Punishment
983 Words
My knees hit the cold floor with a thud.
“Desmond,” I gasped, struggling to breathe through the lump in my throat. “You know my wolf is weak. I won’t survive this.”
He didn’t blink.
The coldness in his eyes sliced deeper than any blade could. He stood there like a king before a beggar, untouchable, unmoved, unreachable.
“I don’t care if you die,” he said simply.
My chest tightened. My lips trembled. For a second, I couldn’t speak.
That voice… I used to dream of it whispering my name, holding me through the dark. Now, it felt like a curse.
A sob broke loose before I could catch it. I lowered my head.
I wasn’t crying because of the pain waiting outside. I was crying because he meant it.
He truly didn’t care.
“Desmond…” I whispered again, my voice cracking. “Please…”
The guards stepped closer, one of them reaching for my arm.
And that’s when I snapped.
My gaze lifted—wild, furious—and landed on her. Selena.
She stood behind him like a porcelain doll in silk, lips painted with fake worry.
“You stole my mate,” I growled.
Her eyes widened slightly. Not out of fear. Out of amusement.
I pushed forward with everything left in me, my body jerking toward her, but the guards were faster. They grabbed my arms and forced me down again, my cheek brushing the dusty marble.
Selena took a graceful step back and hid behind Desmond’s shoulder like the coward she was. I saw the corner of her lips twitch into a smirk before she straightened her face again.
“She’s insane,” she said, clinging to him. “She tried to attack me.”
I jerked again. “You liar!”
The guards held me tighter, pinning my arms behind me. My fingers clawed uselessly against the ground.
Selena stepped out from behind Desmond. The air changed.
Click. Click. Click.
Her heels tapped the floor as she approached me slowly, gracefully, like a cat playing with its food.
“You still think he was yours to begin with?” she whispered sweetly, crouching beside me.
My breath hitched. Her perfume choked me. I tried to turn away, but her hand caught my chin.
She forced my face up, her fingers gripping tight. Her nails bit into my skin.
“He never wanted you, darling,” she whispered, close enough that her breath tickled my cheek. “You’re just the last bone thrown in this pack. And even that, you couldn’t hold.”
Then—
Agony.
Her heel pressed down on my hand.
I screamed.
I twisted under the guards' grip, but she only smiled, grinding the sharp edge of her heel into my palm until the skin broke and blood pooled beneath.
My blood.
She leaned closer. “You’re lucky I let you live this long.”
My eyes burned with tears and rage.
I snapped.
Before she could pull back, I lunged forward and sank my teeth into her finger.
She shrieked, loud and sharp, stumbling backward.
“You b***h!” she cried, holding her hand as blood trickled down her wrist.
Desmond rushed to her, his face pale with panic.
“Selena!”
She threw herself into his arms like a wounded bird. “She bit me,” she cried. “She tried to hurt me again.”
I spat her blood from my mouth, panting. My cheek was still pressed against the ground.
Desmond looked at me.
And in that one look, I saw hate.
He marched forward and slapped me.
Hard.
The force cracked across my face like thunder, my head snapping to the side.
“How dare you touch her?” he shouted.
My ears rang. My vision blurred. For a moment, I tasted metal.
Then I saw him lift her into his arms.
Selena sniffled, head buried in his chest like a perfect little actress.
And as he turned to leave with her, his voice boomed over his shoulder.
“Beat her. Nonstop. Until I say stop.”
I froze.
The guards didn’t.
They moved like machines. Cold, trained and merciless.
I screamed.
“Desmond! No! This isn’t fair!” I thrashed, trying to pull free. “Please don’t do this!”
My voice echoed through the hall, cracking, wild, desperate.
He didn’t stop.
Didn’t turn around.
He carried her like she was precious.
And left me behind like trash.
The guards dragged me across the floor, my bleeding hand trailing behind. My dress tore at the seams. Everything blurred around me.
“Stop—please—I’m begging—” I kicked. I screamed. I cried until my throat ached.
But they didn’t stop.
The punishment post stood in the center of the courtyard. Cold. Merciless. Waiting.
The last time someone was tied to it… they never walked again.
The sun was setting now, casting long shadows over the clearing.
The pack watched from a distance, murmuring, pointing.
I recognized some of their faces.
Wolves who used to call me “Luna.”
Now, they turned away like I was dirt beneath their boots.
They pulled my arms above my head and chained me to the post.
The metal bit into my wrists.
My feet barely touched the ground.
My dress was torn from the back, exposing my skin to the cold wind.
My breath shook.
My heart screamed.
The whip cracked once in the air behind me.
I flinched.
“No… please…” My voice broke. “Please, Desmond…”
He wasn’t here.
He’d left with her.
I turned my head to the side, tears slipping down my cheek as the first guard stepped forward.
His eyes were blank.
He raised the whip, and then....
The first lash sliced through the air and landed on my back causing me to yelp in pain.
"Ahhh."
- Writer
