Chapter 61 LESSON ON PUNISHMENT
(Adam's POV)
The doors of the meeting hall closed behind us with a dull, final sound.
I flinched anyway.
Kael didn’t notice. Or maybe he did and chose not to react. He was already walking, posture straight, shoulders set like he hadn’t just spent the last hour listening to the council circle around the same question they always circled.
‘When will you get rid of him?’
They never said it out loud. They never had to.
I kept my hands tucked into my sleeves as we crossed the stone floor of the outer courtyard. Men stood in loose lines, waiting. Some bowed when Kael passed. Some didn’t look at me at all.
“Unnecessary,” I muttered.
Kael glanced sideways. “What was?”
“The meeting,” I said. “They could’ve sent a note. Or carved it into a wall. ‘We’re worried.’ ‘The pack is uneasy.’ ‘Star Moon this, Star Moon that.’ Same thing. Different words.”
He exhaled through his nose, almost smiling. “You’re learning their language.”
“I hate their language.”
“I know.”
We reached the center of the courtyard. A circle had already been cleared. Guards stood at the edges. In the middle, on his knees, was another man. Not sure if he's an Alpha or a Beta but he looks like an Alpha.
I slowed without meaning to.
Kael stopped fully this time.
“Adam,” he said quietly, “you don’t have to stay.”
I shook my head. “I do.”
He searched my face. “You’re sure?”
“No,” I said. “But I’m staying.”
Kael nodded once. He stepped forward, voice carrying without effort. “Bring the accused.”
The Alpha looking man was hauled up by the arms. He was older than Kael. Scarred. His eyes were wild, jaw tight like he was daring the world to finish what it started.
Kael didn’t raise his voice. He clearly didn’t need to.
“You stand accused of theft from pack stores,” Kael said evenly, “and of premeditated violence against patrol members who discovered it.”
The Alpha spat on the ground. “They deserved it.”
A low murmur rippled through the wolves.
Kael lifted a hand. Silence fell instantly.
“Did you steal?” Kael asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you plan the attack?”
“Yes.”
No denial. No excuse.
Kael nodded slowly. “Then you understand pack law.”
The Alpha laughed, sharp and broken. “I understand that mercy died generations ago.”
Something cold slid down my spine.
Kael didn’t react. “Pack law exists so mercy doesn’t become weakness.”
I stared at him.
“Sentence?” a councilman asked.
Kael didn’t hesitate. “Seven days of corrective torture. Solitary confinement for three months after. No visitation. No appeal.”
The words hit like stones. It was the “corrective torture” that got me. What exactly does it mean? Why torture him from seven days straight if he's going to be locked up for three months?
My breath caught. “Kael—”
He didn’t look at me.
The Alpha looking man barked a laugh that sounded more like a sob. Guards dragged him away. The sound of chains followed.
The circle dissolved. Wolves began to move, to talk, to return to their lives like nothing had just happened.
I stood frozen for what felt like too long.
Kael finally turned to me. His expression softened immediately. “Let’s go.”
I didn’t answer.
He reached for my hand. I let him take it, but my fingers were numb.
We didn’t speak until we were back in our chambers. The door shut. The quiet rushed in like a held breath released.
I pulled my hand away.
Kael blinked. “Adam?”
“You sentenced him to seven days of torture,” I said.
“Yes.”
“For theft.”
“And violence.”
“For food,” I snapped. “And fear of being exposed.”
Kael frowned slightly. “Fear doesn’t excuse bloodshed.”
“He didn't kill anyone, he just stole food and beat up eye witnesses… I’m not excusing it,” I said, voice shaking. “I’m questioning what you just did.”
He took a step closer. “Adam—”
“Don’t,” I said. “Don’t soften your voice like that. You stood there and said it like it was nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing,” he said quietly. “It was duty.”
“Duty,” I echoed. “That’s what you call it?”
“Yes.”
I laughed, sharp and ugly. “Days of torture. Months alone in a box. That’s… tradition?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re okay with that.”
“I’m responsible for hundreds of lives,” Kael said. “Deterrence matters.”
“So fear,” I said. “You rule with fear.”
“No,” he said immediately. “With law.”
I shook my head. “Just because it’s tradition doesn’t mean it’s right. Why didn't you try to know why he stole food in the first place? Is the economy here bad? Is he starving? Does he have kids? There are a ton of questions you could have asked, and a ton of other punishment you could have given.”
The room went still.
Kael stared at me. Not angry, but rather confused.
“This system keeps order,” he said. “Without it, packs fall apart.”
“Or maybe,” I said, “it teaches wolves that pain is the only language that matters.”
“You don’t understand pack law,” he said.
“I understand suffering,” I shot back. “I understand being punished until something inside you breaks.”
His jaw tightened. “This isn’t the same.”
“How?” I demanded. “Because it’s done openly? Because everyone agrees to look away?”
“You’re comparing yourself to him,” Kael said softly.
“No,” I said. “I’m comparing you to the people who hurt me.”
That landed in a way I wish it hadn't.
Kael’s shoulders dropped slightly. “That’s not fair.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But it’s kind of true.”
He reached for me. I stepped back.
“You’ve never questioned this world,” I said. “Not really. You grew into it. It shaped you and you never had to ask if it was cruel.”
“That’s not—”
“You’ve never had to,” I repeated. “So you defend it without thinking.”
Kael swallowed. “If I don’t uphold the law, I lose the pack.”
“And if you do,” I said, “you might lose me. I'm not comfortable with enforcing laws with violence.”
There's a long uncomfortable silence…
I hugged myself, suddenly cold. “I don’t belong here,” I said quietly. “I'm sorry I'm blurting nonsense. I know nothing about how things work and it's probably a bad idea to try introduce me and even involve me.”
Kael crossed the space between us and cupped my face gently, like he always did when he was trying to ground me. “You belong with me.”
“That’s not the same,” I said. “You are the pack. I can't belong with you without belonging with the pack.”
“And you are my mate.”
“And that means,” I said slowly, “that if this world is wrong, or cruel, or even deep into madness… I'll have to become mad too.”
Kael rested his forehead against mine. “Be careful, darling.”
“I don’t know how,” I admitted.
He kissed my forehead softly, lovingly… and then he captured my lips in a sweet kiss. He doesn't really read much to my rude words, he just kissed them away and caressed my back.