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Every stroke landed with a swish and a wicked sting that didn’t fade, that only grew as each new stripe was laid down over the last. I could feel the thin welts rising beneath his touch, feel the way my skin throbbed, every inch of my ass burning, pulsing with heat.

Silas was methodical, slow, and deliberate.

I knew he was drawing this out, making me feel every second of my punishment as much as he could. I may have squealed a little bit as the switch kissed the backs of my thighs, my knees buckling slightly from the sharp, biting pain.

Swish!Crack!

A fresh line of fire.

I whimpered, my hands fisting, my body trembling before him.

“You could’ve been hurt, Lia.”

The next lash landed directly over an already tender stripe, sending a jolt of searing pain through my entire body. The irony was not lost on me.

I yelped, my hips jerking against the log.

Silas growled softly, dragging the tip of the switch over my welted skin, tracing the marks he had just left behind. I sucked in a breath, trying to brace myself, trying to keep still, but it was too much. The bite, the heat, the way his voice curled around me, claiming me…

Swish! Crack!

My vision blurred for a moment, my breath halting.

It hurt so fucking bad.

Silas exhaled slowly, his free hand soothing the fresh welts, rubbing slow circles into my skin, his touch comforting even though it was that same hand wielding that fucking tool of torture. I shivered, my body caught between pain and pleasure.

Silas leaned in, his breath brushing my ear.

“Tell me, Wildcat,” he murmured. “Does it hurt?”

I could barely speak, my throat tight, my body throbbing from both the sting of the switch and the ache expanding low in my belly.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whispered.

Silas chuckled, too pleased with himself, and I knew that he was nowhere near finished with me.

I could feel it in the way he stood behind me, the switch still warm in his hand, his presence looming over me like a storm.

I was panting, my breath staccato, my body on fire.

The sting of the switch had settled into a steady, throbbing heat across my ass and thighs, every welt pulsing in time with my heartbeat. With every arc of fire that bit across my bare vulnerable ass, I was getting closer to breaking.

Silas must have sensed that because suddenly, his fingers brushed the small of my back before he leaned over and grabbed both of my wrists, lifting them up just slightly and holding them securely in one of his big hands. Then I heard a metallic sound and the swish of his belt coming off.

Leather. The soft creak of it sent panic through me before I even realized what was happening. He looped the belt around my wrists, tightening it just enough to hold me still, then ran it under a thick, twisted root beneath me and back up, knotting it to secure me in place. I struggled, but there was no give.

My pulse shot up.

“Silas, wait!” I begged.

“You don’t get to move,” he said firmly. “You just get to take your punishment.” He tested the belt, making sure I was bound just enough, then leaned down, his breath hot on my ear. “Until I decide you’ve learned your lesson, and you’re a long way away from that, you stay still.”

I heard a whine crawl up my throat. I tugged at the restraint, but it held firm.

I was stuck.

Completely at his mercy.