Chapter 4 No More Strength

DORA'S P.O.V

"This is the height of madness I've ever seen in my life!" Ronald's voice thundered through the crowd. He looked around, clearly enjoying the attention. "The goddess must have made a mistake. How could she choose this thing to be my Luna? Does that make any sense at all?"

He didn't ask anyone in particular, but the crowd murmured in agreement. A few even laughed.

I just stood there, broken and humiliated. My heart felt like it had dropped into my stomach. As the whip got into me, I kept asking myself, why is my life always different? Why is my story always the ugly one?

This wasn't just one of those usual insults or name-callings. No, this was the worst I'd ever faced.

I stared at the soldier again in disbelief as he raised the second whip.

Then it came at my back. The sound of the whip tore through the air like lightning.

The crowd didn't object, I was only eighteen. Instead, they leaned in, their eyes even more wide, enjoying every bit of it.

"Oh goddess," I whispered as I staggered from the hit.

"Again!" Ronald barked from behind.

Men and women alike laughed as I screamed in pain "Ah!"

Their laughter was so loud in my ear.

My cries only seemed to excite them more.

"Pin that animal down!" Ronald shouted. "If she moves again, I'll have your heads on a platter!"

Two men rushed forward and forced me down, one holding my arms and the other pinning my legs. My cheek pressed against the cold ground. The whip continued to slice through the air and land on my back.

This is what happens when you pay for your parents' sins, I thought bitterly, maybe I was getting used to it already.

I winced in pain as the lashes continued, burning into my skin. The soldier had no heart, none at all. He kept whipping me like I wasn't even human.

My vision blurred. My body trembled. I was barely hanging on.

"Enough!" Ronald finally called out.

He walked slowly toward me, towering over my bruised body. I could barely lift my head, but I saw the twisted satisfaction on his face.

"Do you still want me as your mate?" he sneered. "Is this what you imagined?"

I wanted to reply. I wanted to scream at him. But my mouth refused to move. My heart was so heavy, tears streamed down my face as I stared at him, disgusted.

He hadn't changed at all, I thought. He was the same cruel bully from our childhood, just now dressed in authority.

Suddenly, my mind drifted back, five years ago. A memory that still haunted me.

"You're a liar! You took the meat, you murderer!" Sam yelled, glaring at me like I was a disease.

"What? I didn't take anything! Please, I swear, I didn't!" I begged him, panicking.

"Oh, now you're lying too?" he said, grabbing me roughly by the arm. "You're not getting away with this. I'm taking you straight to the pack house."

I was shocked. I hadn't taken anything, yet no one ever believed me.

"Please, don't do this. I'm innocent!" I pleaded.

He ignored me and started dragging me across the road. A few people turned to look, and soon whispers started flying around.

"What's that girl done again?" a woman asked, already fuming.

"She stole from my shop," Sam replied. "I'm reporting to her right now."

"Good! It's about time she got what she deserved," the woman said bitterly. "She's been a troublemaker since day one."

"Yeah, she stole from me last month. Thought she was smart, huh?" another voiced out.

The walk of shame continued until we reached the pack house. I was pulled through the entrance like a criminal.

One of the guards looked up. "What's the matter?"

"She stole from my shop," Sam answered confidently. "I want her punished."

And just like that, my fate was sealed.

I blinked and came back to the present. The pain in my back reminded me where I was.

"Look how dumb she looks," Ronald said cruelly. "She can't even talk."

The crowd laughed again, louder this time. Some even clapped like they were watching a show.

Humiliation washed over me in waves. My eyes burned with unshed tears. This... this was beyond cruel.

Even if I wasn't his mate, even if he wanted to reject me, why the beating? Why this kind of punishment? What did I ever do to deserve this?

"Untie her," Ronald ordered, "and take her to the prison. Let her rot there until I decide what to do with her."

The guards grabbed me roughly. My body felt like it had been set on fire. They chained my hands and feet, dragging me like I weighed nothing. I was too weak to fight.

They threw me into the dark prison, tying me by both hands between two wooden poles. My back was in pain, blood slowly coming from my wounds. I twitched every time a fly landed on my skin, but I couldn't even swat them away.

After what felt like hours, the heavy door creaked open. I looked up weakly.

A man walked in, he was a doctor, followed by two guards.

"There she is," one of them said. "Patch her up a bit. She'll live."

The doctor glanced at me, and I saw pity in his eyes. He didn't speak much. Just quietly opened his first aid box and pulled out a bottle of spirit and some cotton wool.

"Hang in there," he said gently as he dabbed the cotton into the spirit.

The moment it touched my wound, I flinched and gasped. The pain shot through my body like lightning.

"I know it hurts," the doctor murmured. "But I have to clean the wounds."

I nodded faintly, biting my lip to hold back the scream building in my throat.

He paused for a moment, then asked softly, "What did you do to deserve this?"

I looked at him, then looked away. I didn't answer.

What could I say? That I was hated for being born? That my only crime was having the wrong blood in my veins?

I stayed quiet. I let the silence answer for me.

Because at this point... I had no more strength to explain myself to a world that never cared.