HAZEL'S POV;I hadn't expected Xavier to say those words of rejection to me and when he had done so, I had been extremely shocked.He had asked me to but I didn't want to. I have never thought of rejecting him but tonight, he brought it up the second time. I thought it was something he had said out of anger and he really meant it.I felt the slow burn in my chest, getting to my head after he had said those words and it took a little thing for me not to burst into tears.I was struggling. I was fighting a lot on my own and I didn't want to involve him in it. But all he saw was me not wanting to talk to him about anything."He can't read your fucking mind, Iris," Ted said.I sighed. He was right. I shouldn't have expected him to understand me. I really should have not.But he had rejected me and that alone made me so angry. I had walked back to the warrior's building and when Felix had asked me why I returned, I grabbed him by the collar and flung him out before telling him to ask his f
HAZEL'S POV;After what I had said to Lawrence, his countenance changed from receptive to repulsive.I was sure that everyone could see that expression on his face. I focused on eating my food and ignoring everyone.I could see the looks. I could see how they tried not to make it look like I was the object of attention but I could feel their gaze on me even without having to look up at them.I felt really uncomfortable here right now and I wished I had gone against his order. The worst thing that was going to happen was him getting angry and it wasn't something that I was going to allow to get to me.Sighing, I wiped my mouth and decided that I was done with dinner. I did not like the way these women looked at me and whispered to each other like I wasn't just seated right beside them. I did not like the way Lawrence had said those words. I found it offensive.I didn't feel comfortable with the way Felix acted like I wasn't seated there or the way Xavier avoided looking at me after he
HAZEL'S POV;"You didn't even tell me your name," She asked as we watched the fountain silently.I looked at her. "So did you. My name is Iris, by the way,""No wonder. You have wonderful irises," She said and smiled. "Erica, here,""So, Erica. Are you ready to run away?" I asked. "With me?"She waved me off and laughed. "Nah. That was a joke. I am not ready to leave my family yet. They don't really like me but I can't leave them,""Why can't you?""Because they're all I have. They take care of me and even if they do it too much by trying to live my life for me,"I sighed and nodded. "Alright. For a moment, I thought you wanted to run away. Because I want to, too."."Why?""I think I am a bad person who doesn't need to be around good people."She looked taken aback. "That was so honest. I didn't see it coming,"I chuckled and shook my head before standing to my feet. "Life is like that sometimes. I just had to embrace my badness."Erica laughed and stood up along with me. "I think I l
XAVIER'S POV; I woke up as early as five when I heard the first bell ring. I knew it wasn't time for the royals to wake yet but I couldn't sleep.Iris would be awake by now and I was sure that she would be there before everyone, therefore, being the head of the protective team.It made me smile.I threw off Felix's arm from around my waist and pushed him away, feeling exasperated that I had to deal with someone who couldn't sleep right.Iris was different. She was someone who could maintain one position for the whole night and that alone delighted me. Her sleeping was peaceful and quiet unlike Felix who snored and threw his body around like he was in the comfort of his own bed.I took a seat by the window, watching as other guards who were on their night duties went back into the warriors building while being replaced with another set. They were going to continue at night.I was anticipating today. Though I had been lucky to not have lost my life all these years, all thanks to Noah w
HAZEL'S POV;After it had been rectified that I was the first to arrive, the commander had sternly asked me to walk with him which I did. We walked together to the raised tenth on the first floor and once we were in, he turned to me."Who are you?""My name is Iris. And I am King Xavier's Beta,""King Xavier of Silver moon?" He asked, raising a brow in askance.I nodded."And what about his husband?""Husband?" I frowned. "He doesn't ha—""Oh, don't pretend like you don't know what I am talking about. He was mated to a man, wasn't he?""Sometimes, you need to get your facts right. Stop holding onto rumors,""How dare you speak to me in that manner?!"I wasn't fazed by his tone or his expression. I stood my ground, staring at him with amusement. "I am sorry if you think I sounded rude. I was only bringing truth with you. He wasn't mated to a man,""Then who was he mated to?"I didn't reply to him. Instead, I took my time, looking around the tent and wondering why a place as large as th
XAVIER'S POV;Being an attractive and eligible male had its downsides and I was definitely experiencing it this sunny morning. While watching the fight, Ciara had left to take her medications with her maid and I was left with an empty seat, smiling at Clara's mother as she stared at me. She nodded once and her husband spoke to her before she turned to face him.I sighed in relief and went back to watching the match. There was something about Lunas. Sometimes, I wondered if they ever forgot that one had to be mated to another before anything could happen."Ahem," A throat cleared behind me and I turned to find a bunch of ladies standing on the steps with a very beautiful lady standing before them.She was a fair beauty. Slender and everything a man would want but my heart yearned for a certain dark haired lady, stubborn and hard to crack. Being with Iris made me uninterested in fragile, fair women. I wanted them strong and stubborn, independent and able to thrive on their own and that
HAZEL'S POV;I felt my blood boil when he told me I couldn't go back to the Silver moon.There was nowhere I wanted to be apart from our pack as I was already fed up with this place within a few days of just arriving.Walking back to the crates I sat on, I felt my hands trembling and I suddenly wished I could just disappear from this place. I fiddled with the pages of the book in my hands, finding it hard to read what I was originally reading.My eyes were trained on Xavier who was still speaking to the commander. I couldn't sit here and watch him talk like everything was alright. I couldn't sit here while Felix acted like I wasn't in the room so I dumped the book into another crate on the floor before standing to my feet and leaving the tent."Where are you headed to, Iris?" Barrymore asked. "There's still a lot we have to do before you go back, you know?"I sighed and nodded. "I just want to give you all privacy and take a breather,"He didn't believe what I said but he nodded anywa
HAZEL'S POV;Soon, everyone returned back to the amphitheater and once again, the games began.The game that was being held now was performed by very strong and skilled warriors who fought with beasts."These ones actually die," Barrymore said to her. He was standing by her side.She looked at him. "Can't we rescue them before any harm is done?"Barrymore looked at me like I was ridiculous before bursting into laughter. "When it was said that only skilled and strong Warriors were allowed to participate, I am sure you heard,""Yes, I heard," I replied, sounding a bit offended that he still looked at me like a novice. "That doesn't mean they can't be helped,""Wait until you see the beasts they're fighting. You'll know if you want to help or just stay away for the sake of your safety,"I huffed and watched him walk away. Whatever the bullshit he was talking about, I wasn't going to stand here and watch downtown die when it was obvious that I could help.I looked around the arena, catchi