"Ahhh—!" White-hot, searing pain exploded across my shoulders. I screamed, stumbling forward and collapsing to the floor. It was only the beginning. She was a frenzy of violence, the whip cracking like a serpent, striking my back, my arms, my legs without mercy. Each impact felt like tearing flesh. I could feel the warm wetness of blood soaking through my clothes. "Wolf-spawn! Just like your worthless father! I should have smothered you at birth!" she shrieked, her curses as vicious as the blows. I curled into a ball on the floor, enduring the hellish torment, my consciousness flickering from the pain. I don"t know how long the beating lasted before it finally ceased. I heard the cold, clinking sound of metal. She grabbed me roughly, dragging me toward the dilapidated door to the basement—
