[IRIS POV]
I stumbled back in shock.
Alpha Gareth was known to be an incredibly bloodthirsty alpha, and rumors claimed had the blood of the lycans. He became pack alpha the moment he was eighteen, and blood spilled whenever he got angry. Last I heard, he was thirty-eight and still had no fated mate― most likely because the Moon Goddess wanted to punish him for his violence.
And I was to marry him?!
If I needed more proof that my father didn't care about me, I wouldn't need to look further. How long would I last against someone like him? I didn't even have a wolf!
Tears began to form in my eyes unbidden. My life had been terrible once my mother died and I joined this pack, and now it would continue to be terrible the moment I left it.
Seeing my devastation, Yvette patted my back in mock sympathy, her eyes filled with glee. I snarled and shook off her hand.
"Don't touch me!"
Yvette pretended to look hurt. "I understand this must be shocking for you, but I'm on your side, Iris. I just want the best for you. You're Caius's sister." Her specific emphasis on my relationship with Caius didn't go unnoticed by me.
Sister. A word that's completely at odds with 'fated mate'.
"Take your hypocritical words and shove them up your ass," I growled out, and people around me gasped at my crude language. "I know you had something to do with it."
As I spoke, I knew it was true. Yvette had every reason to want me out of the way, since she no doubt knew I was Caius's fated mate. The fact that she was parading herself in my old clothes was more than enough proof.
The best way to make sure I wouldn't open my mouth to blab about the truth was to send me away as soon as possible. Who better than a bloodthirsty alpha that would make sure I had other things to worry about?
Yvette sighed, "You're clearly overcome with emotion. Come on, I'll help you to your room to rest," she said.
I wanted no such thing, and I told her so, in less kind words.
"Fuck off," I seethed through gritted teeth. "I can walk perfectly fine by myself."
From the corner of my eye, I could sense pack members shaking their heads disparagingly at my rudeness. I would care, but then my already terrible reputation could sink no lower, thanks to Yvette. I shot her a dirty look.
"Nonsense!" Yvette exclaimed, shaking her head.
She cast a quick glance at her cronies, and I heard their snickers before I felt the pain. A cry tore through my throat as I fell forward, quickly caught by Linda and Lucy. Their long nails dug into my skin, not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave marks for sure.
"Look at you, all shaken up!" Yvette continued her act. No one noticed how she kicked the back of my knees, causing me to fall. "You can barely even stand on your own two feet."
She bent down so that her eyes were of equal level as mine. I felt more like a prisoner held by guards, rather than someone supported by friends.
"You don't have to lie, Iris," she said, the curve of her lips hidden from the onlookers due to the angle we stood at. "It's obvious you can't walk by yourself after everything that has happened today."
"I don't need your help!"
But Yvette wouldn't take no for an answer. She ignored my screams, humming a merry little song under her breath as her friends practically dragged me down the corridor and back to my room. Once we'd arrived, Linda and Lucy tossed me on the floor, my back hitting the edge of the bed.
I hissed in pain, my hands reaching back instinctively to touch the bruise. The girls quickly left, shutting the door behind them, and leaving Yvette alone in the room with me.
"I didn't realize you were suddenly into cosplaying as me," I scoffed as she began to help herself to my measly pile of clothing. "Did you finally realise that in Caius's eyes, I'm still more important than you?"
A slap echoed through the room, and I gasped, my eyes wide as I clutched my cheek in pain. It bloomed across my skin, but a strange spike of satisfaction rushed through me, knowing that I had hit a nerve.
"You ought to learn how to keep your mouth shut, Iris," Yvette spat out venomously. "I heard that Alpha Gareth isn't the most patient of men. You'll never know what he'll do to you if you're still so cheeky after heading to Stonebreak."
I pursed my lips tightly together, and knowing that all I could do was glare, Yvette huffed before returning to sift through my clothing. She picked a few better-looking items— some t-shirts, a skirt, and a somewhat presentable dress.
Just then, the door opened. Linda and Lucy returned, this time, with a small plastic bag that was stuffed to the brim.
"Here," Yvette said as the girls tossed the bag in my direction. I barely caught it before it smacked me in my face. "Consider this a donation to your pathetic wardrobe."
I peered in. The plastic bag was filled with her own clothing. She had picked some of her simpler pieces, but every item here was easily at least ten times the cost of my entire wardrobe.
But Yvette wasn't a saint. She wasn't giving me her expensive clothing just for the sake of charity.
"A few pieces of clothing won't be enough to fool him forever," I said, tossing the bag to one side. "What are you going to do after I've been shipped off to Stonebreak? You'll eventually run out of my scent."
She glanced at Linda and Lucy, and immediately, those two quickly left the room again, shutting the door behind them. Only then did Yvette come forward. She stared down at me with a triumphant smile.
"I don't need it to last forever," Yvette said. "By the time you're gone, I will be bearing his mating mark and carrying his pups. Fated mate or not, he will be mine. You will be nothing but a half-sister he loathes, married to an alpha in a faraway pack. If you even live long enough for that."
The anger on my face must've been pretty obvious, for her smirk only grew wider. She sashayed to the door, pulling it open.
"Don't look so upset, Iris," Yvette continued. "Even the Moon Goddess makes mistakes. You're just living proof of that."