16. Apollo #2
Seth did neither. His lip curled in disgust, eyes hardening.
“You will not lay a hand on me,” he said darkly, a growl so low in decibel that it wasn’t detectible by human ears.
He fisted his hands at his sides, the tendons in his neck straining.
I could feel everything I’d been working toward falling apart.
Pater would kill Seth if he felt threatened by him, and if Pater had reason to suspect him, then the suspicion could too easily fall on me next, and on my mate.
He might decide we were more trouble than we were worth and just wipe us all out and start from scratch with a fresh batch of trainees.
The vision was so clear in my mind, and a desperate panic flared inside me, drowning my senses until all I saw, heard, tasted was red.
“Enough!” I roared before I could suppress the urge, and everyone froze, heads instinctively bowing, all but Pater, who turned to glare at me with suspicion.
There was only one way for all of us to survive the next hour.
I needed to offer Pater a way of saving face, a way to bolster his pride.
I kept my voice steady, even as my stomach threatened to empty itself right here on the floor at my feet.
“I will be the one to dole out his punishment,” I said, holding out my hand for the whip.
Pater’s face turned thoughtful, debating the added disgrace Seth would feel to have an equal put him in his place, not to mention the fact that I was stronger and could inflict more damage.
He glanced between Elder Grant and Seth to see if either of them would dispute me.
Grant nodded once, followed by Seth. “Yes, I believe that sounds like a fair outcome.” Fair, I scoffed in my mind.
Nothing about this was fair. He passed me the whip, but paused before letting go, capturing my gaze.
“You do not stop until he’s ready to show obedience. ”
I nodded sharply, teeth gritted, and he released the whip. I turned and walked down the hall, Seth following with a heavy gait.
When we’d stepped outside into the yard, the sun beating down on us, he finally spoke, his voice low. “I couldn’t just stand by and watch,” he murmured, sounding as wrecked as I was. “I’m sorry.” His apology hit hard.
“I’m sorry too,” I said as I came to a stop before the whipping post beside the barn, and turned to face him. “I’m proud of what you did, standing up for Loki. He didn’t deserve a beating, and neither do you, but if I don’t do it, someone else will.”
Seth stared down at the ground. “I know. I would rather it be you who does it. At least you won't get off on it.” Without another word, he lifted his chin high and walked proudly over to the post and pulled his shirt off, showing a back full of scars, a lifetime’s worth, a mirror of my own.
As brave as he was, we all had our limit, and Pater would make sure Seth was pushed past his—with or without my help.
I squeezed the whip’s braided leather handle, trying to steady my shaking hands, preparing myself for what I was about to do. “Do I need to bind your hands?” I asked.
“No. I won’t fight you on it,” he said, his voice steady as he braced his palms on the wooden crossbeam. “If I could take all the trainees’ punishments, I would do it gladly.”
I was surprised by the soft spot he had for kids. Seth had always been the ruthless hunter to me, rude and violent, cold and closed off, but at this moment, I realized there was far more to him than met the eye. Maybe I wasn’t the only one pretending to be something I wasn’t.
Just as I had to pretend right now…
With a firm grip, I brought the whip down across his back, and he let out a brief gasp before locking down his reaction.
The first hit was always a shock, no matter how prepared you thought you were.
Pink welts immediately rose in stripes across his back.
He barely flinched at the second hit. Or the third.
It wasn’t until the tenth hit that his skin split open, blood spilling down his broad back in a steady stream.
Before my eyes, the edges of the wound began to heal.
If I’d had any doubts about Seth’s genetics, it was quickly put to rest. I just had to hope we were far enough from the house that the blood would hide the evidence.
I refused to put my full strength behind the lashes, but I had to make it look good. There were always eyes on us, and I refused to give them any reason to doubt me. And in the end, it didn’t matter how gentle I was. There was no way to protect Seth from the pain.
My shoulder began to ache, my palm slick with sweat on the handle, and Seth began to falter.
One hand slipped from the crossbeam, and he leaned his shoulder on it instead, his entire body shaking from the effort to stay upright.
I felt each whip as if they’d been inflicted on myself.
Seth was no longer a rival. He was family—he was pack.
The lashes were no longer healing. Too much damage had been inflicted, and at last he fell to his knees, his blood turning the dirt to mud beneath him. His shoulders heaved with each breath, but still he did not ask me to stop.
I glanced over toward the house and found Pater standing in the doorway watching, arms crossed over his chest, triumphant look on his face.
He gave me a nod of approval, then turned to go back inside.
I blew out a relieved breath, then came to crouch beside Seth.
Emotion choked me, and I swallowed to clear the pressure that had built up in my throat.
Even though no one was around to hear what I said, I kept my voice low. “Please… I need you pretend to be obedient to Pater and the other elders. Let him believe he won. Just for now. Can you do that?”
It took effort for Seth to raise his head enough to look at me, but he was not broken. In his eyes, I saw a glimmer of hope. “Yes, Apollo. For you, I can do that.”
And though he said my name, I swore he was calling me Alpha.