let him control my actions. Who I choose to apologize to and who I choose not to.
All thanks to Lyra, my wolf. She's my strength, my only true friend in this pack now since everyone turned their back on me. Before her, I was the weak omega, the wolfless nobody, beaten down by Liora's cruelty and the triplets' indifference. But Lyra's fire had ignited something in me, a refusal to break. She made me better, stronger.
Cade's voice broke the silence again.
"You will go back in there and apologize!" He said, grabbing me by my wrist as his both eyes were locked to each other's. His cold eyes piercing through mine.
"I'd rather scrub every floor in this packhouse for a month than grovel to Liora," I said, my voice bold despite the racing of my pulse. I tilted my chin up, meeting Cade's gaze head-on. "I'll take the punishment."
His eyes darkened. "You're insane," he muttered. "You're throwing away your chance of mercy."
"Mercy?" I laughed. "I don't need their mercy, Cade. I'm done begging." Lyra's approval sneered through me, her voice soft and fierce. "That's right. I turned on my heel, my wet clothes still clinging to my skin, and walked away, leaving Cade standing, his fists clenched at his sides as I headed to the store to grab the cleaning supplies to commence my punishments.
***
My muscles ached from endless hours of scrubbing, hauling, and cleaning, my hands injured from the coarse soap and frigid water they had given to me to use as I have been working tirelessly and being served with uncooked corn and water. Did I eat that? Of course I did!
The punishment Darius had decreed, washing the laundry of every high-ranking pack member and cleaning their rooms was grueling, but I refused to let it break me. Today was the third day, and though my body screamed for rest, Lyra's voice kept me going. "You're stronger than this, Iris." she murmured, her tone encouraging. "They want to see you crumble, but you won't. You're not that girl anymore."
Today was the third day already. I trudged through the packhouse with a worn basket tucked under my arm. My hair damp from the morning's work, hung in loose strands around my face, and my maid dress stained with dirt and sweat. I knocked on doors, my voice hoarse as I asked, "Any laundry to be done?" The responses were always the same, cruel sneers, mocking and laughter, and piles of filthy clothes shoved into my arms.
"Make sure you get the stains out, murderer," one of them sneered, reminding me I had killed my parents. That's what Darius made them believe, after all.
"Wouldn't want you slacking on your punishment, keep going." They would laugh mockingly. I bit back a resort and kept my expression neutral, piling the clothes into my basket and moving on.
I steeled myself as I approached Liora's room, my stomach twisting at the thought of facing her again today. I didn't want to be here, didn't want to see her smug face, but I needed to finish this punishment. I knocked once, then pushed the door open only to be met with Liora's lips locked with Zane. His hands roamed her waist as my stomach churned in disgust. She doesn't get tired, does she? Just then, Lyra's voice erupted in my head. "Slut…"
At least wait to be marked by them but hell no! Giving them her body without the full mating ceremony. In my past life, on this day, Liora hasn't undergone the mating ceremony. She only was told by her father and Darius that the triplets were going to mate with her and all of a sudden, she's all over them.
Ignoring the disgusting scene, I broke the silence. "I'm here for your laundry," I said, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
Liora pulled away from Zane, her eyes narrowing as she turned to me with a smirk.
"The brave maid crawling back to serve me." She stepped closer, her silk robe slipping off one shoulder, her blonde hair cascading in perfect waves beneath her back. "I love this, you know, watching you suffer while I have everything you'll never have. The triplets, the pack's respect, Alpha Darius's favor." She smirked, leaning closer. "You'll always be nothing, Iris. Just a pathetic omega who'll come begging to me one day."
Memories of my past life came back again. Liora's closeness to me back then. I'd been too naive to see it then, but now it was clear, she'd used me to get to them but the hatred she harbored for me now, remained a mystery. Why did she hate me this much?
I said nothing as Liora's eyes flashed with anger at my nonchalance. Before she could say a word, Zane spoke. "Don't waste your time on her, Liora," he said, pulling her back to him. "She's not worth it." He pressed his lips to hers, and I turned away, heading to her closet to grab the pile of dresses she'd left strewn across the floor.
Packing them, I left Liora's room, the basket heavier now, and made my way to Cade's room, the eldest triplet. My knuckles rapped against the door, but there was no answer. Hesitating for only a moment, I pushed it open. What welcomed me was an unkept room. The room looked messy. Clothes scattered around the floor, the bed messy too. So I approached and began to pick them up and to my disgust, I saw a pair of lacy underwear that likely belonged to Liora. Irritated, Lyra's voice rang out again. "She's a disgrace, leaving her filth everywhere." I chuckled under my breath, shaking my head as I continued gathering the clothes.
As I moved toward the dresser, my foot brushed against something hard beneath a shirt. I bent down to see, only to be met by a worn photograph that had been turned upside down. I flipped it over only to find It was a picture of me and the triplets, Cade, Kael, and Zane, when we were kids.
We were laughing, our faces smudged with dirt from playing in the forest as our arms slung around each other. For some moments, the memory of that day drifted back to my mind. My father had taken that photo with his small portable camera. The thought of it only made my lips want to curve out my lips but was quickly replaced with fury as my mind drifted back to present.
I thought Cade hated me? who never missed a chance to remind me of my place… Why would he still keep this?
I traced my finger over the image when suddenly, a loud angry voice snapped from the behind.
"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Startled, I turned to see Cade standing with a towel wrapped low around his waist, water dripping from his dark hair.