The two warriors make to lunge forward, but Clemmens stops them. “The alpha’s orders were clear,” he says calmly. “I am supposed to take her to the office.” I look at him, and then at the silver cuffs in his hands.
Now that’s low, even for Jordan’s standard.
Clemmens briefly raises his eyes, looking at my face and my neck, but averts them afterward, like the coward he has always been. “I assume I will eventually hear what this is about, won’t I?” I ask dryly. “Whatever has he come up with now… I wonder.”
I reach out my hands, letting him cuff them together. Clemmens doesn’t say anything, but his hands tremble slightly when he leads me out of the room. I don’t feel anything, no more than usual; there is just a vast emptiness. I don’t mind that people keep staring at me and whispering. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been humiliated in front of other pack members. Jordan belittled and insulted me, diminished me. He had his men walk over me and my rank and made sure everyone knew that my only worth was giving him a baby, which I couldn’t do.
This is not new.
It’s not new, Rosea.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Sophie. The poor omega girl looks horrified and as if she is about to do something dumb. The silver ties might limit my strength, but they don’t completely block me. I am still an alpha’s daughter after all.
Don’t!I link her.They will kill you if you do anything. Lay low and stay out of Jordan’s way.I pause.Thank you for your kindness, Sophie.
I swear the poor girl has tears in her eyes, but fortunately, she listens to my words and doesn’t intervene. Another fortunate thing is that they don’t drag me all through the pack house, but just straight to Jordan’s office. We have passed enough pack members, anyway, for this to spread like wildfire, but part of me is relieved that I don’t need to walk through the whole pack.
My dignity is all I have.
It’s all I have.
When all things crumble, my pride in being my father’s daughter and my mother’s student is all that will remain with me.
No matter what they take from me, I’ll still have that.
“Took you long enough, Beta Clemmens!” Jordan snarls when Clemmens finally enters his office with me. He doesn’t spare me a glance, not that I would have expected it. Inside the room,I can see the elders and the warrior, whom I recognized from the picture, hugging fake me. His arm is broken, and he looks terrified.
How anyone could see and believe this show is beyond me. But it has long passed the stage of being subtle, and Jordan has worked well enough for the pack to not care anymore about me or about justice.
A hive mind can be truly dangerous.
“Luna,” Elder Frank looks at me with mock disappointment in his eyes. “We are unbelievably disappointed in your actions. How could you betray the alpha like that?!”
My gaze wanders towards the poor warrior with the broken arm. So, this is what this is about? What a cheap, pathetic setup. Jordan must be desperate if he is going for such a pathetic show. Unfortunately, pathetic or not, the elders are playing along, so are Clemmens and the warriors.
four
Run for Your Life
*ROSEA*
Jordan points an accusing finger at me, his eyes cold, his expression angry. “I could feel it,” he snarls. “I felt her betraying the bond.”
“That’s why the goddess is punishing her by not giving her a pup,” Elder Frank exclaims.
I cast a secret gaze at Elder Arthur, noting how he looks like he is at a loss for words. He just keeps shaking his head and muttering something.
“With these new developments, I demand to be freed of my bond to her,” Jordan hisses.
“What?!” Arthur exclaims. “There is no way we could—“
“She betrayed him,” Elder Frank snarls. “And her position. She is not worthy to be called the luna of this pack and the alpha’s mate.”
“What do you have to say in your defense?” Jordan snarls.
For a moment, I stay silent, then I straighten my back. “We all know there is literally nothing I could say. This is pointless.”
I thought Jordan would look annoyed, but Elder Frank’s eyebrow is ticking as well. What’s his problem with me? I have no idea. I didn’t know the man before he came to this pack.
