This place was where disgraced wolves were forced to labor.Those stripped of status and honor.
As soon as Lyra brought me there,everyone noticed.
Especially the way I looked —half-clothed, bloodied, trembling.
The work stopped.Dozens of eyes locked onto me.Predatory.Excited.Like a pack of starving wolves staring at wounded prey.
Shame and fury burned through me.
I curled my body inward,doing whatever I could to cover myself and shield my stomach.
Lyra looked down on me with contempt.
“Don’t act all pure now,” she sneered.“If you had the nerve to lie with a guard,don’t pretend you still have dignity.”
“You don’t mind being filthy, do you?Then today, I’ll make you even more so.”
She turned calmly to the outcasts in the yard.
“This filth has committed an unforgivable crime,” she announced.“I grant you the right to punish her.”
“And whoever satisfies me most…I will consider reducing your sentence and granting you release.”
It was an offer none of them could easily refuse.
The moment she finished speaking,objects clattered to the ground.
Buckets. Tools. Chains.
They came closer.And closer.
Terror flooded my chest.
“You can’t,” I cried hoarsely.“I am the Luna!”