I made an effort to stand straight and hold my chin high.Ilooked straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the crowd.AndIswore to myself ifIever got out of this miserable little townIwas never,evercoming back!
“All right, you all saw it!”Harrisshouted above the boos and jeers of the crowd.“Thisfilthy slut shamed the memory of our honoredPackLeader!Shepretended to be so high and mighty—called herself a ‘MoonWidow’ but all the time she was screwingCarterJamison’snephew!”
The boos and jeers got even louder, and someone threw something at me that was wet and smelly.Itsplattered on the white canvasIhad wrapped around my body and left a gooey red stain right in the middle of my chest.
A rotten tomato—that’s what it was,Ithought, looking down at it.Wouldthis nightmare never end?Iwas actually beginning to thinkIwas dreaming again—how else couldIbe caught in such a horrible, compromising position?
“Enough, enough!”Harriscalled, raising his hands to quiet the crowd.“Nowthat we know what a slut,LadyJamisonis, we need to think of a proper punishment.”
“Stone her!”someone in the crowd shouted.“That’sthe rightful penalty for adultery!”
“ButIdidn’t commit adultery!”Icried.“Carteris dead!Inever did anything while he was alive.”
“You dishonored his memory!”someone else shouted.
“You befouled the sacred name ofMoonWidow,”Harrisgrowled at me.“Andyou must be punished for it!”
“Fine.”Ilifted my chin and glared at him.“Punishme—Idon’t care.ButleaveKorout of it.Noneof this is his fault.I…Iseduced him.Everythingyou saw—it’s all on me.Henever wanted me until…untilIoffered myself to him.”
“That’s not true!”Thenew voice coming from just beyond the crowd made me whip my head around.
It wasKor—he was tied securely with thick ropes and bound in silver chains, whichIknew weakened anyWere.Buthe was glaring at the crowd defiantly as the fourAlphastasked with holding him dragged him forward.
“Ah, it’s the pup.”Anevil grin spread acrossHarrisMurdoch’sface.“Whatwas that you were saying just a minute ago?”he askedKor.“WhenourMoonWidowwas admitting that she seduced you?”
“Vivienne never seduced me,”Korsaid, glaring atHarris.“Iwanted her from the first minuteIsaw her and there’s a reason why!”
Harris frowned.
“What are you talking about?Areason besides you being a horny young pup?”
“Yes!”Korsaid shortly, ignoring the jab.“Manyof you know that there was a prophecy that a woman with gold-ringed eyes would give a male of theJamisonline many heirs—that was the reason thatViviennewas sold to myUncleCarterin the first place.”
“But she failed!”someone shouted.“Shenever gave him any heirs!”
“Because he was the wrongJamison!”Korsnapped.“I’vebeen reading in his library—researching our genealogy and the lineage of theJamisonline.Ifyou read the prophecy, you’ll see that what the soothsayer actually said was this:
One shall come to meet the lass
Gold ringed eyes shall come to pass
He the younger of the two
Her womb shall quicken for him true
At once theMate-Bondwill attach
Heart-to-heart the two will latch
Many heirs for him she’ll bear
Their love is lasting, true, and fair.”
“So?”Harrisglared at him.“Soyou found a poem in your uncle’s library—who cares?”
“You should, because what it means is thatViviennewas given as a bride to thewrongJamison,”Korrepeated.“Theprophecy says that a woman with gold-ringed eyes would give many heirs to ayoungermale of theJamisonLineand that there would be an instant connection between them—aMate-Bond.”Helooked at me, his heart in his eyes.“Ifelt that connection the very first timeIsawVivienne’sface.AndI’myounger than her—which myUncleCarterwasn’t.Hewas much older.Hewas the wrongJamison.Itwasn’t untilIcame along that the prophecy could be fulfilled!”
There were murmurs among the crowd as people considered this new information.Iwas shocked myself.Iknew thatKorhad been researching his family tree—could what he said really be true?Hadhe been waiting to tell me when we had finally gotten away fromBlackridge?
