CHAPTER 82: FAMILY PURNISHMENT.

But Victoria only rolled her eyes, turning her face away from him in sheer annoyance.

At last, Darius released her waist, his jaw clenched tight with suppressed rage. Without uttering another word, he turned on his heel and stormed toward the exit of the plant house.

Just as he reached the doorway, the sky cracked with thunder, a sharp, menacing sound that echoed through the structure. Within seconds, heavy rain began to pour, drumming fiercely against the glass roof above them.

Darius froze in his tracks and instinctively took a step back, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

"What are you still waiting for? Get going!" Victoria’s voice rang out behind him, sharp and laced with sarcasm.

He turned around slowly to face her, his expression blank with disbelief. Then, without warning, he walked back toward her, stopped just a few feet away, and lowered himself onto the ground with a grunt.

"You’re not blind, are you? It’s raining. Heavily," he muttered, folding his arms. "I’ll go when it stops. You think I want to be stuck in here with you too?"

He scoffed after the words left his mouth, but there was something strangely forced about the sound.

Victoria frowned and folded her arms tightly over her chest, her eyes narrowing at him. "No, you should leave now. You’re not made of salt, are you?"

I swear, I might end up stabbing you if we’re stuck in here any longer, she thought bitterly, heaving a deep sigh.

Her gaze shifted away from him and settled blankly on the rain-streaked glass. Just how am I supposed to handle all of this? When did the moon sickness really begin? Who created it? And who exactly are the Council of Elders?

I feel like I’m constantly wearing a mask during this second chance at life.....like I have to change who I am every time something new happens. It’s exhausting. It’s like I’m splintering into different people, and it’s starting to drive me insane. I just wish all of this would end soon... and that everyone who deserves punishment finally gets what’s coming to them.

"What are you thinking about?" Darius’s voice cut through her thoughts, and she snapped back to the present as he waved a hand in front of her face.

Victoria blinked, startled, then swatted his hand away irritably. "Don’t do that."

"Where did you go, young lady?" he teased with a faint smirk.

"You can stay until the rain stops," she muttered after a pause, her tone softer now. She swallowed hard and slowly sat down beside him, although her posture remained stiff. "Is your phone with you? I forgot to bring mine."

"Nope. I left mine behind too. I was too angry to even think straight," Darius replied with a heavy sigh. "Shouldn’t there be an umbrella or something in here?"

"There’s none," Victoria replied flatly, rolling her eyes again. "Let’s just wait. The rain will stop soon."

Darius gave a quiet nod, his eyes briefly scanning the room before resting on the glass ceiling.

*****

The golden sun cast its radiant rays through the glass roof of the plant house, lighting up every corner with a warm glow. It bathed the earth outside in a shimmering brilliance and crept slowly over Victoria’s face, stirring her awake.

Her lashes fluttered open and her eyes immediately widened in alarm when she found Darius’s face mere inches from her own. His peaceful, sleeping expression was far too close for comfort.

With a startled yelp, she jerked back, her movement jolting Darius awake as well.

"Who the hell is disturbing my sleep?" Darius groaned, stretching his arms overhead before he finally glanced around in confusion. His eyes then fell on Victoria, who looked utterly scandalized. Realization hit him like a brick. "Wait... I slept here?!"

"Oh, yes. And you took advantage of it, you bastard," Victoria snapped, sitting upright with fire in her gaze. "Tell me the truth....did you kiss me last night?"

Darius let out a dry scoff and stood to his feet with a look of utter disbelief. "Please. You really think you’re that irresistible? That I’d actually want to kiss you while you’re snoring like a drunken bear?"

"Drunken bear?! You’re unbelievable," Victoria fired back, also rising to her feet. "Who’s the one who’s always begging me for a kiss, huh?"

"Begging?" Darius echoed with a mocking laugh. "You must be dreaming. And for the record, I woke up with your head practically on my shoulder. Maybe it’s you who crept closer in your sleep."

"I can just as well say the same thing," Victoria shot back, her voice laced with irritation. "Stop trying to flip the script and act like you’re the victim here."

