{IRIS}
When I opened my eyes, everything felt hazy, as if I was still trapped between the realms of consciousness and oblivion.
I was no longer in the plaza, no longer in the presence of the pack. I was somewhere else, in a dark cave.
The air was damp, thick with the scent of earth and moss. I couldn't tell exactly where I was—was it still the same forest, the one I had fled from?
Or had I somehow crossed into a new, unknown part of the land? Was I still in the Bloodmoon Pack's territory?
I wasn't sure.
My stomach growled loudly, breaking the eerie silence. The scent of something cooking filled my nose, and I froze.
Rabbit. The familiar smell of meat roasting over a fire.
Someone else was here with me!
The sudden realization snapped me into alertness, but my head was spinning, my senses dulled. I sniffed the air, trying to discern the scent of whoever had brought me here, but all I could smell was the sharp, metallic scent of my own blood mixed with the dampness of the cave. My headache pulsed, and a fever raged within me, fogging my thoughts and blurring my vision.
Whoever had brought me here was keeping me alive.
But why?
I didn't have the strength to think about it for long. My stomach growled again, and with it, all my worries evaporated in the face of hunger. I reached for the rabbit meat, my hands trembling as I tore into it with desperate urgency.
It tasted like nothing. The fever clouded my senses, dulling the flavor, but I didn't care. My body screamed for sustenance, and I obeyed. I shoved the meat into my mouth, chewing mechanically, my thoughts scattered.
I didn't even know what was happening, but my body kept pushing me to survive, kept fighting for something I didn't fully understand.
Survive . . . but for what?
The question echoed in my mind as I stared at the meat in my hands, unable to look away.
There was no purpose left in my life. I had no family, no mate, no home. Lorcan had cast me out, severed the bond that had once been my entire world. I had nothing now.
Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision. My breath hitched, and I couldn't hold them back. The weight of the emptiness, the crushing void where everything I had once believed in had been torn away, overwhelmed me.
I let out a soft sob, and the rain outside seemed to intensify, pouring down in sheets, as if the heavens themselves mourned with me.
I didn't know how long I had been out, or how long the fever had gripped me, but eventually, exhaustion took over. I drifted in and out of consciousness, floating between fever dreams and fleeting moments of awareness.
A shadow would appear at the mouth of the cave, entering and leaving, but I was too weak, too feverish to react. I couldn't even lift my head to see who it was.
Time passed—hours? Days? I had no way of knowing. But one day, I woke up feeling . . . slightly better. The fog had lifted, if only a little, and the pain in my body had subsided enough for me to focus on my surroundings.
The cave was warmer now, the fire crackling in the corner, and the scent of fresh rabbit meat filled the air again.
I looked down and found that I was lying on a blanket, a mattress beneath me, the rough fabric soft against my skin. My clothes had been changed—someone had taken care of me.
My body felt sore, every muscle aching, but there was a tenderness in the way they had placed me here. My mouth was dry, but beside me, there was a jug of water, along with some towels.
Someone had definitely taken care of me. But who?
I couldn't help the flicker of hope that stirred in my chest. Could it be . . . ?
Lorcan?
The thought flashed through my mind, and for a moment, my heart leaped, a fleeting hope that perhaps he had come for me. That he had come to find me.
However, that hope was short-lived. I quickly shoved it aside, just as quickly as it had risen.
Lorcan . . . Lorcan was the one who had exiled me. He had severed the mate bond. He had chosen Ember and the pack over me, over us. He had made his choice.
I was nothing to him now.
I didn't even realize I was eating while I sobbed, each bite of the rabbit meat tasting like ash in my mouth, my tears mixing with the rainwater that soaked my face.
The hunger was unbearable, gnawing at me like a constant reminder of how far I'd fallen. Every swallow felt like a betrayal, yet my body needed it, my body craved it.
Then, a rustle broke through the sound of the rain. I froze, sitting up on instinct, my heart thudding in my chest.
The light was dimming outside, the forest sinking into the shadows of night. I strained my eyes, and through the blur of tears, I saw a figure.
An old woman, barely visible at first, peering out from the edge of the cave. Her face was so crumpled with age it was almost unrecognizable, like the skin had been pulled too tight over her bones.
Her smile . . . that smile made my blood run cold. It stretched far too wide, too unnaturally wide, almost reaching her ears. Her hair was wild and white, hanging down in tangles, and her back was hunched, making her look even more grotesque.
"W-who . . . who are you?"