HIS UNWORTHY MATE

~JADE~

The dance of shame was just as they called it. I'm not sure what I expected, given the name, but this truly was the dance of shame.

They didn't give me the liberty of a minute of rest, nor was I accorded the courtesy to get cleaned or even have my wounds treated. The open cuts on my back from the whip that hadn't healed yet trickled blood down my back, and the wound stung continuously as my sweat dripped into it.

They could've at least given me a few minutes with the pack doctor; a few healing herbs to cover my wounds would've helped, but none of that happened. I was dragged away from the platform where I was publicly flogged, branded, and jostled through the streets of the pack, half-naked. A few of the mated she-wolves in the pack rallied behind me, clapping as they sang the words of my shameful deeds and dishonour. The elders followed behind; Hunter, his family, and my family were in the crowd behind me. I could still faintly smell Hunter and the familiar scent of my family. 

Two guards flanked both my left and right sides-the same guards who brought me to the council hall for my trial-and kept their distance to avoid being struck by the rotten food and eggs thrown at me by the pack's unmated wolves. 

The guards led me through the few streets in the pack land. Almost every house had its doors open, and the pack members at home stepped out to witness the public humiliation of their defected Luna-to-be. Some of the she-wolves who were already mated joined the crowd behind me; others came out of their houses with rotten food, trash, and eggs, tossing them at me as they hurled insults and demeaning words at me all at the same time. 

Humiliation sank into my soul with every insult. I tried to fight off the tears, but no matter how much I deluded myself with the thought that I was strong enough to take it, in all honesty, I wasn't. Being able to face Hunter during the trial was one thing, and I was able to do that because I hated giving him the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. 

Even through the public whipping, I still held my head high and refused to crumble in his presence. I already gave him that satisfaction one too many times in the closed space of what was once our home, and I wouldn't give him such joy again. But hearing these vile words hurled at me, the spit and the rotten food being thrown at me like-once upon a time, these same people hadn't smiled at me, laughed with me, and even invited me into their homes because they wanted to be on the good side of their soon-to-be Luna. Those same people are the ones treating me like the dirtiest scum of the earth, and my mate, who should've been my shield, was more or less my number one public enemy. Even my family, who should've wrapped their arms around me and promised me that it would all be alright, are now ashamed to even be seen walking close to me. 

The guards poked me with a staff in their hand when they noticed I had stopped dancing, and my body moved again, with shame and crippling pain in my gut. My tears wouldn't 't stop even though I willed it, and I almost breathed a sigh of relief when I finally made it to the outskirts of the pack, just a few paces away from the pack border. 

"Jade Dimaano," The voice of the elder leading my doom, cut through the woeful singing of the women. Slowly, the sounds of their voices and clapping hands quieted. "Do you have anything to say for yourself or your family before Alpha Orion severs your pack bond?" He asked, sounding almost robotic and somewhat bored out of his mind. 

I craned my neck and let my gaze flicker through the crowd until it settled on my parents. Even if I did have something to say, my throat closed up, and my mouth failed to move as my parents did everything possible to avoid my eyes while they hung their heads low in shame. 

Arya was no longer standing beside them like I thought she was, and as I wondered where she had gone, my eyes landed on her. She stood close to Hunter, her body conveniently pressed into his side. She had her palm over her mouth while her body trembled slightly. I couldn't tell if she was crying because her eyes were dry as the desert, but anyone who looked at her would probably conclude that she was crying due to the little tremors in her body. But that was beside the point; it didn't matter if she was crying or not. One thing I noticed, which I painfully wished I hadn't, was that Hunter wasn't making any moves to remove her from his side or put any distance between their proximity. 

Was this it? 

I wasn't even gone yet and had already been replaced, just like that.