[Iris POV]
Finally, I arrived back in my small room. I quickly stripped myself, dumping my clothes and my mask on the floor, frantically removing all traces of the evening. My shoes were missing, and my heart sank as I realised I must have left them behind when I fell into the bush.
It was too late for me to run back for them, but I tried to console myself that no one could possibly find them if they weren't looking for them. There were so many couples fornicating in all sorts of bushes that my shoes wouldn't stand out. I could simply wake up earlier and go pick them up, with no one being any wiser.
I had to believe that, or I was dead.
Once I was naked, I scooped buckets of icy cold water to drench myself, attempting to wash away the stench of my burgeoning heat, even dunking my whole head in the water. I felt brief relief before the heat surged back with a vengeance. Even water running over the scrapes on my skin caused me to shiver with strange desire.
In response, I viciously scrubbed myself clean with soap, relishing in the stinging pain that distracted me from other sensations.
I needed to transform back into the Alpha's illegitimate daughter. An entirely insignificant, forgettable existence. Once I was clean, I would visit the pack healer to ask for more herbs. Healer Felix was an utter grouch, but at least he didn't treat me like I was the scum of the universe.
"I will be fine," I said to myself, despite my trembling hands. "It's just a bad night."
But I didn't know how it could possibly get worse. When I opened my bathroom door, clad only in a tiny towel, I saw that my window was open, and my dirty clothes from the masquerade were missing.
Even my mask was gone. My blood grew cold as I realized my room had effectively been broken into and burglarized. Who could do such a thing?
Technically, anyone could. It wasn't secure, but no one would actually want to visit me.
My room was at the furthest, most secluded corner of the Alpha's mansion, as far from the main wing as possible. If my father could have thrown me into the omega's quarters, he would, but since it would reflect badly on him, I merely got the worst room in his household.
This was my first incident of theft, too, since in the eyes of the pack, I didn't have anything worth stealing at all. I could only thank my lucky stars that I hadn't taken off my necklace and left it on the table, because it would have been stolen too. That was one of the few things my mother had left for me, and losing it would have broken me. I touched it gently, trying to regain my calm.
My dress and mask were cheap, so they couldn't have stolen them for monetary reasons. Any woman in the pack was dressed finer than I was.
So why would they steal my things?
Could it be Caius? Could he have tracked me here, and this was a new way of torturing me?
No. I knew my half-brother. If he had known I was his fated mate, he would have simply broken down my front door and strangled me, or told our father and had me killed by a hail of silver bullets. He wasn't the type to play mind games. Sometimes, in my less charitable moments, I thought he didn't have a mind at all.
So who was it that wanted my clothes?
Worry and desire warred within me as I prepared to go to bed. Afraid that someone would sniff out my pheromones and come knocking, I hurriedly ate the herbs prescribed by Healer Felix, gagging at the bitter taste they left on my tongue. They were supposed to be used as a tea blend, but I didn't have time or hot water. I washed down the last of the herbs with tap water and lay back down on my bed.
They helped with my heat and stopped me from blasting my pheromones to every werewolf in the vicinity, but they couldn't give me a peaceful sleep. For some reason, the herbs weren't working as well as I liked. The heat had returned in fits and starts, causing me to be consumed by the overwhelming desire for a mate. Every press of my thighs against each other caused a frisson of pleasure to course through me, and with it came fear.
I tossed and turned on my thin mattress for hours, and when my eyelids finally closed, I was woken up by an angry knock on the door.
"Iris! Get up! You're supposed to be on breakfast duty!" One of the gammas complained loudly from outside my door.
I opened my eyes groggily and stared out my window. Crap, the sun was up. Normally, I should have already been in the kitchens with a spread of food prepared for my pack. I was horrendously late.
I leapt out of bed and changed, dashing for the kitchens.
"About time," the Gamma scowled when he saw my bedraggled appearance. He was obviously unhappy that he had to make a trip to wake me up, and the fact that I was alive and well and not grievously sick and dying probably pissed him off further. He sniffed the air and frowned.
"You're in heat again? Your lack of control shames us all!"
It wasn't as though I wanted this, but I wasn't going to argue. It had been futile the first hundred times, and I was tired of trying to defend my body. I simply rushed to the kitchens, but the omegas working there also shot me dirty looks. I could hear them grumbling among themselves.
"Why is she even late? It's not as though she went to the ball."
"Maybe she thinks she can slack off, since everyone is still asleep."
"Hey, do you smell that? Is she in heat? Gross!"
I held my tongue and got to work, shovelling the charcoal, fanning the flames to heat up the ovens. I often got saddled with the most tiring tasks, and today was no exception. Sweat beaded down my temples, and my face felt like an oily mess. I smelled like roasted ham. Good. I needed the aroma of food to mask my scent.
Yesterday, I had a brief taste of being treated like a respected member of the pack. Today, I was back to being the maid everyone could spit at. I sighed, telling myself to snap out of it. A pumpkin carriage would still turn back into a pumpkin at the end of the day. Dreams weren't meant to come true.
The only saving grace was that most of the pack had woken up later than possible, so my lateness wasn't highlighted. I could still rush out most of the breakfast courses. But Caius was already there waiting, with his arms crossed from his spot at the high table. I had been serving him his meals for years― he specially requested me to do so, as a way to show me my place.
Caius as my future Alpha, and me, his slave. That would never change, no matter what happened the night before.
But then I caught sight of my hair tie on his wrist. I was so surprised that I dropped his plate roughly on the table, causing a loud clatter that drew attention.
"What's the matter with you?" Caius frowned. "Are you trying to throw food in my face?"
If I wanted to, I would have aimed the plate at his face, but since I was the one who cooked it, it would have been a waste of my labour.
"Sorry," I said instead.
I hoped Caius would simply eat his food and mind his own business, but his nostrils flared as he stared at me. His eyes darted to my neck before returning to my face.
"You smell… different," Caius said. "What's the matter with you?"