Jessalynn's POV
…
"How did you even get in?" he questioned me unhappily.
"I am the Luna of this pack, and I have every right to see you, especially when you've been avoiding me like plague," I spat.
Clara, who had gotten off the floor and was making herself properly dressed, scoffed as she glanced at me with contempt. "You think because you're Luna, you can disobey the king's orders easily?"
I ignored her and focused on Sebastian.
"Look, I don't appreciate you barging into my office, Jessalynn. You're just a woman I took out from a low-tier pack out of pity."
I nodded sagely, "Pity? Have you forgotten that I'm your mate?"
"The goddess must have been drunk when she paired us together. I have always preferred Clara. Unlike you, she's fit and sexy. You're just a chubby mess. I feel disgusted to even look at you, talk more of holding your hand."
"Then why didn't you reject me all these years? Was it fun deceiving me, cheating on me?" I seethed.
"Look, I don't have time for you today. As you can see, Clara and I were conducting important business before you rudely interrupted."
I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
"Leave before I get upset, Jessalynn,"
This was the man I treasured? The one who whispered sweet nothings to me in bed. The one who promised to be with me forever, no matter what.
If I had known things would turn out like this, I would never have accepted the mate bond. Ever!
"My only chance at becoming a mother was ruined by you," I told him with anger coursing wildly through my veins, making my body tremble. "You were busy cheating on me, making me feel undeserved pain. You don't feel remorse and continue with your disgusting act?"
"Stop trying to pin the blame on the Alpha. How can it be his fault?" Clara butted in, "Stop blame-shifting, Jessalynn. If you had simply stayed put in your room and borne the agony a little longer, would you have tumbled down the stairs? It's because you're just selfish and over-pampered. Now, something terrible happened as a result of your foolishness, and you come here to dump blame on an innocent man? Have some shame, Jessalynn. Please!"
Not only was Clara calling me without my title, but she had the guts to spew these rotten words out of her mouth. And Sebastian actually let her!
I nodded sagely, "Sebastian, since you like her, there's no problem. I'm done suffering unmerited agony. I'm done being your Luna and your mate. So I hereby…"
Before I knew it, the Alpha was standing in front of me, having closed the distance between us with his superhuman speed. His fingers wrapped tightly around my throat, and he lifted me, his eyes morphing to a red colour as he gnashed his teeth.
"Unless I'm tired of you, I will not spurn the mate bond between us, Jessalynn. Get that into your head!" saying that, he brusquely threw me to the floor.
I clutched at my aching throat, gasping for breath and coughing violently with more tears streaming down my cheeks.
Clara walked to me, holding her thong in her hand and then squatted before me. She brought her underwear to my nose, "Smell it, Jessalynn. So you can see why the Alpha prefers my cunt to yours."
Enraged, I grabbed her hand and slapped her as hard as I could, eliciting a stunned gasp from her. I didn't stop at that one slap. I kept hitting her, pouring all my strength into the hits.
She screamed and tried to free her hand from mine, to no avail. She was of Gamma lineage; how could she free herself so easily from a peeved Beta she-wolf like me?
"Stop it!" Sebastian yelled as he made his way towards me.
"Alpha, save me!" Clara cried again, and I hit her even harder. I only hit one side of her face, making it unpleasantly asymmetrical.
Sebastian caught hold of my hand and pulled me to my feet. "How dare you defy me again and again, huh?"
His right palm connected with my left cheek. It stung and it hurt a lot.
"Do you think I wouldn't punish you for the wickedness you've just shown?"
"If that is considered wicked, then the things you have done to me merit the creation of a 19th layer in hell," I thundered, my chest rising and falling.
"Jessalynn, for the fact that you just went through a miscarriage, I will not hurt you further than this. But you must kneel and apologise to Clara. She did nothing wrong."
His level of shamelessness made my rage spike.
She did nothing wrong? Seducing and fucking a married man, how was that right?
"I will never apologise to that bitch." I told him angrily. I would rather die than apologise to that whore.
"Fine then. You leave me no choice."
And so, he began to beat me up. I wanted to fight back, but how could I win against an Alpha blood?
I soon ended up flying backwards and hitting the wall hard before slumping down to the cold, marble floor.
My skin was painted with bruises, and Clara used this chance to hit me and tug at my hair as well, while yelling all kinds of abuses at me.
Only when her hands were hurting did she let go of me. Now my whole body ached, and I was too weak to lift a finger.
"Guards!" Sebastian yelled, pounding hard at his desk.
Not long after, the two familiar guards ran into the office. "You called, my king?" they both chorused, chests heaving.
"Drag her away to the pack square. She deliberately fell down the stairs after downing a mixture perilous to my unborn child's health, leading to its tragic death. And today, she has cut the thin thread of patience I have left by means of undeserved insults and her shameless behaviour. Look, she has almost tried to murder my innocent secretary out of jealousy. She is not fit to be my Luna. Henceforth, she is demoted to a slave. Subject her to 50 bareback whippings and then throw her in the worst solitary cell. Without my orders, she is not to ingest even a sip of water. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Alpha!" both guards chorused, and they headed towards me. Flanking my sides, each man took hold of my hand before starting to drag me away like a rag doll.
I wanted to resist, but I couldn't.
I soon heard Calistra crying after the guards, pleading for them to let me be, but one of them shoved her to the ground before dragging me forward with rougher force, tugging at my hair this time, his force merciless.
Before long, I was compelled to kneel at the pack square, my hands tethered to a thick pole laced with silver, a substance detrimental to werewolves.
My hair curtaining my face, I hissed in pain as a burning sensation spread across my hands, and the skin of my hands started searing.
A crowd was inevitably attracted, and after knowing my plight, they started hurling fruits, veggies, eggs, pebbles and whatever they could find at me. Not only that, they tried to drown me with demeaning insults and hurtful remarks, each one like a dagger-like stab to my heart.
These were the people I served faithfully for four years as Mother of the Pack. They used to treat me with respect and adoration. But after hearing a one-sided, false story, they'd quickly turned their backs on me.
The guards soon stopped the spectators from hurling things at me. My hair was drenched from the broken eggs and tomatoes, and my already hurting body was aching even more thanks to those little stones that kissed my skin with precision.
Calistra was among the crowd, crying and begging for me to be let go, but one of the angered guards cracked the whip close to the spot where she was standing, leading her to cry out.
Ignoring the pain surging through my system, I looked towards the crying brunette and asked her to keep silent and let me go through my punishment.
But Calistra kept crying until someone dragged her away.
With her gone, the shorter guard roughly tore the back of my dress, leaving my back exposed. And a second later, the first lash of the spiked whip kissed my back.
I was too weak to let out a high-pitched cry, but that didn't detract from the miserableness of the sound that escaped my lips.
I heard chuckles from the audience. They talked about how I deserved everything I was going through. But they didn't know the truth, and I wouldn't have the chance to relay the truth.
And even if I did tell them the truth, would they choose to believe an already condemned Luna?
I don't know how many times I have been whipped, but my skin had been torn, blood was streaming down my back, staining my gown. The silver continued to burn my hands.
I decided not to cry out anymore. I would grit my teeth and receive the rest of the lashes without emitting any sound that would bring about the people's mockery.
However, the familiar pain sprang up in my chest, causing me to vomit blood.
That bastard, Sebastian. He was fucking Clara again.
The pangs only increased with each second, and before long, I passed out.