The Walk of Shame

Astrid

Everything I have ever held so dear in my life came crashing down with a gravitating force that sent my life crumbling. 

How could they? How could they believe that little twart over me?

 I was not a thief. I couldn't steal something so dear that belonged to my own pack. 

The same pack I have labored so hard for.

"You can't possibly say this about me. I'm not a thief. I have been your Luna for the longest time now. You should know me better than anyone."

I roared like an angry lion, but it felt like my words fell on deaf ears. The elders gathered their heads together like they were secretly planning my demise.

"How dare you? Answer me. Did someone send you here to do this to me?” My hand gripped his neck. His eyes rolled backwards.  His chest heaving up and down as he struggled for breath.

“Let him go. You will kill him.” Jarvis tried holding my hand. 

"How could you let them do this to me, Jarvis? You know me too well." I smacked my hand against his chest.

"You of all people know the consequences of your actions, Astrid. You knew this but went ahead to steal from the pack. From your own pack." He pronounced the last sentence with disgust written on his face.

"You know me, Jarvis. I couldn't..."

"I thought I knew you, not until now. I thought we could fix whatever was between us."

"Jarvis, please..." my heart broke into a million pieces as I watched him turn his back away from me.

"Okay, seize her. We don't have time." One of the elders said.

My body tensed on the spot.

I blinked the tears from my eyes. Before I could get a clear vision, two guards held me on either side of my arms as they yanked me up.

I was roughly dragged to the back of the packhouse.

"Strip the shirt off her body and make her lie with her head on the stone.”

Without mercy, I was yanked forward, and before anything, my shirt was ripped off my body, leaving me with just a black lacy bra that covered my chest.

The chilly air hit my body. Goosebumps immediately formed, making me shiver.

My head was shoved down on the flat surface stone. 

My hands were roughly tied behind my back, and a heavy weight kept them pressed down, making it difficult for me to even make a move.

"Let me get the whip."

Tears burned at the back of my eyes at the command. No, they couldn’t use that on me. I didn't do anything. I didn't deserve to be beaten with a whip like a murderer.

"Please don't do this to me. I didn't do anything." My nostrils burned with snot as I begged. Tears mixed with snot dropped down to the floor in front of me.

"Jarvis, Fern!" I screamed at the top of my voice. "Please tell them to stop. I didn't do any of that. I'm being framed."

The words came out muffled when a whoosh sound vibrated in the air and sliced down at the sole of my feet.

My body bucked and jerked at the impact. Pain tore through my body.

A sizzling noise sounded at the sole of my feet. It was like a hot iron had been taken out of a furnace and plastered to the bottom of my feet.

I was still struggling to digest the pain when another stroke landed on the same spot as the first.

"Hold her still." They ordered the people who held me in place, making it difficult for me to make even the tiniest move.

"Please, I'm sorry. Please...I'm willing to take any other punishment but not this."

I wailed, but it was like my cries and screams fell on deaf ears.

No one listened to me. They kept hitting. I tried a mind-link with the pack, but no one said a word or even stepped forward.

Jarvis had completely blocked me out. Fern too wasn't responding to me. But what could she do?

The whips kept coming one after the other. It came to a point where I couldn't react anymore. My legs had become numb to any pain.

I sat still, waiting for it to be over, for me to finally meet my end. But it felt like it was taking an eternity to arrive.

"How many strokes are left?"

I heard them ask.

"Twenty-eight strokes already. She has two left."

My eyes shut closed as the two strokes were added to the already existing wounds given by the previous strokes.

I was yanked to a standing position after the last stroke. My legs immediately gave way at the burning sensation under them.

My body lurched forward, almost landing on the floor, but the guards kept me in place.

The debris stuck under my feet, making it impossible for me to stand. It was like little thorns were being shoved into the fresh wounds.

"Strip her of her clothes. And bring forth the silver leash."

There wasn't any reaction to that. There was nothing I could do that would stop them from treating me like this.

A woman was picked from the crowd. They ripped the black pants off my body with sharp objects, some tearing into my flesh.

Not only did the soles of my feet go numb, but my entire body had become accustomed to the pain.

My swollen eyes were fixed ahead as I refused to look at what they were doing.

I couldn't stand on my own two feet. The guards held me in place.

The leash was brought and clasped around my neck.

The silver burned into my skin.

My hands were brought forward, and the chains attached to the leash were put around them.

'You let them do this to me. You let them shame me, Jarvis. I will never forgive you, Jarvis."

Thinking that the mind-link wouldn't go through like minutes ago, I was surprised that he answered.

"I'm sorry, Astrid. You knew the rules but still went ahead to break them. I couldn't do anything."

I didn't respond to that. I let them drag me along like a bag of potatoes because I couldn't walk on my feet.

"We should have known you were hiding a part of you."

"So you have been planning to control Veridian with the help of the hearthstone."

"Shame on you."

Hateful words were aimed at me

I shut my swollen eyes after something like an egg or tomatoes was aimed at me. It squashed on my face.

My knees scraped on the bare ground as they pulled me forward.

The chains burned into my flesh. I could feel life slowly slipping from my grasp.

My eyes kept closing, but I tried to keep them open. But what good would that do me? I was already at the end of it. At the end of the road.

Objects were thrown at me, insults hauled at me.

I didn't know how far I had been dragged until the sound of a running stream made me focus.

"We shall stop here."

Mugo said. 

My head hit something like a rock. The guards let go of me.

I lay there, bare, with the eyes of the entire pack feeding on me.

"We're at the silver river, the boundary between Emberclaw and the other packs."

I tried to mind-link my wolf to ask for her support, but it was like she died when the first stroke was given to me. She hadn't reacted until now.

"Because of the atrocities committed by the Luna of Emberclaw and her denial of it, we hereby banish her from Emberclaw."

When I thought I was numb from pain, a sharp pain zipped through my heart. I could feel blood dripping from it and down to my stomach.

Like the barnishment had woken up Edna,  she howled in my head with a force that sent me writhing on the floor.

‘They can't do this.’ She growled. 

"No...no...you can't..." I didn't think anyone could hear me, given how low my voice was.

"You shall never return to this pack, for if you're caught, you shall be executed."

His final sentence sent my heart to a standstill. I wasn't breathing. It became dark inside my head. When I tried to open my eyes, it was dark.

There was nothing to see.

Just my ears that were a little sensitive to the footsteps that were retreating and the distant voices.

They left me here to die. Left me to my own fate.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything. I promised to take care of Amira."

My eyes tried to light up at Fern's mind-link, but it was useless. I needed her before now. I needed all of them before now.

They banished me from a pack that was mine and because of something I didn't do.

They believed a total stranger over me.

I tried to mind- link her, but a sudden bang on my temple with a cracking sound completely shut my mind from the entire surface.

Someone threw an object on my head!

It became dark, and my heart stopped beating.

***

I didn't know how long it had been. I don't know if I was dead and in another world.

But a stabbing pain all around my body sent me opening my eyes to check my surroundings.

How long has it been? Years, months, weeks?

I tried to ease myself to a sitting position from where I was laying, but a cold and unfamiliar touch gently pushed me back down.

“Lay still.”

When I peered my eyes opened, a set  of extremely ocean blue eyes stared  down at me. A  deep frown on their face.