Tears streamed down her cheeks as her stepmother slapped her in front of the guests. She was humiliated when it wasn't even her fault.
Iris closed the door to her room and rested her back against it. She didn't want to live anymore, but she could not escape either.
Iris had forgotten when she last smiled. Her mother had died after a long illness, and her father had recently remarried to his mistress.It had been 15 years and every single day she had undergone abuse.
"I cannot live here anymore. Even if I have to die, I will escape this place." Iris decided. She went towards the window and looked outside. The guests were still in the house. It was best for her to run away, as everyone would be busy.
Iris stepped out of the room and wiped the tears from the back of her palm. She kept her head down and kept moving forward until she reached the main entrance of the house.
She turned her head slightly, remembering the moments that she had spent with her mother. She clutched the edges of the gown tightly and walked out.
Iris started to run as fast as she could. If she stopped, then it would be a dead end for her. A month ago, when she tried to run away, she got caught. Her stepbrother beat her while her father stayed quiet. He didn't utter a single word. Instead, he told his stepson to put some sense in her head.
However, at that moment, she would not stop. Her soles hurt as the shoes were torn badly. She was no less than a beggar in that house. Tears didn't stop for even a second, and it had blurred her vision. She wiped her eyes and ended up on the two-way route.
Since it was quite dark, she didn't check and ended up taking the left route, which led her to the forbidden dark forest. She wasn't even afraid of the animals, as she was of her family.
When Iris reached miles away from the house, she halted. She supported herself on the thick stem of the tree and gasped for air. For a second, Iris thought she would not be able to escape. But she made it. Her throat had dried after the intense running. She looked around and found she was in a forest which was unknown to her.
Her breath hitched when her eyes fell on a golden pair of eyes. She stepped back, terrified by what she had seen.
A werewolf!
She had heard about the unique features of werewolves. One such example was their golden pair of eyes, which humans could never possess.
She turned to run when she heard the werewolf say, "Oh, Young Lady! There's no use running away from me. I will catch one jump. Let's not waste our energy."
Iris didn't listen to her and started to run. The pebbles on the ground hurt her feet badly. Her knees gave up, but she didn't stop. She had thought everything would be fine if she could escape that hell.
Did her fate again ditch her?
She stopped when the werewolf appeared before her and grasped her arm tightly. She winced in pain and begged her to not do anything to her.
"Of course! I loathe humans, but you can be useful to me," the werewolf said. On that dark night, only his golden eyes were visible to her. She could not even check what the facial expressions of this man were!
Iris joined her hands and started to plead with him. "Sir, please let me go. I am of no use to you," she stated.
The werewolf, who was still in his human form, checked her out from top to bottom and said, "I will get a good price for you."
Iris widened her eyes. She pondered over his words. A good price? Was she going to be sold? No! Never! She would not serve any man, even if she died. She bit his hand, and the werewolf cried out in pain.
His grip loosened on her arm. Iris pushed him back and started to run aimlessly. For some unknown reason, she found her body had recharged. Probably because she was near death's door. She had heard how women were traded for money, and the thought itself gave her a cringe.
She was now on the downhill. Her foot slipped and she rolled down this hill. Her entire body got bruised. Luckily, the downhill wasn't steep, so she didn't get much injured.
She stood up and started to walk with a limp leg. She had to run. The werewolf was extremely fast. At least more than her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She had not thought that it would happen to her. Why was her life so miserable? Her feet picked a pace when she reached a pathway which was unknown to her.
A ray of hope arose in her, thinking it would lead her back to the village.
She stepped forward but was pulled back. It was the same werewolf, but with a grim look on his face. "The next time you try to run, I will kill you," he furiously spat at her.
At that moment, a carriage stopped in front of them.
"Lower your eyes if you want to live," the werewolf whispered in her ear. Iris acted on his command and lowered her head.
The chauffeur asked the werewolf if the route would lead to Arcaria.
"Yes. Go straight on this route. Do not take any turns and you will reach Arcaria," the werewolf gave the directions to the chauffeur, who thanked him.
Iris lifted her eyelids and ended up looking at the man who was inside the carriage, in the hope that she would get help. For a brief moment, her eyes met the green orbs of the man inside.
Before she could ask for help, the carriage moved ahead.
The next second, Iris found everything turning darker as she fainted.
