431: THEY SHED THEIR MORAL

THEY SHED THEIR MORAL

Iris shouldn't be blamed for this, because she had told Maria that Sofia was her responsibility. It should be her, who took care of the pregnant woman that they fancied. She had nothing to do with this. 

"Like you always said, she is pregnant with the alpha firstborn, you will be held accountable if something happened to her and the baby." Iris stared at Maria's shocked expression coldly. What's there to be surprised for? If they really cared for the woman, they should stop arguing with her and take her somewhere else immediately. 

However, this was not Iris's problem anymore. She turned around and left them, as everyone stared at her with gaping mouth, as they didn't expect her to be so callous like this. 

Iris straightened her back and walked across the hall. Let them stared at her. If they really wanted to put her as the bad person, they could do it as they wished. 

With that, Iris walked out of the room, she headed toward the front yard, where Jemma was being held. Some people gathered around and then some more, as it got crowded now. They whispered among each other about what had happened in the main hall and they grimaced to see how Jemma wailed. 

She looked mortified to be forced to drink Rottingbane leaves, to prevent her from shifting to her beast, as she was being tied to a pole with her back faced the crowd. The young woman cried out loud, she ranged from pleading to have Iris's mercy to straight up cursing at her and wish for Hanna's death, back to begging again. 

And what made people dumbstruck was; how Iris was so calm throughout this entire ordeal, as she stood a few steps away from where Jemma was being tied, her blue eyes looked so dead, as if she didn't feel any emotions right now. 

Probably, that was what mate was, as some of your mate personality would rub on you and you became the reflection of each other, because right now, they felt like they were seeing the alpha, since how nonchalant Iris was, was a reminder of Cane's personality. Their alpha rarely showed his emotions in the open for people to know what was going on in his mind. 

And at this moment, that was what Iris was doing. She looked aloof, as if all the pleas and insults that were thrown at her meant nothing. 

That could be true, because the only thing in Iris's mind was Hanna's stained- blood face. Her blood was still on her hand when she touched her earlier. The image played again and again in her mind. It was too much blood and Iris had never seen Hanna was in so much pain ever since she found her years ago. 

This fact alone made her blood boiled. She was waiting for Redmond to come. 

However, instead of Redmond it was actually Ethan and Will, who came toward her and Jace followed behind the two of them. 

People sighed in relief to see the beta and Gamma was there, they must be able to talk her out about this punishment. It was too cruel for the young girl, she could die and they didn't to see people died anymore in this pack. Aria's death was still engraved in their heart. 

Iris frowned to see Will walked straight to her and then knelt down in front of her solemnly. This would be the first time, he initiated to talk with her, while Ethan and Jace nodded out of respect for the luna. 

"I call for Redmond," Iris stated, her voice was oddly detached from any emotions. "Where is he?"

Will lifted his head, so Iris could read what he was going to say. "Luna Iris." His eyes glinted with determination, as his jaw hardened. "Please, allowed me to deliver the punishment."

People gasped to hear Will's plea, but then they remembered Will and Hanna was in some kind of relationship when they went to the capital city, though after they returned, the two of them didn't look like they got along well. 

"Have you seen Hanna?" Iris narrowed her eyes and watched how Will clenched his fists tightly, anger flashed in his eyes, as he gritted out the answer. 

"Yes."

Fair enough. If Redmond couldn't do it, Will surely would be able to deliver the punishment. "Do it. A hundred lashes, no more, no less."

Will nodded and then got back on his feet to get the whip. This thing felt so heavy in his hand, as if it bit his palm. Will was familiar with it, since it was him, who used to be lashed. He knew how it felt to be the end of the recipient of this vicious tool. 

However, he didn't want to be moral right now. The only person that he cared the most more than himself had been hurt inside the pack that he protected by an outsider, who held no importance and he would go ballistic. 

Jace came closer to Iris, tried to advise her, while Ethan stood by her side and stared at Will, the gamma had this emotionless expression on his face. 

"Luna, don't you want to reconsider your punishment?" Jace asked, trying to talk with Iris, as he found this punishment came from anger. You shouldn't give a punishment when you were not emotionally stable, it would bite your conscience once your anger subsided and the beta didn't want that for her. 

"There is nothing to be reconsider," Iris replied. 

"Or at least, let someone else to do it. Will…" Jace glanced at Will, who was ready to deliver the first lash. "He will kill her…" Jace knew the story of the three guards from Ethan and seeing the determination in Will's eyes, he realized, it wouldn't end in a good note. 

"Then that must be faith."

Jace was shocked to hear that. Pain really had changed people and the same thing could be said to the people in the Howling Wolf pack, as they were no longer able to see Iris without the shadow of their past. 

"Luna, I don't want you to regret this decision later. The blood will be on your hand and believe me, once your anger disappeared, you will question your action at this moment." Jace didn't say for Iris to revoke the punishment, but giving Will the role as the executor for someone, who had hurt the person he loved, was not right. 

"You talk as if you know me, beta." Iris stared at Jace straight into his eyes, which made the beta averted his gaze, because he felt like he was being intimidated.

"Luna, but being lashed is something…" Jace immediately stopped himself before he continued his words, but Iris had caught the gist of the thing he wanted to say and her eyes dimmed.  2

"Believe me, beta, I know how it felt. The people in the Howling Wolf pack and Blue Moon pack are not the only people, who are familiar with my father and brother's brutality. I still carry the scars with me."

With that, Jace lowered his head and didn't say anything anymore. He knew when to stop and not to push further. He couldn't afford to cross her line right now. 

And with that, all of them could hear how Jemma cried, as if she was being slaughtered with the first lash on her back. The whip bit through the fabric of her dress and tore her flesh, as blood immediately stained her back, splattered on the ground with every lash that Will did. 

People averted their gaze, they covered their eyes and some of them left the proximity because they couldn't take it to watch the whole thing unfolded, since it reminded them of their dark days and more so, because Jemma's wail was simply too much, their heart couldn't take it. 

More people cried and left, even Jace grimaced and averted his gaze from the scene before his eyes. 

And among all the people, probably it was only Iris, Ethan and Will, who were not affected by it. They remained oddly calmed, as they watched the whole thing, as if they had sold their soul to the devil and now, their hearts were not able to feel anything. 

And somewhere, miles away, the five swords dimmed even more. 

============================= 

"Can you stop treating me like this? And answer my question already?" Haco felt so much headache when he tried to make the lycan talk, at least, answered some of his question, but this cursed creature didn't want to open his mouth. 

"Where is my mate? I want her."

"I will call her here later, but right now, there are a lot of things she needs to handle."

Silence. 

Haco facepalmed himself. He really needed Iris to make the lycan talked. "I feel like I am dying."

"You are." The lycan stared at Haco's straight in the eyes with his black eyes. 

It took the sorcerer two hours to make him drink the potion he made to change his eyes color. He needed to bring up Iris's name before he relented and gulped down the entire potion. 

While, Lu could go out of this study room by himself and looked for Iris, he looked reluctant to step outside, or rather too lazy to do so. Somehow, he looked a little bit lethargic, as if he was holding himself back. 

"Yes, because of you," Haco grumbled, he threw Lu a dagger look. 

"Indeed." Lu nodded, agreed with him. 

Haco got a bad feeling in his guts to hear that. 

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