“So, our Luna really committed a crime? Attempted murder?” one of them said. “This is a disgrace.”
I dug my nails into my palm. Their disappointment clung to the air, still heavy when a man barged in, storming toward me.
He didn’t hesitate. He slapped me hard across the face.
“You tried to kill my daughter?” he shouted.
Desmond stepped between us. Darius almost did too but stopped himself and looked away.
“She’s the Luna. Show some respect,” Desmond said firmly.
“How can you respect a barren woman who tried to kill someone carrying a child? She’s a murderer. Not a Luna.”
I wanted to vanish. The council didn’t say a word in my defense. They just sighed in disappointment. And everyone else? They looked at me like I was filth.
“We still need two more bags, ma’am. I’m really sorry,” the nurse said to me.
I couldn’t respond anymore. I couldn’t nod, couldn’t blink. I had no strength left. Even my hearing was starting to fade.
They took too much blood from me. But because Darius had the power to make them keep going, they didn’t stop.