“I belong to no one!” Hannah threw at him. She was not some slave.
A grin spread on his lips, one that unsettled her. “You will be punished for your disobedience,” Bear Claw said.
She gulped. She did not like the sound of that. She had watched a few days ago a thief being punished. He had been flogged on the back in the presence of everyone. She would never be able to take such a pain. And the embarrassment. It was pure torture.
“You will do no such thing! I am a civilized woman!” Hannah said, summoning all her courage.
“You are nobody here. You disobeyed my orders. You ran away. You would have been killed. And you hurt yourself,” Bear Claw said. “Do you want a public or private punishment?”
“You will not punish me!” she glared. Certainly, he would not do such a thing.
She yelled as he reached for her, pulling her to him. She struggled, but her attempts were weak. “No!” she cried as he lifted her dress. What was he doing? No!
He held her arms down, with one arm but gently as she continued to struggle. Her face turned red as he lifted down her drawers. He could not do such a thing to her. She was a lady! No man had seen her that way.
“Let go of me you brute!” she struggled.
He replied with a chuckle, then held her down firmly.
“Stay still and accept your punishment, or I will make it worse,” he threatened in a steely voice that made her know he was not joking.
Hannah stopped struggling. Her breaths were short as she feared for what he would do. He was going to rape her because she had tried to escape? What kind of monster was he? She shuddered as she felt his hand on her. His rough hand caressed her skin, and she jolted, in surprise at the shock. She was supposed to feel disgusted, wasn’t she? But why did her heart race in excitement.
And then it came. Something she had never expected. A slap so hard it tore through her senses, a scream emerging from her lips. He had slapped her!
“What do you think you are doing?” Hannah struggled as tears welled in her eyes. No one had spanked her like she was a child. No one!
“I intended to give you twenty. Perhaps you will receive thirty more. Or would you prefer I do this in front of everyone?” he threatened.
Her body went still at the latter threat. It was one he was very capable of. The thought of him doing this to her in public was humiliating.
The second slap made her scream in pain, as it spread all over her butt. How could he do such a thing to her, she wondered as a tear fell from her eyes.
“Pleaseeee,” Hannah pleaded.
He responded with another spank. He ignored her cries, her pleading and her wiggles and continued to punish her. Every spank was worse than the previous. Her cries grew louder, renting through the camp as she sobbed like a baby. She counted in her mind, hoping that the ordeal would finally end.
Twenty! The last landed on her already hurting ass. He let go of her and she pulled away from him, her eyes red with tears, with flem from her nose. She glared at him with hate as she pulled her gown down. It was a mistake. She winced in pain as the cloth rubbed against her. It worsened the pain. She sat down. Another mistake. She gritted at the sharp pain that pierced through her.
“I hate you!” she threw at the monster.
“If you dare to escape, you will receive a worse punishment,” Bear Claw assured her. He turned away from her, leaving the teepee, and she burst into tears. She felt so horrible. And so alone. Perhaps it would have been better if that wolf had devoured her.
*
Bear Claw was in a bad mood. Everyone knew better to stay out of his way. He was angry with her, and angry with himself. Why would she want to run away?
He didn’t realize he had said it aloud, as Sparrow answered him.
“Because you took her from her people. She’s a stranger in these parts,” Sparrow answered. “Imagine you were taken by the white devils. Surrounded by them. And had no one to turn to. You will run. Several times. Until you die.”
She was right. He would never stop running. And there was only one thing that could stop him. That he died while running. But this was different. Right? He had taken her for a reason. Because she was his!
“She will not come easy to you. She hates you for what you have done to her,” Sparrow said.
Then what was he supposed to do? He had not intended to hurt her, but she needed to be punished for putting her life at stake.
Ever since he left the village, he had felt a niggling sense that something was going to happen. He had told the scouts to be on alert, and the same he had told his men. He had thought her too feeble to escape. Too weak. But he had been wrong. He had been unable to go on with the hunt and had returned.
