Chapter 208: Not Yet, Little Lamb

“Unfortunately, it has reached me that Ethan Caldwell will not be performing in the showcase due to an incident,” Professor Elena Markov announced, standing at the front of the stage with a serious but composed expression.

Leitana, Mia, Sabrina, and the rest of the selected team stood in a small semicircle in front of her, still in partial costume from the previous run-through. The hall fell into a heavy silence.

Leitana felt her stomach twist painfully.

“Due to the severity of his arm injury, he has been advised complete rest for several weeks. We wish him a full and speedy recovery. In his place, Thalia Goth will be joining us starting today.”

A tall girl with sharp cheekbones and long, straight black hair walked confidently up the steps onto the stage. She gave a small nod to the group, her posture poised and professional.

Professor Markov gestured. “Thalia will take over Ethan’s piece, ‘Echoes of Silence.’ She’s already familiar with the score and has been on standby. We’ll make minor adjustments to the blocking, but the emotional core of the scene remains the same. Let’s keep moving.”

Sabrina crossed her arms, looking mildly annoyed but mostly relieved it wasn’t her role being affected.

Mia didn’t even glance at Leitana. She stared straight ahead, jaw clenched tight.

Leitana felt the guilt like a stone in her chest. She wanted to say something, anything but Mia had been avoiding her since she arrived.

“Alright,” Professor Markov clapped her hands once. “Positions, please. We continue rehearsal. Leitana, you’re up first with your scene partner.”

They moved into place. Leitana sat at the piano, fingers hovering over the keys. Her mind was heavy on Ethan’s injury, Mia’s silence, Ravial’s cold punishment. She started playing, but the notes came out hesitant, lacking the deep emotion she had shown before.

Professor Markov stopped her quickly. “Leitana, focus. The grief needs to breathe. Again.”

She tried once more. Still shaky.

Sabrina, standing a few feet away, let out a quiet, mocking laugh under her breath.

Markov corrected her sharply several times throughout the long afternoon.

“Leitana, you’re rushing the transition. This is sorrow, not panic.”

“Again from the top.”

Hours later, as the evening light began to fade outside the tall windows, Professor Markov finally clapped her hands.

“That’s a wrap for today. Focus tomorrow, everyone. The showcase is in just a few days. Rest well.”

Leitana gathered her things slowly, feeling completely drained. As she walked toward the exit, Sabrina stepped in front of her, arms crossed, a smug look on her face.

“Rubbish,” Sabrina said loudly enough for others nearby to hear. “You played like you’ve never touched a piano before today. If you keep performing like that, they’ll replace you too. But oh well… some of us actually earned our spots unlike you.”

Leitana didn’t reply. She just lowered her head and kept walking, the weight of guilt and exhaustion pressing down harder with every step.

As she stepped outside the building, she saw Lila, Kai, Mikey, and Theo waiting near the entrance. The moment they saw her, their expressions softened.

Leitana’s eyes filled with tears again. She broke down right there, voice cracking.

“Mi so sorry… mi so so sorry,” she sobbed, shoulders shaking. “Mia refused to talk to me the whole day… she hates me now… everything is mi fault…”

Lila immediately pulled her into a hug. “Hey, hey… it’s okay. It wasn’t totally your fault, Leitana. We all chose to go with you.”

Kai nodded gently. “Yeah. We could’ve said no but we didn’t.”

Mikey rubbed her back. “Ethan’s tough. He’ll be fine. And Mia… she’s just scared and angry right now. She’ll come around.”

Theo gave her a small, comforting smile. “We’re still here for you, okay?”

Leitana cried harder into Lila’s shoulder, overwhelmed by their kindness.

Then a deep voice spoke from a few feet away.

“Mrs. Ashbourne,” one of her bodyguards said firmly. “We must leave now.”

Leitana wiped her eyes quickly, sniffling. “Mi have to go… mi so sorry again.”

She gave them all a watery smile and hurried toward the waiting black car. As she rushed across the courtyard, something flickered at the corner of her eye, a shadow, a movement, something watching.

She turned sharply to look.

Nothing was there.

The courtyard was empty except for a few students walking in the distance.

She shook her head, telling herself it was just her tired mind, and climbed into the back seat of the car.

Ravial was already sitting there, silent and imposing. He didn’t look at her as she settled beside him. The driver started the engine, and the car pulled smoothly away from Juilliard.

The silence inside the vehicle was suffocating.

Leitana folded her hands in her lap, the gold chain around her waist feeling heavier than ever. She stole small glances at Ravial, desperately wanting to speak, but his cold, rigid posture kept her quiet.

“Are you done, lamb?”

Ravial’s voice was low and controlled as he sat at the edge of the bed, watching her.

Leitana lifted her head from the leather-bound notebook, eyes red and puffy from crying. She had written four full pages tonight, pouring out her guilt, her fear, how terrified she was of losing him, and how she would never disobey him again. Her handwriting was shaky in places, tear stains visible on the paper.

She handed the notebook to him with trembling hands.

Ravial took it without a word. He read every line slowly, his expression unreadable behind the blindfold. When he finished, he closed the book and dropped it onto the nightstand with a soft thud.

“Good,” he said quietly. “You’re learning.”

Leitana’s breath hitched with relief and fresh shame.

“Now stand up,” he ordered.

She obeyed instantly, sliding off the bed on shaky legs. Ravial watched her with dark intensity as she stripped out of her nightgown, letting it pool at her feet until she stood completely naked before him. The delicate gold chain around her waist gleamed under the soft bedroom lights.

“Lie on your back,” he said. “Legs open.”

Leitana’s cheeks burned with humiliation, but she climbed onto the bed and lay down on her back, spreading her thighs for him. She was already wet, her body betraying her even through the guilt.

Ravial moved between her legs, towering over her. He didn’t speak at first. He simply stared down at her exposed pussy, then brought his hand down in a sharp, wet slap directly on her folds.

THWACK

Leitana cried out, hips jerking.

He spanked her pussy again, harder, the sound lewd and wet. Then again. And again. Each firm slap made her clit throb and her pussy drip even more. Her folds turned red and swollen under his hand.

“You disobeyed me,” he growled, spanking her sensitive pussy repeatedly. “You put yourself at risk.”

Leitana sobbed, legs trembling as she fought the urge to close them. The stinging pain mixed with overwhelming pleasure until she was dripping onto the sheets.

“Please… mi Ravial…”

He slid two thick fingers inside her without warning, curling them deep against her G-spot. He pumped them slowly at first, then faster, stroking her inner walls while his thumb rubbed tight, merciless circles on her swollen clit.

Leitana moaned loudly, back arching off the bed. He brought her right to the edge, so close she could almost taste her orgasm then suddenly stopped, pulling his fingers out completely.

She whimpered in frustration, hips chasing his hand.

He leaned down and licked a long, slow stripe up her dripping pussy, sucking her clit into his mouth hard before pulling away again.

“You don’t get to cum tonight,” he said darkly, sliding his fingers back inside her and fucking her with deep, punishing strokes. “Not until I decide you’ve suffered enough.”

Leitana cried out, tears streaming down her face as he edged her again and again, fingers thrusting, tongue licking, thumb torturing her clit only to stop every time she was about to fall over the edge.

“Please… please mi Ravial… mi can’t… mi need to cum… mi sorry… mi belong to you… please…”

Ravial’s voice was rough and calm as he continued his cruel, delicious torture.

“Not yet, little lamb. Not even close.”