As the guards held her tightly in place, waiting for Alpha Zane's instruction, Iris kept writhing against their grip.
Her voice rang out, her tone cracked with frustration and disbelief.
"Let go of me! Why are you doing this?!"
Then she looked at him again, glaring through the crowd that had gone eerily silent.
"Oh, right," she said bitterly. "You're Alpha. The Alpha of this pack. I see. Then order them to let go of me. I've done nothing wrong. I'm your mate, so how can you be treating me this way?"
But the more she spoke, the more Zane's jaw tightened. His hazel eyes were hard and cold, his aura so heavy that even the warriors behind her tensed.
Without raising his voice, he spoke, his words slicing like ice.
"Take her to the detention room. She'll remain there while the others are being oriented."
Iris gasped. "What?! No…this isn't…!"
Before she could finish, the guards began dragging her away. She kicked and pushed, but their grip only tightened.
Her voice echoed off the marble walls as she cried, "Let go of me! This isn't right!"
From the crowd, Rose moved forward, worry etched deep into her face. "Iris…"
But before she could take another step, Lucille quickly held her back, whispering with trembling urgency, "No, don't. It's not a good idea right now. We'll go see her right after the orientation. I promise."
Rose's eyes watered, but she nodded slowly.
Meanwhile, Iris was being pulled farther and farther away from the grand hall, her feet scraping against the polished floor.
They reached the end of a hallway and pushed open a thick metal door.
The guards tossed her inside with a thud.
She turned sharply, rushing back toward the door, but it slammed shut in her face.
And she was locked in.
Breathing heavily in the dim-lit room, Iris backed into a corner, her heart pounding like a drum in her ears.
She wiped her face quickly and hugged her knees, trembling.
This felt like a nightmare, she could literally feel her head spin. She couldn't phantom in the world was going.
The Alpha was her mate and he openly and clearly denied her. Just like that?
Back at the orientation hall, there was a slight uproar as everyone in the crowd kept whispering and murmuring among themselves, casting curious glances toward where Iris had just been dragged out.
The tension was thick and people from both Clawstone and Moonstone had witnessed the scene, and the whispers showed no sign of quieting.
🧚🧚
Then a man stepped up onto the small platform at the front of the hall. He was Zane's Beta, Liu—tall, stern, and respected. His presence alone was enough to draw attention.
"Everyone, please settle down," Liu called out, his voice deep and commanding. "Remain still while I call out the announcements and address the people from Moonstone."
Almost instantly, the crowd quieted. A hush fell across the room, heavy but obedient.
Alpha Zane and the three men who had stood with him earlier took their seats at the front of the hall. Zane's expression remained unreadable, as though nothing had just happened.
Liu pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his jacket and held it up, scanning it quickly before speaking.
"As we all know, the surviving members of the Moonstone Pack have been relocated to Clawstone. With their home destroyed and no Alpha to lead them, they are now under the protection and care of this territory."
He paused briefly, eyes sweeping over the crowd.
"They are to be treated with respect and fairness. They are one of us now."
Some heads in the crowd nodded. Others remained still, unreadable.
Liu continued, "As they have only just arrived, preparation for individual housing is still underway. Therefore, all Moonstone members will be temporarily housed in the communal hostel on the east wing of the territory."
He gave a small nod of reassurance. "The hostel is large, well-facilitated, and food will be provided at scheduled times. You will not lack anything. Please bear with us during this transition phase."
He glanced at the paper again before lifting his head.
"There will be a brief orientation tour after this announcement, where each Moonstone member will be given their ID badge and assigned group leaders for assistance."
---
Iris sat in the detention room, staring at the pale yellow walls that surrounded her. It wasn't like a prison cell—there were no metal bars, no concrete floor. Just a quiet, locked room with a few wooden chairs lined along the walls and a single overhead light. It was too calm, too clean for the way her heart was racing.
She hugged herself tightly, still feeling the invisible grip of the guards on her arms. Her eyes were hot, but no tears came. Just pain. And confusion. And anger.
Why?
Why couldn't he recognize her?
Was he pretending?
She kept asking herself, over and over again. Her wolf, usually calm and intuitive, was restless inside her. They both had felt it. The pull. The scent. The connection. It was undeniable. Wasn't it?
And yet… he looked at her like she was a stranger. A liar. An intruder.
Her cheeks burned as the memory played again in her mind—how everyone had stared when she reached out to him, how she was dragged away like a lunatic. She had dreamt of meeting her mate since she was a child. Imagined it happening under a moonlit sky, with stars above and joy blooming in her chest.
Not this. Not rejection. Not public humiliation.
He was the Alpha of Clawstone Park.
And still, the ache in her chest pulsed in sync with her racing thoughts. She could still feel the bond, even if he denied it. Even if he couldn't—or wouldn't—feel it.
Then, just as she felt herself falling deeper into the spiral of her thoughts, the sharp sound of a lock turning snapped her attention to the door.
Click.
The handle moved slowly.
She straightened immediately, heart caught in her throat.
The door creaked open.
And someone stepped inside