THE LUNA THEY SACRIFICED

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR - NYRA HUMILIATION

(Nyra POV)

My voice trembled…….

He didn’t respond.

Didn’t even glance in my direction, and my chest tightened painfully.

“Mother?” I tried again, and she stepped forward.

For a moment, I thought she would help me.

Instead, Slap!,...

The pain exploded across my face as her hand struck me.

“You disgusting child,” she spat. I froze.

The sting on my cheek was nothing compared to the pain in my chest.

“Mother… why…?”

Her eyes were empty but burning fiercely in anger….

“You have brought shame to this family.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I whispered desperately. “Please… believe me…”

But they didn't; they never did, not at all.

“Enough of this,” Riven said, his voice cutting through the tension. “The punishment will now be carried out.”

My heart dropped…. Punishment??

“No…” I shook my head weakly. “Please… I’m innocent…

“Silence.”

His gaze hardened.

“You will be flogged,” he declared.

The world tilted… and my face gradually moved down to my stomach instantly.

My baby….

“No… please,” I begged, panic rising in my chest. You'll kill my child.

“Who cares about a bastard?” Lyra said with a soft laugh.

Something inside me snapped, because I was too weak to fight, too broken to scream.

The guards pulled me up and dragged me toward the whipping post.

The central square, a place where punishments were carried out and reputations were shattered.

I could feel the collective gaze of the pack upon me, their judgment pressing down, heavy and suffocating.

My legs trembled, but I forced myself to stand tall, stubbornly refusing to let them see my fear. My pulse raced, my breath shallow and uneven.

The wind carried the scent of blood, sweat, and the cold bite of fear.

An elder, tall and gaunt, stepped forward. His eyes were like daggers, piercing, unyielding.

“Nyra Vale,” he said, his voice flat, controlled. “You have failed in every way Luna must succeed.

You have dishonored yourself, the Alpha, and this pack. Your punishment… will be made an example for all.”

The words stung, but I had expected them. I had known, deep down, that my hope, fragile as it was, could not survive in a pack like Harzdawood.

One of the guards stepped closer, lifting a whip. My heart pounded.

I had heard tales of the punishments, the lashes, the chains, and the humiliation. Now, I was about to live it.

The crowd shifted eagerly while watching.

My body trembled uncontrollably as they tied my hands above my head.

The chains tightened; the air felt too heavy, too hard to breathe.

“Please…” I whispered one last time, but no one answered.

CRACK!

The whip struck my back; fire exploded through my body.

A scream tore from my throat before I could stop it; pain exploded across my skin, hot and burning. I staggered with chains rattling.

CRACK!

The guard struck again and then again.

Each lash stole a piece of me, leaving cruel red welts across my body. I could feel the blood seeping, mixing with the dirt beneath my feet.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to scream. I had to be strong for the child. But it was hard. Every blow reminded me of my helplessness; every glance from the pack reminded me of my isolation.

My strength, my voice, my hope….

“My baby…” I sobbed weakly. “Please… stop…" Somebody help me….

But no one did…

Somewhere in the distance, I heard laughter.

Somewhere else, I heard whispers.

But all I could feel at the moment was merciless pain and loss…

You deserve this, Luna,” the gaunt elder said coldly. “For your weakness, for your failure, for daring to hope.”

The lashes continued, relentlessly. My back burned, my legs quivered, and my hands shook in the chains. And yet, even as my body bent beneath the pain, my mind clung to one thing: survival. I had to survive. For the child and for myself.

Enough!!!!”

The command cut through the chaos, and the whipping stopped.

The voice said coldly, "Allow her to feel it so that she can remember her place.”

Now I could barely breathe; my chest rose and fell in shallow gasps; the world had narrowed to pain… and the desperate instinct to protect the life inside me.

And I collapsed to the ground, every inch of my body screaming in agony. The pack didn’t move to help me; rather, they watched, silent and judgmental.

I could hear Riven’s voice somewhere behind me, sharp and commanding. “She is weak. Let her feel every ounce of her failure.”

Tears burned my eyes uncontrollably…

My body hung limply against the chains, barely conscious; every blood drop dripped down my back, my vision blurred…. I could feel my soul leaving my body, but somehow, I was still alive.

My knees buckled, chains rattling as my body struggled to stay upright. The courtyard blurred, faces melting into shadows as agony consumed me.

And one of the elders spoke again, while pointing at me…

This Luna is not only weak, but she also carries a forbidden child that cannot remain under our protection.”