The Eclipsed Life of Luna Mischa (by Jennifer Francis) novel Chapter 32

CH 32

She stood outside and watched as Kendrick dealt out Anthony’s lashes and listened to him gasp in pain and try to hold up against it. Their Beta really did know how to swing that thing, and wasn’t taking it easy on his own Alpha. Did his job to the letter as per pack law and the Elders‘ wishes.

She watched on as Anthony went from willingly kneeling for his punishment to, at the 15th lash, leaning on the shaming post for support, his wrists were bound to the ring at the top so he couldn’t fall down. The last five of the 30 lashes, he was almost completely limp, just

sagging there, unable to even support his own weight.

Kendrick hadn’t given a single pause in his lashing of the Alpha. Simply stated “1” then lashed him, “2” then lashed him. He’d not stopped even with the change in Anthony’s posture. This was something she knew Anthony had never had done to him before.

She also knew that they never dealt out this many lashes to any pack member before; the standard punishment was three to five lashes.

He was out here receiving a punishment none here had ever seen the likes of inside this

pack. Was in fact learning a harsh lesson. Christy had been shackled to the post next to him, and Mischa had seen that she just sat without watching as Anthony took those first five or six lashes without saying much at all.

‘She’s still angry about Anthony’s actual punishment to her and that drug he ordered given to her, Paul told her via the mind–link.

Mischa could believe that, considering how desperate Christy was to conceive the pack an heir. When Anthony took that 10th lash and his gasp could be heard to be filled with pain, Christy finally turned and looked at him with tear–filled eyes, and by the 15th she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he folded under the weight of the punishment and sagged against that post.

Then there were sobs coming from Christy that got worse with every lash he took. ‘That is real distress.‘ Paul informed her ‘she’s now past her anger and truly feeling the pain of watching her Mate suffer. There is even a little bit of guilt mixed in there… Though I honestly thought there would be more than what I’m getting.‘

At 20 lashes, Christy was begging for it to stop, pleading with everyone that it was going to kill him. She turned and yelled at Mischa for being so heartless and cruel to her own Mate, and screamed at her to rescind the punishment.

It was the only time Kendrick had stopped lashing Anthony. He’d stated, “There are 10 to go.

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Do you want to absorb them, Luna Christy? Be warned, it’ll be with the cat of 5 tails, which is silver barbed.”

“Don’t.” had come from Anthony, though he’d not had the strength to look at Christy, everyone had looked at Christy, and she’d shaken her head ‘no‘. “Continue.” Had come from the Elders

and those last 10 lashes had been dealt out as the first 20 had been.

She’d watched as the Cat had been rinsed clean of Anthony’s blood in a bucket of water and then had been handed to her by Elder May, “The first lash to Luna Christy is yours, Luna Mischa, if you want it. Though if you do wish to dish out all 25 of them… that is your right, and we’ll let you.”

Mischa had stood looking down at Christy at the she–wolf, who for the past two years had done everything she could, to eclipse her life and take it all for herself. She saw as it registered with Christy that, yes, Mischa would want to do this. That she–wolf knew exactly what she’d done over the course of the time she’d been here. As well as did Mischa.

Mischa reached out and took that Cat from May, as Paul again mind–linked her, ‘She understands why you want to do it. Payback for her interfering in your and Anthony’s mate bond.‘

‘Does she regret it?‘ Mischa asked.

‘No,’ he answered after a short pause. ‘She is just angry that you found a way to have her punished for it, is all.‘ He sighed, and she could hear the disappointment in that one sound.

Mischa nodded as she tested the weight of the Cat in her hand. ‘Let me know when she regrets it, she stated and dropped the mind–link. Then she looked at Christy, “I will attend to all the lashes as is my right. All 25 of them.” she stated.

Christy glared up at her through those tears. “You’ll regret it, Anthony will never forgive you if you do this yourself, to me.” she bit out.

“So be it.” Mischa stated flatly. “He rarely even cares to see me at all nowadays, so what difference will it make to my life? … None.” She answered her own question and unleashed that first lash upon Christy, it wasn’t just her behind it, but Laud as well.

