The Illegitimate Wolf Princess

"I refuse!"

"Iris!" snapped the man I called Father. "Watch your tone and do not be disrespectful!"

"Calm yourself, Lord Julius. Young people are always like this. She may rebel at first, but she will yield eventually," Count Radcliff chuckled casually.

I glared at Count Radcliff with the coldest gaze I could muster. His nonchalant laughter sounded sickening to my ears, as if my rejection—and my entire life—were merely a trivial joke he could purchase with his power.

"Dream on, Lord Count," I hissed without a single shred of fear. "I will never become your wife, let alone a stepmother to your three children who are older than I am!"

The relaxed expression on Count Radcliff's face vanished instantly. His jaw hardened, and an oppressive aura began to leak subtly into the air, pressing down on me to force me to my knees in submission. Yet, I stood tall, locking my gaze onto his cold gray eyes.

I was not afraid at all.

"Little girl," Count Radcliff's voice dropped, laced with a thick threat. "Do you think you have the right to choose? This decision has already been agreed upon by your father."

"The head of the family sold me to save his failing business, didn't he?" I sneered bitterly, casting a glance at Julius, whose face had turned flushed crimson from accumulated shame and rage.

"Shut your mouth, you ungrateful brat!" Julius bellowed, slamming his hand onto the dining table so hard the cutlery clattered loudly. "Who do you think fed you and gave you a roof over your head all these years?! You are nothing but a useless hybrid! Count Radcliff is being generous enough to accept you!"

"Generous?" I let out a cynical chuckle. "Unfortunately, I don't need his generosity!"

My stepmother and Victoria gasped, their eyes wide with shock at my blatant nerve in challenging a Count in the family dining room.

Without waiting for anyone to respond, I turned on my heel and walked out of the grand dining room, my fists clenching tight beneath the green satin gown.

I was sick of being blamed and remaining silent, only to be punished and tortured anyway. Now, I decided I would never stay silent again. I would keep fighting back, even if I knew it might end with me being whipped to death.

"Forgive her, Lord Count. I will continue to persuade her," I could faintly hear Julius pleading to the old man in the background.

Crash!

Two burly guards burst into my room. Without a word, they grabbed me and dragged me out.

"Let me go!" I struggled violently, but my physical strength was no match for theirs.

"Let me go!" I hissed sharply, trying to wrench myself free, but my body—still far from recovered—was completely overpowered.

"Take her downstairs!" Julius's voice echoed from behind as his hurried footsteps caught up to us.

His flushed face was now consumed by an uncontrollable fury. In his eyes, my defiance tonight was not merely disobedience; it was a devastating blow that humiliated him in front of Count Radcliff.

The guards dragged me mercilessly down the stairs, redirecting our path toward a dark, suffocating subterranean hallway. A foul stench instantly greeted my senses, dominated by the thick, sickening smell of stale blood.

This was the Gamma pack dungeon—the place reserved for locking up traitors.

"Throw her in!" Julius commanded coldly as we reached the bottom of the cell block.

The heavy iron door swung open, and my body was violently hurled onto the damp stone floor. The green satin gown I wore was instantly soiled by dust and puddles of murky water.

Before I could even attempt to push myself up, Julius stepped inside. Without warning, the tip of his leather boot slammed into my stomach with full force.

Thud!

"Ugh!" I coughed violently, curling into a ball as I clutched my abdomen, which twisted in agonizing pain as if my internal organs had been crushed.

The air was sucked completely out of my lungs.

"How dare you humiliate me in front of Count Radcliff!" Julius roared, his eyes burning with absolute hatred.

He grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking my head back forcefully to compel me to look at his face. "Who do you think you are, Iris?! You're just a piece of half-blood trash who only survives because of my charity! If Count Radcliff hadn't been willing to buy you, you wouldn't be worth a single coin!"

I whimpered from the agonizing pull on my scalp, yet amidst the burning pain, a cynical smirk formed on my lips.

"If I'm so worthless," I whispered hoarsely, staring directly into his eyes with what little strength I had left, "why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

Honestly, I was sick of living like this.

Slap!

A heavy backhand struck my cheek, snapping my head to the side as spots danced across my vision. Julius released his grip on my hair.

"Beat her until she remembers her place!" Julius ordered the two guards behind him. "Lock her in here without food or water until tomorrow night. Let's see how stubborn you are when you're forced to beg me for mercy!"

Crack!

The sharp crack of a leather whip—retrieved from the cell wall—echoed through the air, tearing into my back over my old wounds. A deafening wave of pain exploded through my body, turning my vision completely white.

Lash after lash landed without mercy, shredding the satin dress and the bandages beneath, mixing fresh blood with yesterday's injuries.

I bit my lower lip hard until the metallic taste of blood flowed into my mouth. I forced myself to remain silent, refusing to cry out or whimper. I was used to this kind of pain. This wasn't the first time I had endured his torture.

I truly wished I could just die and leave this sickening life behind.

Once his cruel satisfaction was fulfilled, the sharp clanging of the iron bars being locked shut echoed loudly in the pitch-black dungeon. The footsteps of Julius and his guards gradually faded away, leaving behind the foul stench of rot, the metallic smell of blood, and a terrifying silence.

I lay helplessly on the cold, damp stone floor. My vision swam as I clung to the fading remnants of my consciousness.

My back felt as though it were on fire, my breathing ragged and shallow, while the sharp throbbing in my stomach forced cold tears to stream silently down my cheeks, washing away the bloodstains.

It was completely dark in the cell. In this darkest corner of the house, no one cared whether I would still be breathing come morning.

My trembling fingers moved slowly beneath my torn clothes, reaching up to touch my neck with what little strength remained. The cool touch of the silver chain and my mother's withered rose pendant met my skin.

It was still there. I clutched it tightly against my chest, seeking a tiny sliver of warmth from the memory of the one person who had loved me unconditionally.

Mother... why did you leave me all alone in this hell?

Perhaps the sun would never rise for me again. My frail hybrid body had surely reached its limit. If tonight were to be my last, at least I would die without ever bowing my head to Julius.

Yet, amid the deepening darkness and fading consciousness, the image of Kael's sharp golden eyes suddenly flashed across my mind. His infuriatingly handsome face, his sarcastic smirk, and the absolute decree he had uttered in the middle of the hockey rink earlier today...

'Starting tomorrow, you are the personal assistant to the student council president of this academy...'

A faint, hollow, and resigned smile formed at the corner of my bloody lips.

"Well... at least I'll be spared from the prince's antics."

***