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Anger rises inside me once again. Iris may be part of the family that cheated us but as long as she’s here, she’s under the protection of the pack.
I start by applying a soothing ointment to the bruises.
Quiet minutes pass by.
A while later, I feel drops of rain falling on my head. It takes me a second to realize we’re indoors and it couldn’t be raining.
Looking up, I see tears rolling down Iris’s cheeks.
My heart cracks at the sight of her pain. Iris didn’t know of it but I knew how she was feeling. She wasn’t the only one in this room to have been abandoned by her parents.
My own memories surface in my mind, bringing a tight choke in my throat.
Straightening up, I soak a cotton ball with an antiseptic solution and gently dab at the cut on her cheek. Thankfully, the wound isn’t too deep and will heal in a couple of days without any lasting scars.
The dabs of antiseptic have got to be stinging her but Iris remains quiet and motionless.
Another pang goes through me. She’s probably too exhausted and scared to protest against me.
Closing the first-aid box, I go to the counter and switch on the coffee machine to warm up the cooled decoction.
Iris looks down at her knees and silently wipes the tears that won’t stop falling. I suddenly wonder how she spent last night at the trainee dorms. Did anyone hurt her last night?
The thought makes me anxious at once.
When the coffee has warmed, I pour it into a mug and take it to her. “Drink this,” I say.
She looks up at me and then at the cup I’m holding. “Coffee?” she asks.
“Yep.”
“Thanks.” She readily accepts the mug from me and inhales the rising vapors.
I take a seat beside her and watch her sip the coffee.
Why’re you being so nice?” she asks after a while. “You should be mad at me.”
“I’m mad at your parents. Not you.”
“Isn’t it the same? I’m their daughter.” A hollow laugh escapes her. “Although, I’m starting to wonder whether that’s true. They took Delilah with them but left me behind. Why not take me with them too? Is it because I’m a beta?”
“You could be an omega and your parents would still abandon you.”
“What?” She stares at me. “What do you mean?”
“My parents sold me off to omega traders when I was eight,” I say in a bitter tone as those dark memories flick through my mind. “They only cared about the money I could bring them. If it weren’t for Gerald, I’d end up in an omega brothel.”
Surprise flickers through her eyes, followed by sudden rage. “How could they?” Her hands have closed into tight fists. She’s forgotten about her own pain in an instant and has become angry for my sake. “Omegas have so much potential.”
A bitter scoff escapes me. “They didn’t care to nurture my fucking potential. Why spend years bringing me up? Why spend money on feeding me and giving me a good education when they could simply sell me?”
She shakes her head and clasps my hands. “I’m so sorry.” It’s a moment before she realizes what she’s doing. “Sorry!” she gasps. “I didn’t mean to—”
A chuckle escapes me as I watch her pale cheeks turn bright pink.
“I’m telling the truth,” she says, stricken. “I didn’t mean to touch you.”
I laugh louder. While she’s embarrassed and worried, I feel great at the way she grasped my hands in a solid hold.
