The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 109: For The Honor Of Duskfang Pack

Evelyn's POV:

James slapped me across the face. It hurt, but compared to the wounds all over my body, it was nothing.

What truly broke me was the look in his eyes.

Disgust.

Contempt.

Regret so deep it felt like he wished he had never known me.

"Alpha..." I cried as I reached for his hand. "Don't look at me like that. I did it to earn glory for us, for our future. What's wrong with killing a few vampires? Great victories don't come from clean hands. Benjamin killed far more than I ever did. Why is he a hero while I'm treated like a monster?"

"Benjamin fought on the battlefield," James snapped, shaking my hand away as if it were filth. "He fought openly. You tortured prisoners. You slaughtered civilians. You crossed every line a soldier must never cross."

"A line?" I screamed back, losing control. "Winning the war is the line! If Franklin hadn't taken revenge like a madman, I would've succeeded. I would've returned to the Royal Court with medals and praise. This is your fault! You were useless! If you had come sooner, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"

I pointed at Cindy. "And her! She stood by and did nothing. If she had sent troops, I would never have been captured!"

"Enough!"

The last trace of warmth vanished from James's eyes.

He stared at the shame mark on my face. Then he laughed—softly, brokenly, like someone crying.

"You know what?" He said, "That word suits you."

He picked up the branding iron from the floor. It was still warm.

"What are you doing?" I crawled backward in terror. "James! I'm your Luna! You can't—"

"I have to do this for the honor of my pack," he said coldly, "so you won't disgrace us by wearing that mark in public. Bear with it!"

"No! Please—Arghhhhh!"

The iron pressed hard against my left cheek, covering that damn word.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

The pain was so intense my vision went black. I tried to scream, but James held me down. I couldn't move.

He was destroying my face. He was crushing the last of my dignity.

At last, he stepped back and dropped the iron.

I clutched my face and rolled on the floor, shaking, unable to make a sound.

"Evelyn," James said, standing over me, "from today on, you are no longer a commander. You're just something I don't even know how to name."

Then he turned to Cindy and suddenly fell to his knees.

"Cindy..." He sobbed and bowed his head again and again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was blind and foolish. I trusted a wicked woman and destroyed you and your family. I deserve this. I truly deserve this."

As he spoke, he slapped his face again and again.

I watched, empty inside; all of my hope had been crushed.

It was over. Completely over.

I had lost my body. I had lost my beauty. And now I had lost the last thing protecting me—James's love.

He regretted it. He wanted to return to Cindy.

But would Cindy forgive him?

I looked at her. Cindy stood in the doorway, backlit by the light. Her face was calm and distant, like a goddess carved from stone.

"James," Cindy said evenly, "I accept your apology, but it changes nothing. Some mistakes stain a lifetime."

She turned to leave.

"Take her away. Don't let her die here. This is the answer we owe the Royal Court and the world."