The Alpha: Claiming His Enemy's Daughter
Chapter 431: THEY SHED THEIR MORAL

Chapter 431: THEY SHED THEIR MORAL

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

"Just like you always said, she is pregnant with the Alpha’s firstborn, you will be held accountable if something happens to her and the baby." Iris stared at Maria’s shocked expression coldly. What was there to be surprised about? If they really cared about the woman, they should stop arguing with her and take her somewhere else immediately.

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

Iris straightened her back and walked across the hall. Let them stare at her. If they really wanted to paint her as a 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, until it got crowded. 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 the Rottingbane leaves, to prevent herself from shifting into her beast. Then, she was tied to a pole with her back facing the crowd. The young woman cried out loud, she ranged from pleading to have Iris’ mercy to straight up cursing at her and wishing for Hanna’s death, back to begging Iris again.

And what left people dumbstruck was; how Iris stayed 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 all thanks to her mate, as some of one’s mate personality would rub off onto themselves and they both would become the reflection of each other, because right now, they felt like they were seeing the Alpha. This nonchalant Iris 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 being thrown at her meant nothing.

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

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

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

People sighed in relief to see the Beta and the Gamma there, they must be able to talk her out of executing this punishment. It was too cruel for the young girl, she could die and they didn’t want to see people die anymore in this pack. Aria’s death was still fresh in their hearts.

Iris frowned to see Will walk straight to her and then kneel down in front of her solemnly. This would be the first time for him to take the initiative to talk to her, while Ethan and Jace nodded out of respect to the Luna.

"I asked for Redmond," Iris stated, her voice oddly devoid of 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, allow me to deliver the punishment."

People gasped to hear Will’s plea, but then they remembered that Will and Hanna were in some kind of relationship before 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 it bit into his palm. Will was familiar with it, since it was him, who used to be lashed. He knew how it felt to be a recipient of this vicious tool.

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

Jace came closer to Iris, trying 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. One shouldn’t decide a punishment when they were not emotionally stable. It would bite their conscience once their anger subsided and the Beta didn’t want that for her.

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

"Or at least, let someone else 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 on a good note.

"Then that must be her fate."

Jace was shocked to hear that. Pain really had changed people and the same thing could be said about 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 hands and believe me, once your anger disappears, you will question your actions at this moment." Jace didn’t say it to make Iris revoke the punishment, but giving Will the role as the executor of someone, who had hurt the person he loved, was not right.

"You talk as if you know me, Beta." Iris stared Jace straight in his eyes, which made the Beta avert 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.

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

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

And with that, all of them could hear how Jemma cried, as if she was being slaughtered at 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, splattering the ground with every lash that Will delivered.

People averted their gazes, they covered their eyes and some of them left the proximity because they couldn’t take it and watch the whole thing unfold, since it reminded them of their dark days and more so, because Jemma’s wail was simply too much, their hearts 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 calm, as they watched the whole thing unfold, as if they had sold their souls to the devil and now, their hearts were not able to feel anything.

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

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"Can you stop treating me like this? And answer my questions already." Haco felt so much headache when he tried to make the lycan talk, at least, answer some of his questions, 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 talk. "I feel like I am dying."

"You are." The lycan stared Haco 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’ name a few times before he relented and gulped down the entire potion.

While Lu could go out of this study room by himself and look 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 gave Lu a dagger look.

"Indeed." Lu nodded, agreeing with him.

Haco got a bad feeling in his gut when he heard that.