Luna Forsaken (Arya and James) novel Chapter 43

43 The Whip and the Severing: Blood on the Ground

Arya’s POV

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The crowd parted to let them pull me through, like they wanted a closer look at my disgrace.

People pointed.

People laughed.

People booed.

“Look at her!”

“That’s what you get!”

“Murderer!”

My head lolled to the side.

My vision blurred.

Then they threw me down outside the main yard, near the edge, where everyone could still

see me.

Not inside.

Not treated.

Not given water.

Left outside.

Bleeding.

Bound.

A spectacle,

Someone shouted, “Leave her there!”

Someone else yelled, “Let her rot!”

Rebecca’s voice rose, sharp and pleased.

“Let her feel it,” she said.

I lay there, chains biting into my wrists and ankles, silver burning my skin, blood pooling

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<43 The Whip and the Severing: Blood on the Ground

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beneath me, my breath shallow.

I couldn’t move much.

I couldn’t even turn properly.

Every time I tried, pain ripped through my back.

My throat was too dry to swallow.

My eyes fluttered.

I forced them open again.

Above me, the sky shifted toward evening.

The yard eventually thinned as people went back to their homes, satisfied they’d seen punishment served.

But guards remained.

Watching.

Making sure I didn’t crawl away.

As if I could.

I lay there as the cold crept in again.

My body shook.

Not from fear now.

From shock.

From silver.

From blood loss.

My hand twitched toward my stomach.

Chains rattled.

My fingers finally touched the curve of my belly.

A wave of terror hit so hard it made me gasp.

Because something felt wrong.

A cramp.

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<43 The Whip and the Severing: Blood on the Ground

Deep.

Low.

Sharp.

I froze.

Breathing shallow, I tried to will it away.

No.

No.

Not now.

Another cramp hit.

Worse.

I sucked in a breath, biting down on a sound.

My legs trembled.

I tried to shift, to adjust, but pain on my back stopped me.

The cramp tightened again, twisting like a knife.

A low whimper escaped me.

A guard looked down.

“What now?” he muttered.

I clenched my jaw.

Another cramp.

I gasped, tears springing up again, not from humiliation this time, pure fear.

“Help,” I whispered.

The guard stared.

He didn’t move.

I tried louder.

“Help!” I rasped.

My voice was weak,

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43 The whip

The guard scoffed. “Should’ve thought about that earlier.”

I shook

my head faintly.

“I didn’t, “I tried to say.

But the cramp cut me off.

My body clenched.

Heat spread between my legs.

Then wetness.

A horrible, sinking dread filled my chest.

No.

No, please.

I sucked in air, shaking.

“Please,” I whispered. “Please,”

The guard looked away.

As if he couldn’t be bothered.

As if I was beneath him.

Another wave hit, stronger.

I cried out, a broken sound.

My stomach tightened hard.

My body shuddered.

And then,

Blood.

Warm blood began to flow.

At first, I didn’t understand.

Then I did.

My breath broke,

A sob tore out of me.

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“No,” I whispered, shaking my head weakly. “No, no, no,

The guard glanced down again, eyes narrowing.

He didn’t rush to help.

He just watched, expression blank.

I tried to curl, to protect myself, to hold the baby in, but it didn’t work.

The cramps kept coming.

Relentless.

My body convulsed around them.

My breath came in panicked gasps.

zzz

My tears fell, hot and constant,

My hands shook against the chains as I tried to reach my stomach again, as if touch could stop it.

But it didn’t.

Blood soaked beneath me.

Cold air hit my skin.

My vision blurred harder now.

I heard distant voices, faint, muffled.

Someone laughed somewhere, unaware or uncaring..

I tried to scream, but my throat wouldn’t carry it.

A broken sound came out instead.

“My baby,” I whispered.

Another cramp hit so hard my whole body jerked.

Pain ripped through me,

Then a strange, sickening emptiness followed.

I sobbed, chest heaving, shaking violently.

“No,” I whispered again, voice shattered. “Please… please…”

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The blood kept flowing.

Too much.

My head spun.

My limbs felt numb.

The silver chains seemed heavier, dragging me down.

I blinked, trying to focus.

The guard stood above, looking down like I was filth.

He muttered something under his breath, then turned his head away, as if the sight disgusted him.

I kept bleeding.

My body shook.

My breath slowed.

My eyes fluttered.

I tried to keep them open, tried to stay awake, tried to hold on to something, anything.

I lifted my gaze weakly toward the sky.

I couldn’t see the moon yet.

But I knew it was there somewhere.

My lips moved.

A whisper.

A prayer.

Not soft.

Not polite.

Desperate.

“Moon… give me a second chance,” I breathed. “A second chance…”

My eyes burned.

My throat tightened.

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“…at life,” I whispered. “…at revenge.”

The world tilted again.

Sound faded.

The cold crept deeper.

My eyelids grew heavier.

The bleeding didn’t stop.

And then, finally, my body gave in.

I bled until everything went dark, until I was unconscious.

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<Luna Forsaken