***
In the dark of the night, with the manor asleep and the windows rattling from the wind outside, Bella couldn't sleep.
Tucked under the sheet, with one foot sticking out like she always did, the heat was slowly getting to her. She sucked in a breath as she rolled over, staring up at the ceiling and groaning over her discomfort.
Outside, over the open fields and the cluster of trees which surrounded the manor, Brandon was being dragged along the streets while he was being whipped, his agonising cries fuelling Luke’s rage even more.
But Bella was not aware of this. She did not know of the punishment which Brandon had to face for defying his Alpha. Even if she did, however, she would understand that it was not out of respect for her that Luke was doing this. He did not care about he
