The pain and heartache seemed to be etched into her very being, leaving her wondering if she would ever be able to love again without suffering such agony.
As she cried her heart out, two pack warriors entered her room and dragged her out without a word. She didn't resist or say anything.
She didn't even feel the pain from the rough handling as they dragged her down the stairs, because the words of her mate, Aldrake, had hurt her more.
As they descended the stairs, the entire pack was gathered, seemingly waiting for the spectacle to unfold.
"Take her to the field!" ordered the Beta of the Alpha, and the two warriors obeyed immediately.
They brought her to the field, where the pack members gathered standing like an audience, while the elders, and council, including Aldrake, were seated.
Aldrake sat tall and proud, while Livia was dragged to the front of the Alpha and the pack's authorities.
Livia didn't dare to look up, fearing that it would only cause her more pain and remind her of Aldrake's hurtful words.
The warriors forced her to kneel and bent her upper body over a wooden plank. They chained her hands to prevent her from moving.
The punishment was a public one, and everyone would witness her suffering. Aldrake stood up from his seat and walked to the other side, where Livia was looking. He gazed at her with a cold stare.
"I'm sure you know what's going to happen to you, don't you?" he asked, but Livia didn't respond, her mouth tightly shut.
"If you only say sorry and admit your sin, maybe your punishment will be lighter," he continued.
But instead of responding, Livia turned her head away from him, which only fueled Aldrake's anger.
"You really have the guts, huh! Let's see how long your stubbornness will last. Carry out the punishment! Twenty lashes!" he ordered the warrior holding the whip, and he returned to his seat, angry.
Beta repeated the Alpha's order, "You heard the Alpha's order, twenty lashes!" The warrior positioned himself behind Livia, holding the whip. Without warning, he struck her, causing a loud scream that echoed throughout the area.
The punishment continued, with the warrior whipping her relentlessly, seemingly enjoying the task.
The pack members' reactions were divided. Some were delighted to see Luna being punished, while others couldn't bear to watch the brutal spectacle.
The only sounds heard were the loud screams, cries, and the cracking of the whip. Everyone was silent, no one dared to make a sound.
Livia's face was red and swollen from crying, and several wounds had opened up on her skin. The whip's lashes had torn her clothes, and blood was seeping through.
"Twenty!!" the warrior shouted before dropping the whip, exhausted from the whipping.
"The punishment is over. Take Luna to the dungeon to reflect on her actions!" The warriors removed the chains from Livia's wrists, which were now bleeding.
Without care or mercy, they dragged her limp body away.
After arriving at the dungeon, Livia was like trash as she was carelessly dropped by the warriors.
"Tsk. You deserve it. The Alpha should have killed you so that Lady Amber could be our Luna. She's more deserving of the position than someone like you!" After saying that, the warriors laughed and left the dungeon.
Tears fell again as Livia lay on the dirty, cold floor, hoping to end her suffering. When they were alone, she heard the voice of her trusted companion.
> "Livia, are you alright? I told you to unleash me so I could fight them back. Why do you always take the punishment alone? We're one, Livia, so I should at least give them a good fight before they bring us to this dungeon." Lilly's irritated tone was unmistakable.
She didn't like Livia always getting hurt more. Livia's weak voice replied, "I'm fine, Lilly. Don't worry about me."
She tried to stand up, but her body ached, and the wounds on her back throbbed in pain. Despite the pain, she crawled to a dark corner of the dungeon.
> "You're not fine, Livia. How can I not worry when you're in this state? Livia, please let me take over so you can rest. Let me face them next time they come here." Lilly's concern was evident in her voice, but Livia refused,
"It's not necessary. You're not fully healed, Lilly. What if the punishment isn't over yet, and they see you?" Lilly growled in frustration.
> "I don't care if I'm not fully healed, Livia. All I need is for you to unleash me!" Lilly's firm command was met with resistance from Livia, causing Lilly to become angrier.
> "Livia, I'm warning you! Unleash me, or I'll force myself out. You know I'm capable of that, especially in your current state. And I'll make sure your whole body hurts even more if I force myself to come out!" Lilly's threat was laced with menace.
Lilly's shout made Livia flinch. She didn't want to disobey Lilly anymore. The sound of shifting and Livia's soft whimpers filled the dungeon as Lilly took over.
> "Finally, after resting for so long, I'm out. Just wait. When they come here and try to hurt us, I won't hesitate to fight, even if I'm not fully healed and regaining my strength," Lilly said, which Livia immediately disagreed with.
"Lilly, don't do anything that would put you in harm's way. You're not fully healed, and your strength hasn't returned yet, so restrain yourself from fighting them, especially since we know we can't take them on," Livia cautioned, but Lilly's stubbornness was evident.
> "Why can't we take them on, Livia? Don't you remember that you're stronger than any low-ranking werewolf because you're a daughter of Alpha and Beta? We are stronger than them, so why are we afraid to fight?" Lilly argued, leaving Livia speechless.
Livia knew she couldn't win an argument with Lilly, who had been by her side for a long time. But she knows better than to keep themselves in peace just for hours.
Livia's been dealing with the pain she was feeling because of the words her mate said. And now, she's also dealing with every wound on her back, caused by the punishment given to her.
"You're right Lilly, but the point here is how?. Do you think you'll win in your current state if you fight them?. Lilly, I know how much you wanted to prove that we are strong and no one should dare to hurt us, but the point here is can we? Can we fight if both of us are in bad shape?. If I'm stubborn, you're even more so, Lilly. Just don't do anything that would put you in harm's way. What we need to think about now is how to escape and get out of this h*llhole," Livia said, silencing Lilly.
Lilly didn't say anything after those words from, Livia because she knows that Livia is right.
She didn't argue back. She just lied down to the ground and focused her attention to the metal surrounding the dungeon. There was a long silence between them until Lilly suddenly remembered something.
> "Livia, do you remember the man who taught us about the passageway out of the forest?" Livia hummed in response, curious about why Lilly was bringing it up.
> "I just had a strange feeling about him. I think we need to ask for his help and clarify this feeling. Didn't he tell you to call him if you needed help?".
"Yes. But how can we call him if we are here?". Livia pointed out the impossibility of contacting him while they were in the dungeon.
"Besides, I don't want to bother him anymore Lilly. We don't know him yet, so let's find out how to escape here in our own way". Livia remarks, that makes Lilly growled in disagreement.
That man is the only way Lilly thought that will help them, > "Why not?. He offers it, and besides we need to find out why we are feeling something towards him the day we first met him. Livia, in our situation right now we need someone to lean on! We need his help, okay?". Lilly's determination was evident as she vowed to find a way to escape by the help of that man.
"And you have an idea how to contact him?". A sarcastic question from Livia, just before the warrior entered with a tray of food and medicine, but threw it at them instead of handing it over. Lilly was about to attack, but Livia restrained her.
"Let's not fight, Lilly. We won't de from hunger, but we might de if we stay in this hell*sh dungeon," Livia said, calming Lilly down. Lilly growled after the warrior left,
> "Tsk!. Dmn that low-key piece of sht!. If I just have the strength to fight, I will sure k*ll them all! Especially that guy!!".