Elara stood beside Kaidon, her delicate features calm and collected, her gaze filled with something I couldn't quite place—pity? Satisfaction? I didn’t know. But her presence twisted the knife in my chest even deeper. Kaidon stood beside her, tall and cold, his eyes trained on me but void of any emotion.
As the second lash came down, I couldn’t hold back the cry that escaped my throat. The pain was unbearable, but the worst pain came from Kaidon’s complete indifference. How could he watch this and feel nothing?
"You shouldn’t have touched it, Luna," Ronan whispered quietly as he prepared for the next strike. "This is what he wants. Just get through it."
The third lash landed, and my vision blurred. My knees hit the dirt beneath me, and I gasped for breath, the air feeling thick and heavy. I could hear murmurs from the pack, whispers of pity and disdain.
I had spent years trying to earn my place in the Blackwood Pack, trying to make Kaidon see me, love me, but it was all for nothing. I was just a placeholder, the woman who filled the gap while Elara was gone.