Chapter 3 The punishment

“Order the warriors to kill her, for the goodness of our pack,” One of the elders spoke.

I immediately froze not until when Xavier spoke.

“No. Not yet.”

“Death would be mercy. And she doesn’t deserve mercy.” His words just made me to freeze more.

“Let her be first punished. Publicly. Brutally. Let every omega in the pack see what happens when one of their kind dares to disrespect the upper class werewolves",

“Let the guards start today,” Xavier added flatly. “Break her spirit. Strip her of every ounce of pride. Then bring her to me when she knows what she is then.....”

He paused, like he was considering something distasteful.

“She’ll then serve her only purpose. My breeder. Nothing more than a womb for the next generation.”

I felt like the world tilted beneath me. His words weren’t just cruel, they were a death sentence dressed in flesh. A different kind of execution.

A sex slave of him.

“I rejected her as  my mate but since its the Goddess’s will, let her live,” he added bitterly. “But I will never claim her. Not as my Luna. Not as my equal.”

"She’ll be kept locked away. Controlled. Her only value will be the bloodline she can produce and once she gives me a son, she’ll be killed.”

The Elders murmured their approval.

“Better to keep her useful than risk the wrath of the Moon Goddess,” one said.

“A silent breeder, locked far away” another echoed.

I clenched my fists beneath my thin sleeves, nails digging into my skin. I wanted to scream. To die. To disappear. Anything but this.

They wanted to use me. Not just hurt me but keep me broken and alive just enough to bear his heir.

I couldn’t stop the sob that ripped from my throat, even though I tried to stay quiet.

The conversation outside the cell immediately went silent then footsteps approached the cell.

It was probably the guards.

A key turned in the lock and I instantly scrambled back into the shadows of the cell, heart thudding like thunder in my ears.

"No..... please, don't take me...", My eyes brimmed with tears the moment  the door creaked open.

They didn’t listen to me

Rough hands grabbed my arms, yanking me out of the corner like I weighed nothing. My knees scraped against the stone floor, and I cried out, but they didn’t stop.

“Get up,” one of them snapped.

I tried to fight, weakly, but another fist landed hard in my stomach, knocking the breath from my lungs. I doubled over, gasping, trembling as they dragged me down the dim corridor. My feet barely touched the floor.

I was being taken to be beaten like a thief.

I stared at the pole I would be strapped to, and couldn’t stop the tears that silently streamed down my face.

The pole stood tall at the center of the training grounds, weathered, stained, and waiting. I’d seen others tied there before. Rogues. Traitors. Never an omega. Never someone like me.

They threw me forward, and I hit the dirt hard, the impact jolting through my bones. My body ached everywhere, each breath a struggle.

“Strip!”

I heard the command from the guards but I  didn’t move. I couldn’t.

It wasn’t just fear that paralyzed me, it was the last shred of dignity clinging to my skin.

One of the guards stepped forward, impatience radiating from him like heat. When I didn’t obey, he grabbed the collar of my tunic and tore it down the middle. The fabric shredded like paper, leaving my shoulders exposed to the cold air and watching eyes.

Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd. Some from disgust. Some from twisted delight. My mother was probably among them.

I wanted to disappear. I wanted the earth to open and swallow me whole.

Please, let the Goddess strike me dead. Please...

But no divine mercy came.

Another guard yanked the rest of the cloth down my arms. Bruises from earlier blows bloomed purple across my skin, stark against the pale surface.

Tears burned behind my eyes and just flowed down my cheeks freely.

Caring less, they forced me up, pressing my body against the blood-stained pole. Cold metal cuffs snapped around my wrists, pinning my arms high above my head. My toes barely grazed the ground. Every shift of my weight sent pain rippling through my shoulders.

Then the whip came.

The first strike tore through the silence and through my skin. A scream wrenched from my throat before I could swallow it.

I heard laughter. A few murmurs of approval.

“Let them see,” one elder said, voice full of pride. “Let every omega remember their place.”

Was this what I was born for? To be broken, be a sex slave then be killed later?!

The whip fell again. And again. Until I wasn’t sure if I was screaming or if those were just echoes of someone who used to be me.

Strike after strike came relentlessly. My back was on fire.Warm liquid trickled down my leg continuously and I felt like I was losing my consciousness.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. With each kiss of the whip, my resolve to remain silent became more and more impossible, but I held on. Blood dripped freely from my mouth, where my canines had gnawed my lips to keep me from screaming.

My Wolf was crying out in my head, howling her pain, hurt and devastated. She didn’t understand how her mate could do this to her. How could he just stand by and let her be beaten? I didn’t have any answers for her.

Almost continuous low growls came from my audience. Some elders were voicing their displeasure, but neither could help me...

...not without challenging Alpha.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the strikes stopped coming. The guards stepped forward and cut my bindings.

I fell to the ground in a heap, groaning loudly at the impact. I lay there in the dirt, breath shallow and my vision fading.

But before the darkness took me, I heard Xavier's voice one last time, loud and final.

“Take her to her mother’s  house but her punishment  isn’t yet done”, Alpha Xavier ordered.

And then he was gone.

I couldn’t open my eyes. I didn’t want to. It hurt too much. Every inch of my body screamed in agony. Death was an alluring promise of peace, a sweet dream.

Why was I the holding on?

It made no sense. Why was I trying to survive in a world that clearly didn’t want me...when the sum-total of my existence was pain?

My mate totally didn’t want me. He wanted to see me in pain.

After his departure I felt one of the guards, lift me against the solid wall of his chest. Whoever he was, he tried to be gentle, but the movement caused stabbing jolts of fire in my back. I let out a small cry and bit my lip again to stifle the sound.

“Shh...” he soothed. “You going to be fine so soon.” The guard was kinda gentle. He held me so that I faced his shoulder. My legs hung straight, while his powerful arm wrapped around and his hand tucked under my butt, securely keeping me in place.

And then we were in motion.

He was careful but still I was in pain and to make matters worse, I felt the remaining contents in my stomach start to rise up.

Eyes closed. Teeth gritted. I desperately worked to keep the contents of my belly from coming up my throat.

No, no matter what it took, I determined to keep the contents of my stomach exactly where they were but it was too much.

I finally gave in and puked.