Chapter 2: Substitute
1507 Words
When Iris was called to the Alpha’s study, she had just gotten back from the woods. Her eyes flashed silently before she confirmed to the servants delivering the order that she would be there.
She was gone for a week, the longest she had been away. It’s been a long time since I quit hoping that one day, she could get her father’s approval. When that spark of hope flickered again, she hurriedly extinguished it. She had hoped for so many times, and always ended up getting disappointed.
Her father, the Alpha, might just be going to scold her because she had gone for too long. Not because he cared, of course. It was all for a show.
After Iris finished cleaning herself, she changed her attire and headed toward the Alpha’s house.
It hasn’t been long since she was gone, yet the atmosphere in the pack felt strangely different. More solemn and a little tense. What was happening?
Iris watched as some unfamiliar werewolves jumped around in the woods before disappearing. She frowned and then quickened her pace. There seemed to be something wrong and her senses told her that a terrible thing had happened.
“Iris, you are here.” Arthur Wellington, the Alpha of the pack, spoke.
There were only her, the Alpha, Luna Lucy, the Beta, the Beta’s son and a few elders of the pack inside.
“Come here and sit.” A voice commanded her. She obediently walked over and sat in the remaining empty seat on the round table. Danny, the Beta’s son, had his eyebrows furrowed when he saw her sit on it, but he didn’t make any comment.
Only then did Iris notice that she hadn’t seen Selia ever since she entered the door.
This meeting looked like an important one; probably to prosecute her that she was colluding with the demons or anything so that they could finally get rid of her? Her mind couldn’t help but wander upon thinking of all the worst potential scenarios.
“So, listen carefully, Iris.” Alpha Wellington looked at her with a serious expression. His next words caused her to freeze. “Your sister, Selia, is missing right now.”
It didn’t take long for her to recover her senses, and once she did, she stood up. The chair made a creaking sound as she did so, and she began to march toward the exit as if she had just given a mission of great importance.
“Iris, come back here!” Alpha Welington shouted as he held his throbbing head.
Iris acted as if she hadn’t heard his order, taking big strides as if she was running from a ghost.
“She’s getting more lawless.” One elder commented with great dislike.
“Bring–” The elder’s words were cut off.
Luna Lucy had stood up and, in a flash, she quickly appeared beside Iris, clutching her arm roughly. She said with a hint of condescending tone, “Follow the order from your Alpha.”
The vice-like grip stopped Iris’ movement. For a moment, she was tempted to rip this woman’s hand off her arm, but she quickly controlled herself.
“I am going to look for her.” Iris said stubbornly, and for a moment she detected a flash of emotion in Luna Lucy’s eyes.
“What can you do when the entire pack can’t do it?” The elder sneered, and the wrinkled skin on his face made him look sinister. “You will end up dead somewhere. At least make yourself useful before—”
“Enough!” Arthur Wellington hollered angrily. The entire room turned quiet. Even Iris, who was trying to shake off Luna Lucy’s hand, stopped what she was doing and looked at him.
The elder knew that he had stepped out of line when he said that. He turned as quiet as a mouse, only sending occasional glares at Iris.
Even though Iris was an unwanted child, she was, after all, still the Alpha’s own blood and flesh. He immediately understood this concept quickly and, in a way, he also disrespected his leader.
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Iris.”
Iris still had a rebellious look in her eyes, and before she could respond, she was caught off guard by the woman next to her. Luna Lucy had dragged her body back forcefully and threw her to the empty chair.
The Alpha let out a breath, and he continued. “Selia disappeared, and the Silver Royal pack is currently on the way here to pick her up…”
Iris had an inkling that she wouldn’t like what she was about to hear next.
“You should come with them to replace Selia.” He gazed at her with the emotions that Iris couldn’t quite describe. However, she was also too immersed in her shock to care right now.
“Are you crazy?” Iris shook her head as she swept her gaze on the attending people as if they had lost their mind.
“We are not crazy.” Luna Lucy scoffed, but obviously her state wasn’t quite right. She had looked a bit distracted the entire time, as if she was hiding her grief that her daughter was missing.
“Then I don’t care whether you are crazy or not.” Iris took a deep breath. “I am not doing it.”
There were various expressions once she uttered her refusal. Most were only exchanging looks while others looked like they were looking at an ingrate.
“This pack has raised you until you became an adult.” The previous elder criticized her. “Yet you can’t do one thing to repay us?”
Iris was instantly annoyed when she heard about this. After that incident during Selia’s coming of age ceremony, she hadn’t even eaten a grain of rice from them again yet. She made sure she was always out to hunt for herself.
She slammed the table in front of her arrogantly as she stood up. Looking at the elder with a condescending gaze, she said sarcastically. “The pack has also raised you until you are this old and senile. How about you replace Selia instead to repay back the pack?”
The elder’s eyes went wide and raised his finger shakily, the whole body trembling with anger. “You… impudent child!”
The Alpha ignored the elder and turned to Iris and said. “This is an order for you, Iris Wellington.”
Iris went silent for a moment, and the quietness of the room began to make anyone uncomfortable. The elder didn’t speak again, only gazing at Iris with the looks that he wished he could kill her right now.
Looking into the Alpha’s pair of clear eyes, Iris somehow felt a bit bitter. She lived in the shadow of her sister all this time and now, even after Selia had gone, she still had to pick up the pieces for her.
Iris’ head went blank, and before she could control herself, she already blurted, “I understand.”
All refusal seems vain at this moment, no matter what excuses she prepared.
As a young werewolf girl, she has dreamed about meeting her mate someday. A strong werewolf that would sweep her off her feet and loved her like no other.
Now, even that kind of dream seemed to be impossible and so out of reach.
Maybe that elder was right. She should repay what she owed to the pack, and after that, they would have nothing to do with each other again.
It was just that she didn’t like being forced into something she didn’t want to do; hence, treacherous thoughts like refusing the order till the end still occasionally invaded her thoughts.
Iris lowered her eyes to hide the tumultuous emotions.
Until the Beta’s son, Danny, spoke. “Just make sure you don’t sabotage it for us. The lives of the whole pack rest on your hand.”
She sneered. Of course, this loudmouth who worshiped the ground Selia walked on would speak.
“Oh?” Iris tilted her head to the side. “Then you all need to treat me better, don’t you? Who knows if my mood will turn bad?”
Some people’s expressions contorted with unwillingness upon hearing that. However, that was no longer Iris’ concern right now.
To be someone’s mate, the two individuals need a mate bond. Clearly, if the Silver Royal’s Alpha’s were really Selia’s mate. How could it be easy for Iris to deceive him when they didn’t have a mate bond in the first place?
Compared to the pack, the probability of her getting killed was higher. Would Selia’s mate ruthlessly s*******r his mate’s pack, too? Selia would surely hate him if she found out.
She had a sleepless night and when she woke up; she went straight to the Alpha to convey her refusal to be tangled in this mess.
However, this group of despicable people did something unexpected to her instead.
- Writer
