bChapter /bb162 /b

    ra’s POV

    “Please… stop,” I whispered, barely able to form the words through the cloth stuffed in my mouth. But Mi wasn’t listening. She bwanted /bmy silence, my suffering, to be her victory.

    Two soldiers held me tight, their grip like iron. The whip cut through the air, its cruel stingnding against my skin. Over and overb, /bit cracked, leaving raw, bleeding lines across my back. Each strike sent waves of pain crashing over me, yet I stayed silent.

    I refused to scream.

    I wouldn’t give Mi the satisfaction of hearing me suffer.

    Blood trickled from my wounds, staining the white carpet beneath me. The pain was unbearable, but I held it in. I would not be brokenb. /bbNot /btonight.

    The sound of the whip slicing the air stopped momentarily as Wendy’s voice broke through, her whisper shaky. “My Queen, perhaps we

    should stop… Master Thorne said… no permanent wounds.”

    Mi scoffed, the sound dripping with contempt. “It’s just a couple ofshes, Wendy. What, are you starting to feel sorry for her nowb?/b” She

    turned toward me with a sneer. “Does she deserve your pity? I don’t think so.”

    Wendy recoiled, her voice trembling as she stammered, “No, of course not. She deserves every bit of this.”

    Mi grinned. “Good. Let me tell you, what I’m doing now doesn’t evenpare to what she did to me.”

    She flicked her wrist, tossing the whip aside, and for a moment, I thought the worst was over.

    “Besides,” Mi continued, “my hands are getting sore. The King’sing for dinner tomorrow, and I don’t want to look exhausted. We’ll call

    it a night here.”

    Wendy let out a quiet breath, relief flooding her features.

    “Do you want us to move her?” one of the guards asked, voice t. “The blood smell… it’s unpleasant.”

    Mi’s lips curled into a malicious smile. “No. Leave her here. The smell reminds me of my victory. It’ll help me sleep.”

    The guards bowed and exited, leaving me alone with my pain.

    Iy on the cold floor, barely able to keep my eyes open. The room spun, my head heavy with exhaustion and blood loss. bI /bcouldn’t even tell if I’d passed out or if I had simply drifted into an unconscious haze.

    Mi thought she could break me with this. But if there was one thing she underestimated, it was my resolve.

    I would survive this. Whatever she did to me, it wouldn’t break me.

    I woke to the faint sound iof /isomeone moving near me. My neck burned, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Wendy crouched bin /bbfront of /bbme/b, fiddling with something on my cor.

    The sudden motion made me flinch, and Wendy jerked back, her face pale as though afraid I wouldsh out.

    “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Mi’s voice sounded from across the room. I turned to find her bsitting /bbfortably /bbon /bbthe /bbcouch/bb, /bba /bbcup /bbof /bbtea /bin her hands, her smile as sweet as ever. “Did you bsleep /bwell?b” /b

    b1/3 /b

    b15:34 /bbFri/b, b8 /bbAug /b( af ?

    I met her gaze, my silence colder than any words I could have spoken.

    She giggled, her tone mocking. “I slept just fine, knowing you were curled up by my bedside like some pathetic, binjured /bbdog/bb. /bOh, and did you like my little present?”

    I lifted my hand to my neck and felt the cold, smooth metal against my skin. I narrowed my eyes. “…A corb?/bbi” /i/b

    Her smile widened, more predatory than ever. “Not just any cor, sweetheart. This one has a little surprise inside. A microbombb, /bbto /bbbe /b

    exact.”

    My heart skipped a beat. My breath hitched in my chest. “What?”

    “Let me show you,” Mi said, her eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “Wendy, why don’t you help her up so she can see her new bessory /bin the mirror?”

    Wendy hesitated but moved forward, untangling the ropes that had bound my hands and feet.

    Each movement sent sharp, unbearable pain through my body, but I refused to show it. I wasn’t weak, not for her.

    I steadied myself on the bedpost, my body shaking with exhaustion, but I didn’t let myself bfall/b. I would not give her that.

    I stumbled toward the mirror, feeling every inch of pain from theshes that still throbbed on my skin.

    When I caught sight of myself in the mirror, my bloodied neck was encircled by a silver choker. A small locket dangled from it, locked tight.

    I reached for it, but as my fingers brushed the cool surface, Mi’s voice cut through the silence. “Don’t even think about it. You’ll trigger bthe /bbomb if you try to open it.”

    1 shot her a re. “Why would you do this?”

    Mi leaned back on the couch, a satisfied smile curling at the corners of her mouth. “Why? Because it’s more fun this way. You can move around, pretend you have some freedom, but you’re still mine. And I can trust you’ll behave.”

    The smile on her face twisted with malice as she added, “Oh, and don’t bother trying to rip it off. It won’t work.”

    I red at her, keeping my voice steady despite the fear crawling up my spine. “How do I know you’re not bluffing?”

    Mi raised an eyebrow. “Want to test it?”

    From her pocket, she pulled out a small remote, shing it in front of me. “I know your wolf’s strong, but even your wolf can’t heal you you’re a bloody mess.”

    I stood frozen, every muscle in my body tense.

    Finally, after what seemed like forever, I spoke, my voice a whisper, barely audible. “Fine. What do you want?”

    Mi pped her hands together. “Excellent! Come here. I’ve got something fun nned bfor /bbus/bb./bb” /b

    I hesitated but moved forward, unable to stop myself.

    bwhen /b

    Wendy returned from the closet, carrying a nail polish kit. “I thought we could do each other’s nails,” bMi /bsaidb, /bbsweetly /bbenough /bbto /bbmake /bbme /bsick. “You know, sister stuff. We never got to do this back at Direstone Pack, did we?”

    I almostughed, but the bitter taste of rage choked the sound back. A manicure. That was bit/bb? /bbSomething /bbabout /bbthis /bbdidn’t /bbsit /bbright/bb, /bbbut /bI bwas /btoo wounded to protest.

    b15:34 /bbFri/bb, /bb8 /bbAug /b

    I did as she asked, my hands shaking as I clipped her nails and filed them into shape. The scent of her perfume mixed with the tang of blood in the air, making my stomach churn.

    But I kept my face neutral. I couldn’t g

    give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.

    When I was done, Mi admired her nails, raising her hands toward the light. “A little rough,” she said with a sigh, b“/bbut not bbad/bb, /bconsidering you’re so… inexperienced.”

    Her voice trailed off into something darker, her expression hardening. “You know, back at Direstone, Mom and I used to talk babout /bbyour /bfuture. We thought you might end up an old virgin, living under our roof forever. We never thought you’d be lucky enough bto /bbe mated bto /bban /bAlpha. But look at you now, a lucky little bitch.”

    I didn’t respond. What could I say? That’s what she wanted, wasn’t it? For me to beg. To cower.

    But I wouldn’t give her that. Not now, not ever.

    Before I could say anything, Mi’s tone shifted, bing low and venomous. “But let’s see if you’ll still be so lucky bafter /bthis.

    She reached down into the kit again and pulled out something small and sharp. My stomach dropped as she gripped bmy /bhand btightly/b. i“/iAnything wrong?” she asked, her voice sweet, but her eyes betrayed the cruelty lurking beneath.

    I could feel my pulse racing in my chest, every muscle in my body tensing.

    “Nothing,” iI /iwhispered, my voice tight.

    Her smile widened.

    She didn’t reach for any clippers this time.

    Instead, she grabbed a bamboo splinter. I felt my heart thud in my chest as she pressed it to my hand, slowly pushing it beneath my thumbnaili. /i

    “Let’s isee /ihow strong you really are.”

    G