Shame and fury burned through me.
I curled my body inward,doing whatever I could to cover myself and shield my stomach.
Lyra looked down on me with contempt.
“Don’t act all pure now,” she sneered.“If you had the nerve to lie with a guard,don’t pretend you still have dignity.”
“You don’t mind being filthy, do you?Then today, I’ll make you even more so.”
She turned calmly to the outcasts in the yard.
“This filth has committed an unforgivable crime,” she announced.“I grant you the right to punish her.”
“And whoever satisfies me most…I will consider reducing your sentence and granting you release.”
It was an offer none of them could easily refuse.
The moment she finished speaking,objects clattered to the ground.
Buckets. Tools. Chains.
They came closer.And closer.
Terror flooded my chest.
“You can’t,” I cried hoarsely.“I am the Luna!”
No one recognized me because I had lived hidden in the inner den for too long.
My words made them hesitate.
For half a second.
Lyra’s voice cut through sharply.
“She’s delirious.Ignore her.”
“Continue.”
And they did.
Their hands reached out —not with mercy,not with hesitation —only cruelty.
I felt myself shrinking inward,my mind screaming to escape my body,but I could not move.
Some of the women who worked there —desperate to trade cruelty for freedom —took up whips.
The lash cracked through the air.Once.Again.And again.
The blows tore across my exposed back like fire.
Every strike drove the air from my lungs.
Every touch made my skin crawl.
Pain folded me completely.
My cries drowned in the chaos.
Welts bloomed across my body.
Blood.Tears.Mud.
A nightmare I could not wake from.
One of Lyra’s followers hesitated, whispering:
“Lyra… no matter what she’s done… she’s still one of the Alpha’s mates…Is this really appropriate?”
Lyra didn’t even glance at her.
“What’s inappropriate?” she said lazily.“The Alpha dotes on me.”
“I’m just punishing a mutt he barely remembers.”
“And my brother said it himself —as long as I don’t commit direct treason,no one in this pack can touch me.”
Hearing her confidence,the others relaxed.
Laughter spread again.
Under their relentless torment…a sudden, tearing pain exploded through my abdomen.
I froze.
My breath stuttered.
Something hot and heavy
flowed between my legs.
I looked down.
Blood.
So much blood.
Panic swallowed me whole.
“No… no…” I whispered.
I lifted my head, eyes blazing with desperation.
“Get the healer!” I screamed.“My pup… he’s dying!”