Chapter 54: Lashes
Yuki felt as though a hand was crushing her heart. Her throat tightened with frustration. Actions had consequences, and she must have been out of her mind for letting her hand slip like that. She knew that. No matter how unfair this felt, none of it would have happened if her hand had not slipped.
She had already drunk from the floor. There was one difference now. Her injured hand rested against the marble. Tiny cuts covered her palm where the crystal shards had sliced through her skin. Blood trickled from the wounds and mixed with the remaining drops of potion, turning the glowing purple liquid into a dark crimson mess.
The remaining drops of the glowing purple potion mixed with her own blood on the cold marble. From the corner of her eye, she caught Olivine standing frozen with a look of genuine sorrow on her face, but there was nothing the other girl could do. Eloise ran this pack. Eloise watched her with an impatient expression, and so did the others. The ones Yuki did not even want to name. She did not have the right to.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, tucked out her tongue, and licked the floor like a dog. The potion mixed with blood and dirt left a metallic, bitter taste that made her stomach churn violently. A glass shard cut into her tongue, sending fresh pain shooting through her mouth, but she did not stop. Her eyes stung with unshed tears, yet she refused to let them fall. No one stopped her. She continued until every visible drop was gone and only a faint wet patch remained on the marble. Every shard she touched had been cleaned by her tongue.
She stayed hunched over, her injured hand trembling against the floor. Eloise’s lips curled into a small smile. She stepped forward and patted Yuki’s hair like one would an obedient dog. "Thank you for not letting Kieran’s hard work go to waste," she chimed sweetly.
Yuki’s gaze lifted and caught something flickering across Kieran’s eyes before he spoke. "Clean up this mess," Kieran said, his voice flat. "Those shards are dangerous."
The entire time Kaden barely said a word. His expression remained unreadable.
It felt almost funny how they watched her get cut by the same shards they now worried about.
Eloise’s eyes fell on Yuki’s bleeding hand. She leaned down and grabbed it with apparent concern. "Do not take it to heart, Yuki. Actions have consequences." Her voice stayed soft, but she dug her nails deliberately into the open wounds as she helped Yuki stand.
"Such an obedient puppy you are," Eloise whispered with clear glee in her eyes that vanished the moment she pulled back.
Yuki hissed at the fresh wave of pain. She yanked her hand away, causing Eloise to stumble. Kaden caught Eloise before she could fall. Something dark flashed in his eyes.
"She was just trying to help you," he snapped, then glanced at the guards. "Escort her out."
Shockingly, the words did not hurt as much as Yuki had imagined.
The guards were at least respectful. They did not drag her because they didn’t want to cause a scene. They simply walked on either side of her as they left the lounge. Yuki kept her head down as she moved down the hallway toward the elevator.
As they guided her from the room, Eloise’s voice followed behind. "What if one bottle isn’t enough?" She sounded close to tears again.
"Kieran, what if it doesn’t work?"She heard Eloise’s soft crying start up again behind her, but she tuned it out.
Obsidian Hall was an ancient palace that had survived for centuries. To keep the punishment away from curious eyes, they took her to the underground dungeon buried deep beneath the main structure. The elevator stopped at a lower floor, and from there the guards led her down an old stone stairwell. The steps were worn smooth by time and damp with moisture that seeped through the walls. The air grew heavier and colder with every step. Flickering lights cast dancing shadows that made the narrow passage feel alive. The scent of moss and old stone filled her nose, mixed with something metallic that turned her stomach.
At the bottom waited a heavy metallic door. One of the guards entered a code. The door slid open with a low, grating creak that echoed down the corridor.
A damp, dimly lit hallway stretched ahead. The walls were lined with ancient silver torture tools that had clearly seen use over the centuries. Traces of old blood still lingered in the air despite attempts to clean the space. The cold seeped into Yuki’s bones. A single bright light shone from above, though werewolves saw well enough in the dark.
In the middle of the room stood chains meant to hold her in place. "Let us not make this difficult for each other," one guard said as he led her forward. "It is only twenty lashes."
The chains clasped around her wrists and ankles with heavy clicks. They had at least shown some mercy by not using silver. One guard picked up a thick leather whip. Yuki drew in a deep breath and braced herself. He raised his arm. The light cast a large shadow across the wall.
The first lash came down hard. It tore into her back with a crack that echoed through the chamber. She collapsed to her knees as a scream tore from her throat. She could not hold back the tears any longer. They did not give her time to catch her breath before the next lash landed. Blood seeped from the wounds. She cried out in pain and cursed herself silently. Why had her hand trembled? Why had she cared at all?
Whip after whip came down. She lost count somewhere in the middle. She cried until the tears felt useless. By the time the twentieth lash landed, she was curled into a tight ball on the cold floor, barely conscious. Large wounds crisscrossed her back, bleeding profusely. Her entire body trembled violently.
Then the heavy door opened again. Footsteps drew closer.
"I brought medicine for her wounds," a female voice announced.
It was a maid. Her gaze fell on the trembling Yuki. She could barely hold back her smile. A twisted sense of glee filled her heart at the sight. After all, which she-wolf was not jealous of Yuki’s exceptional looks? Seeing Eloise put her in her place brought satisfaction.
The guards did not stop her. The maid approached. Yuki was barely coherent. Her mind swam in a haze of pain.
The maid knelt beside her. "Can you give us the room?" she asked politely. "Yuki is a lady."
The guards glanced at each other, then stepped outside. The heavy doors locked behind them, leaving just Yuki and the maid.
A soft voice spoke close to Yuki’s ear. Even through the pain she heard it clearly. "Lady Eloise sent a final gift for you. Try not to die during your first shift. It would be a shame indeed."
Yuki’s body trembled. She tried to open her eyes.
Then a bottle popped open. A familiar, dangerous stench reached her immediately. The same strange smell from Ajax’s party.
Wolfbane.