"You... I really don’t want to exchange words with you," Victoria said, her voice trembling with anger. Without sparing him another glance, she stormed toward the exit of the plant house, her footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

"Same here," Darius muttered under his breath. "I’m already late for the academy anyway." With that, he followed closely behind her, his strides stiff with frustration.

The moment they stepped out, they were met with the stunned gazes of Mrs. Ashford and Anna, both standing just outside the entrance with unreadable expressions. The rain had stopped, but the tension in the air hung thick like fog.

Victoria’s brothers....Callum, Theo, and Lucian appeared next, walking up hurriedly, their faces marked with concern. Mirabel was with them too, her expression twisted in shock and something far uglier.

"What?!" Mirabel shrieked, her eyes darting from Victoria to Darius and back again. "You were here... with Alpha Darius?!"

She gasped when she noticed the slightly ajar door behind them. "D...Did you two seriously... spend the night together in the plant house?"

"Yes, we spent the night there be...." Darius started, but Mirabel cut him off immediately, her voice rising into a screech.

"Oh my goodness! Victoria, you slut!" she shouted, her voice laced with venom and disbelief. "I knew it! You’re after Alpha Darius’s dick! Tell me....did he fuck you well?! You’ve been acting all high and mighty, pretending you weren’t interested, when all this time, you’ve been drooling over him!"

"Mirabel..." Mrs. Ashford began hesitantly, but was swiftly interrupted.

"Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll handle this bitch myself," Mirabel hissed, stepping forward like a woman possessed. "I always knew she was a whore."

Before either Victoria or Darius could speak, Callum suddenly surged forward. Without hesitation, he slammed a clenched fist into Darius’s jaw, the blow sending him staggering backward.

"I accepted you as my daughter, Victoria!" Mrs. Ashford wailed, her eyes glistening with tears. "And this is how you repay us? You’ve dragged shame into the Ashford family! Sleeping with a man you’re not even married to....have you no dignity?"

Victoria scoffed, folding her arms across her chest as disbelief washed over her face. The sight of Mrs. Ashford’s conveniently timed tears only fueled her bitterness.

Fine, she thought. Let the show begin. If it’s drama you all want, I’ll let you perform it to the end before I say a word.

Mrs. Ashford pressed her hand against her chest dramatically, her voice trembling. "Even if this was the only way you knew to survive outside, Victoria... You should have dropped that prostitution lifestyle the moment you became an Ashford. You’re disgracing your father and me!"

"How dare you lay your hands on our sister!" Theo yelled, his voice booming with fury as he rushed toward Darius. He grabbed the Alpha’s collar aggressively, yanking him forward.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Theo growled, raising his fist to deliver another punch.

Darius’s patience finally snapped. With a sharp, wordless growl, he grabbed both Theo and Callum by their collars and shoved them backward with a forceful push. They crashed to the ground, the damp earth from the morning’s rain clinging to their clothes.

"This is enough!" he shouted, his voice strained with barely controlled rage. "You’re all accusing me of something I didn’t do!"

"I believe this is a misunderstanding," Anna quickly interjected, stepping forward with a worried look etched on her face. "My brother isn’t promiscuous, and I know Victoria isn’t either. We must have misunderstood the situation."

But Mirabel wasn’t having it.

"Your brother may not be promiscuous," she snapped, glaring at Anna, "but my sister is! And she needs to be taught a lesson. The family purnishment."

Victoria’s breath hitched.

Taught a lesson? The words echoed in her mind.

Family punishment...

A sharp shiver ran down her spine as memories clawed their way up from the depths of her past. She could still feel the sting of the cane, the way her body trembled violently after every strike. Fifty strokes on the buttocks leaving her skin torn and raw, her body feverish with pain for weeks.

And then the hot charcoals.

She remembered walking barefoot across them, her feet peeling, bleeding... She remembered collapsing before she could even reach the fifth step of the ritual. She always fainted before the punishment was over.

"Family punishment?" Victoria finally spoke, her voice low and filled with disbelief. She let out a bitter laugh as she turned her eyes toward Mirabel, her expression unreadable.

"You really can’t wait to punish me, can you, dear sister?" she said with a scoff, her voice laced with quiet rage. "I haven’t even said a word, and yet you’ve already judged, condemned, and delivered your sentence."