Alpha Soier spotted them the moment they stepped into view [and she lowered her eyes quickly, knowing he and the others could probably smell her hatred from here. The scent of fury on an Omega would never go unnoticed. But she could not care less at the moment. Let him feel her hatred!
Even though she dared not raise her eyes, she knew just from the sounds around her that he was approaching her. Just as Prince Zen let go of her wrists, Alpha Soier reached her. Without a word, the man caught her by the hair and pulled hard, throwing her to the ground.
The world tilted. Her knees slammed into the dirt, her shoulder took the brunt of the fall, and something popped in her wrist as she tried to catch herself. She felt pain ripple through her as her body met the ground and knew that by now, she already had a few broken bones. But, even as the pain screamed through her, she tried to stand up. Like hell she was going to let them kick her around and beg for mercy. They would only enjoy that. No. They wanted to punish her, then she would kneel here and take it. Until she died.
She’d barely managed to stay upright when the slap came.
The force of it snapped her head sideways as her cheek stung and her ears rang. Heat flooded her skin. Her mouth tasted of blood. She could feel her entire face go numb and for a moment wondered if this was a blessing. With the way her face felt now, if he slapped her a few more times, she might not even feel it.
She’d barely thought this when the second slap came. Harder than the first one. Her vision blurred.
The third strike landed across the same cheek again, and this time, she lost her balance and dropped into the dirt again. Her head stayed down. Her chest rose and fell in short, silent gasps. But despite everything, she didn’t cry out or lift her hands to protect herself.
She knew better.
The fourth hit came down like a hammer across her other cheek. Her skull rattled and her jaw felt unhinged. It wasn’t just pain now. It was disorientation. Her body felt like it wasn’t attached to her anymore. The sharp scent of metal clung to the air—her own blood. The firelight was too bright. The crowd was too quiet.
And someone in the back laughed. Just once. But it was quickly stifled. Her ears rang so loudly that she couldn’t hear anything else.
And then, as suddenly as it had started, the Alpha stopped. He turned away from her, brushing his hand off on his coat like she was something that had dirtied him.
Only then did he seem to notice the two Alpha Princes standing nearby. Alpha Soier straightened slightly, wiped the fury from his face, and stepped forward.
Emira didn’t look up, but she felt his stance shift and closed her eyes.
"Your Highnesses. I apologise for the Omega’s conduct," he said smoothly. "This Omega has been nothing but trouble. She disrespected her place and dared to run. Of course, you should not have been pulled into such a disgraceful matter. I take full responsibility."
There was blood on his cuff but he didn’t bother wiping it off. He looked at the enforcers waiting at the edge of the clearing and gave a short nod. "I will deal with her now. In front of the pack. So everyone remembers their place."
Then he turned and raised his voice for the crowd to hear.
"One hundred lashes," he announced. "With silver."
And just like that, Emira knew her fate was sealed. One hundred lashes with silver. She would never survive them. There were murmurs this time. Not loud. Not brave. Just enough to hint at the excitement rippling through the crowd. Any other pack, maybe they would try to stop such a harsh punishment. But no one in the Moonville Pack would stop him. If anything, they would look forward to it.
Slowly, blinking through the blood and the dust, she knelt back down, body trembling, bones aching, ready for her punishment.
Let them hurt her. Let them bleed her. She wouldn’t scream. She braced herself for the first lash.
But before it could come, a voice broke through the clearing—sharp, calm, and cold. "I didn’t know the Moonville Pack thought so little of the Stormhold Pack."
Everything stopped and the crowd went dead silent.
Even Alpha Soier, who had been about to offer seats to the two princes, froze in place at the words and bowed his head. Several wolves bowed their heads instinctively. The weight of the voice hit first. Then came the horror in realising what it meant.
Prince Zen was offended. And that alone... was terrifying.