They heard Christy scream in pain, and then she was gasping and sobbing. Every hit came with a cry of pain or a scream of agony until that 10th lash saw her rendered unconscious. ” She’s out cold,” Paul stated, for all to know it wasn’t an act.

“Wake her up,” Elder May stated without hesitation.

A bucket of ice–cold water was brought and dumped over Christy, and she woke with a full gasp and looked down at herself soaking wet out there in the snow, seemed confused for a

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moment as to why she was out there and struggled against the shackles, and then she looked about and saw Mischa standing there with that Cat “You passed out.” Mischa told her.

“Continue,” Elder May stated, “We’ll wake her every time she falls unconscious. To make certain she feels every single lash.”

“Stop,” Christy pleaded. “It’ll never happen again. Please just stop. I can’t take it anymore.”

Mischa walked over and got right down on her level. “You have no choice, and I will serve every lash. Because you brought this all on yourself. There will be no acceptance of any begging from you.

“I begged Anthony that last time to come to me. I was in utter agony, and did he listen to me, did he leave you to help me… or did he ignore my pleas because you told him too. So, this is me, taking the lead from our Alpha Mate, and ignoring the begging and pleading of his other Luna. What is good for one, is good for the other, yes?

“So you go on and keep begging as I did, it will fall on deaf ears where I am concerned, just like my begging and pleading fell on his deaf ears because your begging and pleading was all he heard.”

“You’re his Mate too, hurting me is hurting him,” Christy stated.

“Hmm,” Mischa tilted that she–wolf’s chin all the way up. “But isn’t that what you do, at every given opportunity… I see, you don’t like it being dished out back to you. A full double standard,

“Mischa stated.

“I never once brought physical harm to you,” Christy grated out.

“You say that, but I believe you only didn’t because Anthony would never forgive you for that. Now would he, and you’d get yourself rejected over it.” She stood up.

This she–wolf could talk and hold a proper conversation now, “I believe I’ve let you recover long enough. So let’s continue now with the lashing,” she stated and saw Christy’s eyes

widen.

Mischa smiled down at her. “Oh, you didn’t realize that’s all I was doing, did you? Poor Christy, not so bright are you.” she shook her head and took up her position once more to restart the lashes. Her eyes moved to Anthony, and he was just sagged there leaning on that shaming post, his chest against the wood, but his eyes were on her.

She’d spoken quite softly to Christy, but she knew he’d have caught every single word. He looked pained to her and not just from having taken those lashes, that were slowly being healed by his wolf now. But by what he’d just heard her say she thought.

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She turned her eyes away from him and back to Christy and started those lashes once more. She got seven of them in before Christy was once again passed out from the pain, and had to be doused in freezing cold water to bring her back to consciousness.

She screamed at them all and thrashed there on that shaming post, for almost a full minute as she struggled to get herself free but could not. Only when she stopped struggling did Mischa resume the lashes. Five more dished out and she–wolf was unconscious yet again.

It appeared that with every round of lashes, Christy could only take half of what she’d previously been dished out. She only had three to go now and Mischa wondered if this she–wolf would be stupid enough to do this ever again or would she in fact learn from her

own mistakes.

Though her head would come off if she did this exact same thing, ‘Paul?‘ she asked down the

mind–link.

‘Angry once more. She doesn’t regret anything she’s done to you.’ He sighed, ‘I get the feeling she also thinks this will break your and Anthony’s bond, he’ll reject you for punishing her.‘

Mischa sighed ‘No remorse at all, she thought sadly. There wasn’t going to be any lesson

learned from this. She dealt out those last three lashes and handed the Cat off to Kendrick.”

Clean that please, and put it away,” she stated.

“Yes Luna.” He nodded.

She looked at Anthony, who was looking at Christy now. He looked very unhappy to her, and she stated his name to draw his attention to her, “Anthony…” his eyes moved to her. “I will dish out the remainder of your own lashes at 1pm. Giving Shade time to fully heal you from this punishment. It is the only leniency to be granted.” She informed him and then turned and walked away into the packhouse.

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