The first lash landed.
A sharp, quick pain exploded across Raine’s back. It forced the air from her lungs. She inhaled sharply, and her body tensed at the sudden impact but remained upright.
She closed her eyes briefly, but she did not scream. It certainly wasn’t because it didn’t hurt; she simply refused to scream.
Ariana watched her expression closely. "Confess."
When Raine’s voice came, it was strained but steady. "I have nothing to confess."
The second lash landed.
This time her balance faltered. The room felt smaller. The warriors looked uncomfortable now, feeling unsettled by Raine’s lack of reaction.
Ariana’s voice sharpened. "You put something. Admit it."
Shaking her head with tighter breath, Raine struggled to respond. "No." Only one word came out of her mouth.
Another lash landed.
Pain layered, spreading heat through her back. She could feel blood trickling down.
The warriors were the first to break. "Lady Ariana," one of them said, his voice tight with restraint rather than rebellion, "if we continue, we risk killing her."
Her face remained unchanged. Ariana did not hesitate. She did not even shift her gaze. "Continue."
The second warrior stepped forward, holding the whip, but he didn’t lift his arm. "Lady Ariana," he said carefully, "she has already endured enough. If we go further, there is a risk we can end up killing her."
"She has endured nothing compared to what Landon is enduring," Ariana replied.
The warrior tried again. "She is only a human, not a shifter. She has no healing ability, so she will not recover the way we do."
The room felt colder. Raine, barely holding onto consciousness, registered the words in fragments; not clearly, not completely—but enough. Not a shifter. Cannot heal. Risk of killing her. How ironic.
Ariana’s voice cut through the air. "She will speak."
The warrior spoke, more firmly now, but still respectful. "If she dies without the Alpha’s or the Beta’s order, that will be on us."
Silence fell heavier as something shifted in Ariana’s expression—not fear for Raine’s possible death, but calculation. Because if Raine died...
Seeing hesitation on Ariana’s expression, the second warrior stepped forward and continued. "We cannot proceed without the Alpha’s or the Beta’s order."
Ariana’s eyes hardened. "Are you refusing me?"
The warrior bowed his head. "We are refusing to overstep our authority." The other warrior also bowed respectfully, showing agreement.
The omegas remained silent in the corridor, lowering their heads.
Ariana looked between the two warriors, measuring whether she could push harder. For a moment, it seemed she might. The warriors did not look at her, but they were waiting for her decision.
Ariana took a slow breath. She hesitated, not because she feared responsibility, but because pack law was not something even she could bend without consequence.
Yet, while looking down at Raine, Ariana demanded. "Speak."
Raine tried. Her lips parted, but no argument came. Instead, her vision blurred, the dungeon tilting slightly as her body decided it had reached its limit. Then she collapsed.
"Lady—" one of the warriors started.
Ariana stepped forward immediately. "Hold her up."
They did, but Raine’s head hung forward, and her breath was shallow. "She’s unconscious," the second warrior said.
Ariana stepped closer, studying Raine’s face for any sign of deception—a furrowed brow, a hint of awareness—anything to justify continuing. However, there was nothing.
Her dropped even colder now. "Leave her." The warriors lowered Raine carefully to the ground.
For a long second, Ariana simply stood there, watching Raine lie motionless on the stone floor. Then, she turned and left the dungeon, her footsteps echoing up the stone corridor.
***
When Raine woke up, it was gradual rather than sudden. First came the pain, then her breath, and finally her awareness. Her body was in so much pain that every movement brought sharp discomfort.
For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. Then the stone coldness beneath her reminded her. It was the dungeon. Of course. She was still there. How dramatic. How convenient.
She tried to shift, but the smallest movement sent a sharp protest through her muscles.
"D-don’t move." The voice was soft but shaking.
Raine blinked slowly.
It was Brianna.
The young omega was kneeling beside her; her eyes were red and swollen, and her hands were trembling as she held a damp cloth. "You’re awake," Brianna whispered, relief and distress tangled together.
Raine swallowed. Her throat felt raw. "Great," she murmured weakly. "I am not dead yet."
Brianna made a small sound that was half sob and half laugh. "D-don’t joke."
Attempting a smile but failing entirely, Raine whispered. "If I can still joke, I’m fine." That was a lie. They both knew it.
Brianna carefully helped her sit up just enough to drink a little water. Raine winced but didn’t complain. The young omega’s hands were gentle as she cleaned what she could, her movements slow and careful, as if afraid Raine would shatter.
"I-I tried to stop them," Brianna said quietly. "I-I told Lady Ariana that y-you wouldn’t hurt Master Landon. I told her." She whispered fiercely. "But s-she wasn’t listening."
Letting out a small breath of a laugh, Raine responded. "She was listening," she said. "She just didn’t like what she heard."
"This i-isn’t fair." Brianna shook her head with a sad expression on her face.
Raine opened her eyes again. "No," she agreed calmly. "It isn’t."
Brianna paused and looked around the dungeon with visible distress. "They left you h-here. I asked i-if you could at least be moved somewhere w-warmer."
"And?" Raine sighed softly. Brianna’s silence answered. "Well. I’ve slept in worse places."
"T-that’s not comforting," Brianna said, wiping her eyes.
Raine leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. As she was alive, that meant the agreement involving her and Landon still held. It also meant that Ariana would not stop.
If Landon worsened again...
She exhaled slowly. "This will happen again," she murmured.
"W-what?" Brianna stiffened.
"If he gets worse, she will come back." Raine opened her eyes. "And Landon will..."