When Tables Turn Series: Iris

The sparse trees around me offered a small comfort, but as a fighter, my heart was always on high alert. Nothing in this world was ever 'perfect', as my mother often reminded me. Even the most beautiful rose had its thorns, she would say. No matter how vibrant and red, roses always wilted in the end.

Her words were always right, much to my chagrin. She despised love and all the beauty this world had to offer, but I clung to hope. I clung to him, to Alexander, and look where that led me. Our love, like a rose, wilted and died. It was naive of me to think it could ever bloom again. Love…there was no love in this world. Power was the only solution to my problems now, and I was determined to seize it.

I allowed the man to lead me to an old, dilapidated building. Its once-white walls now bore the brownish-red hue of the desert sand. As he guided me inside, my heart plummeted at the sight of the prisoners, their faces drained of life, locked in cages. I was about to join them, a thought that didn’t sit well with me.

Never in my life had I been a prisoner. I swallowed hard, waiting for his next move. He directed me to an empty cage, and I glared at him. He smirked, clearly relishing the situation. In response, I spat in his face. He retaliated with a hard slap before tossing me into the small cage, no bigger than a dog’s kennel. It was an affront to my kind, and my hatred for this place deepened.

I growled at him as he watched me, that smug smirk still on his face. He scoffed and wiped my spit from his cheek. I vowed to remember his face for as long as I survived. He would be one of the first wolves I’d tear apart once I escaped this hellhole.

Time seemed to stretch in the cramped cage. Shifting into my werewolf form would be excruciating with all the silver around me. I huffed and retreated to a corner. I needed a plan to escape this hell, this cage, this desert.

“Pretty little red thing, who did they steal you from?” a raspy voice asked from across me. My gaze snapped to the woman. She was old and frail, which made me wonder what she could have possibly done to end up here. I raised an eyebrow at her, reminding myself to never underestimate a werewolf, no matter how frail or innocent they appeared.

“They didn’t take me from anyone,” I replied, my tone flat. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

She sized me up. “You came here willingly.”

“Maybe,” I retorted, crossing my arms.

She looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “You’re a rogue.”

“I’m not…,” I started, but stopped myself. I was a rogue now, she was right. But I wasn’t insane—at least not yet.

She scoffed. “That’s what I thought. So, are you ready to meet your fate?”

I didn’t respond, knowing exactly what she meant. And she was wrong. I wasn’t going to lose my life anytime soon. No fucking way.

She burst into laughter, and I glared at her. It was ironic how they loved calling me crazy when they were the ones who were batshit insane. “What are you laughing at?”

“Oh, nothing. Is that real?” she asked, her gaze fixed on my hair.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes.”

She hummed. “A rare breed. It’s a pity all that unique beauty is going to waste.”

“Will you just shut up already, old lady? I’m really over your blabbering,” I growled, closing my eyes. I needed to think, and her incessant chatter about death was getting on my nerves.

Just when I thought I’d finally have a few minutes of peace, six large men walked in. I groaned, focusing my gaze on them. This didn’t bode well. I snarled at them, adhering to the wolf rule of never showing weakness.

“You really want to die, I see,” the old lady commented, and I shot her a glare.

One of the men approached my cage silently. He opened it, and I lunged at him, ready to bite off anything I could. Unfortunately, that didn’t work. He punched me in the face, and I fell on my ass. I groaned, my body aching, and the silver was hindering my healing process.

The man took out more silver chains and wrapped them around my arms four times, then around my neck. I groaned in pain, feeling as if my life was being drained from me. He grabbed the chains and dragged me along.

The other wolves who came with him opened a few cages and pulled out about five prisoners. They dragged us out into the scorching desert. The silver was burning my flesh, and the sun was no help. My throat was parched, and I coughed loudly. My eyes widened at the sight of blood on my arms. I was coughing up blood. I decided not to dwell on that.

We were dragged to the middle of nowhere and forced to kneel on the hot sand. One of the men stepped forward with a dagger. “The six of you trespassed into our territory, and that is a major offense. You will not speak or beg for your lives in any way. If you have any dignity left, don’t waste your last breath begging. Our alpha will end your lives regardless.”

No one said a word. I had my pride, and begging wasn’t my style. If I ran, would they catch me? But then again, I didn’t have the strength to run. This was a fucked-up situation. I glared at the man speaking, determined to fight before losing my life.

My heart rate spiked, and the heat intensified. I took a slow breath, and the most intoxicating scent filled my nostrils. It was like fresh wood and forest, all mixed together. It smelled like freedom… My wolf stirred after being silent all this time.

A man appeared, towering at probably six feet four. He was all muscle, his skin beautifully tanned. His shoulder-length, wavy hair was the most beautiful golden brown I’d ever seen. Oh shit…it couldn’t be. The only reason I would feel this way was because he was my…

“Mate,” he said calmly, his ocean-blue eyes locking onto mine.