Chapter 7 #2
“No! No way!” I backed up, fighting when he grabbed me. He caught my punch easily and had me chained again within seconds. With unyielding force, he dragged me out of the room and through the house.
Downstairs, he led me through a series of passageways, noise growing louder as we approached what I knew was the dining hall. Mercifully, he paused at the double doors, turning to me.
“Last chance to make a dignified entrance.” He acted like he was doing me a favour, but all he was doing was telling me he could drag me in there or I could walk on my own. My choice.
“Fine.” I put my chin up and prepared to be humiliated on a whole new level.
Just play along, Iona.
As soon as we entered, the room hushed and hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to us.
The hall was packed to the rafters. It looked like extra chairs and tables had been crammed in, and the walls were lined with people not eating, just standing, talking…
watching. They were here for the show and I was the star.
Now I knew what animals at the zoo felt like.
I followed Kole, keeping my focus firmly ahead, walking as if I was there of my own free will and not leashed up like a dog.
He led me to the raised platform at the head of the hall where his family, his Beta, Gamma, and two women I presumed were their mates were seated. The only missing Maclay was Kallum.
Kole took his place, standing behind his chair. He looked out at his pack, silently commanding their attention with only the power of his presence. For a moment, I was impressed by him. Before his words had me plummeting back to earth.
“We have hoped for this day for a long time and it’s my pleasure to finally present our new Luna to you.
My mate, Iona Murphy.” The raucous applause made me shudder.
“I understand you are all excited to get to know your new Luna. However, due to these unusual circumstances,” unusual circumstances meaning my being held here against my will, “Luna Dinah will continue as acting Luna until my mate is ready to take the role herself. I ask you all to be patient, and give her the time and space she needs to adjust to her new life. Rest assured the mating ceremony will be taking place in two weeks.” There were more cheers and I felt sick.
I looked out over the crowd, wishing I could raze this place to the ground and run.
After a few more words, Kole took his seat.
I frowned. My chair was missing and in its place was a cushion on the floor.
Silence fell over the room. This was a joke.
It had to be. I cast my eyes around. His siblings wouldn’t look at me.
Only his parents were facing me. His mother was watchful, his father angry, whether with me or Kole I couldn’t tell. I looked at Kole, his eyes sharp.
“Kneel.” His voice was cold as steel. I stared at him in shock, though I didn’t know why this was so shocking in comparison to every other thing that had happened to me over the last few days.
But this, here in front of this mad crowd, was just too much.
“Iona, I told you, you will be taught respect and submission. You will sit at my feet while we eat.”
“You’re the animal. Maybe you should be the one sitting on the floor.”
“Alpha,” the bent-backed cretin, Elder Parson Crowley, had stood from where he sat with his fellow council cronies, “this behaviour from our Luna can’t continue. It’s disrespectful to you and us as a pack. She must be punished.” His voice creaked like an old door as he spoke.
I cast an eye over the hall. A few faces I found hard but most looked conflicted.
“Son,” Dinah spoke softly, “given the circumstances perhaps some leniency?—”
“I’ve been lenient enough.” Kole cut her off.
I looked between them, my heart hammering in my chest. I should have knelt, but I couldn’t.
This final blow to my pride was too much.
I squeezed my eyes shut and just for a moment, I was free.
I was hiking in the mountains, I could smell rainwater on the trees, the damp earth under my boots. I could hear?—
“Iona.”
I opened my eyes and found Kole staring at me. In that moment, my heart broke and a piece of me broke with it.
“I want to go home,” I whispered. It was all I could do not to burst into tears, because the sad truth was, I didn’t even have a home.
Just a place I’d grown up, and I wasn’t sure which hell was worse, that one or this one.
If there was a true home that existed for me, I didn’t know where it was.
I watched Kole’s eyes soften for just a heartbeat before the coldness took over.
“This is your home. Kneel.”
“No!” I yelled, my voice echoing over the silent spectators. He stood to his full height, glowering down at me. Then, with a resigned expression, he looked behind him to Parson and gave him a short nod. Parson nodded back and went scurrying off. This didn’t bode well. Kole turned back to me.
“You will learn.” With that he grabbed my arm and proceeded to drag me from the hall.
I had no choice but to follow, my feet tripping over themselves as I struggled to keep up with his brutal pace.
I slipped more than once but he never let me fall.
When he led me outside I figured he was taking me back to jail.
Instead, he led me across the lawn to where a metal pole, barely two feet tall, was buried in the ground.
Our audience had followed us outside, his family at the forefront watching on with mixed expressions of anger and sadness.
“Brother, please don’t do this,” Kara begged, but when he didn’t respond she looked at me, her eyes shining. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t,” I spat. “I should have left you on the side of the fucking road.”
She flinched but there was no time for her to respond.
When I saw Parson Crowley returning with a wooden box I started to struggle.
Nothing in that box meant anything good for me.
Kole surprised me by dropping the chain and standing on it.
Immediately I tugged but his foot was firm.
I couldn’t raise my hands above my waist.
“What are you doing?” I fought to keep the rising panic out of my voice.
Kole gripped my hair so I couldn’t turn to see what Parson was pulling out of the box. Seconds later, a collar and chain were fastened around my neck. The leather was tight, biting my skin, not enough to suffocate but enough to make me feel claustrophobic.
Grabbing the chain, Kole knelt and threaded it through the hoop at the top of the pole.
He tugged it until I fell to my knees. He left me enough slack to kneel and crawl around in a circle, but not stand or walk.
He did this so quickly I had no time to react until it was done and there I was, kneeling at his feet, three smug Elders at my back and an audience watching on at my humiliation.
I glowered at my gaoler and I spat at his feet. He wasn’t breaking me. Not ever.
I didn’t flinch when Crowley handed him something else and I didn’t fight when the gag was attached to my face. There was no point fighting. I would only cause myself more indignity and I didn’t want his hands on me anymore than they had to be.
To my surprise, he released my hands from the chain and crouched. He took my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.
“Learn quickly, mate. I can’t keep my wolf at bay forever.” With that he stood and returned to the pack house. Slowly, everyone else left me too.
Once alone, I huddled into a ball, wrapping my arms around my knees. The cotton dress was not going to keep me warm in this weather. This time yesterday, I’d sat in much the same position, hungrier than I was now, in a jail cell. The phrase ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ came to mind.
I’d promised myself I was going to play nicer, play smarter. Now here I was, lying in the dirt, simmering as the rage I felt towards Kole started to turn on myself. Why couldn’t I have just shut up and done as he’d asked? Because I was stubborn and reckless, that was why.
Great job, Iona. Maybe you could slap a baby next time, see how far that gets you.