Page 31 of His Human to Chase

“Many of you have come to me to speak your piece about whether or not he should be spared of execution, the punishment of our elders for when someone attempted to take a tribal leader’s life.”

Skylar sucks in a deep breath, and she’s not the only female to do so. I keep my eyes pinned on the table in front of me, knowing I stand a better chance of leniency if I submit to Ralleth during all of this. No matter how badly the burning under my scales tells me to bare my teeth, hiss, and fight. Execution was always a possibility. I knew it when I attacked my brothers, and I know it now.

“Execution is the punishment our ancestors have used when someone tried to take the life of the tribal leader. However, all of the examples we found in the logs the elders have acquired for me show that these were meticulous schemes to rid the tribe of a leader so another could take their place. None were bouts of rage that were induced by distress.”

I will my heart to remain steady in my chest, for my breaths to stay even. I cannot hope for leniency because I cannot handle the devastation of not actually being granted it. Skylar must feel the same because she has gone as stiff as a stone in my lap. Even her fingers, which play with one another when she is nervous, have stopped moving.

“So, I asked Almaac to help me sort through the logs to see what the punishment was for injuring a brother in a fit of rage.” Ralleth is pacing the length of the table as he talks, and as he nears me, my hopes grow despite how much I am begging them not to. “The party who was injured can decide how to enact their justice, but it can only be as severe as the wound inflicted on them.”

I bite my tongue to keep myself from agreeing. From jumping up and saying yes, I will take that punishment so long as it means, I can stay in the tribe with my mate and live every day of my life with her.

“Yril injured twelve males in order to get to me, but the injuries I sustained were merely to my ego in not being able to fight him off.” Ralleth’s voice holds a hint of a smile, and it takes everything in me not to look up at him. He is so close. So very close that he could reach out and touch me if he chose. “Twelve brothers will deal out your punishment, Yril. No weapons, just hands since it is how they were injured. Do you accept this punishment?”

“Yes,” I say the word quickly and feel my sweet little mate sag with relief underneath me. “Punish me as much as you want. Just let me return to my mate when it is over.”

Ralleth places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze, telling me to look up at him. When I do, I can see the smile on his face. “We were up most of the night looking for a way out of execution. Almaac will probably take it out on you during your punishment.”

“Let him,” I laugh as I look at my brothers around the table. Some of the females look horrified, but they do not realize the gift that Ralleth has given them. “I expect them to punish me as equal to their injuries as they can.”

“We go now,” Ralleth tilts his head, and all of the males that I injured make their way to the doors that lead out of the great hall. “We will do this outside so the females do not have to watch.”

I start to stand, but Skylar doesn’t let me go. She keeps her limbs wrapped around me like there is still a chance that I will leave her. “Stay, Skylar. You do not need to see this.”

“If you’re going, I’m going,” She says with a hard look in her eyes. “I’ll need to know which ones I need to glare at during every meal.”

“Ferocious female,” I snap my teeth at her before pulling her off my body and setting her on the ground beside me so we can walk out together. “You may come, but you leave if it becomes too much. They will hurt me, but I promise it will not hurt me as much as leaving you would have.”

Twelve males, all offering me the respect of not holding their strikes, are the ones to deal me my punishment. I strip from my tunic as soon as I exit the great hall and hand it to Skylar who’s walking next to me. Her face is paler than normal, but I know she is just getting herself prepared for what is about to happen. She will watch me get hurt, and as much as I do not want her to, it is her choice.

“Dath and I will hold your arms,” Ralleth says as we near a clearing where the twelve males have gathered. “Do not fight us, or it will make it worse.”

“I have no plans of fighting any of you,” I answer honestly. I plan to be the easiest male to punish ever because they have offered me a gift. “I will be as still as I can be.”

“Good,” Ralleth nods. I clasp my hands together behind my back and loosen myself in Dath and Ralleth’s hold when they grab my elbows and shoulders. Ralleth nudges the back of my legs, and I kneel on the ground, leaving my face the perfect height for my brothers to strike. “Twelve strikes. One from each male you injured.”

“I am ready,” I take a deep breath as Brirk steps in front of me. “Do not hold back,” I reassure him that I understand what needs to be done. It would be a dishonor to me for him to hold back when this is a gift to me and my mate. My eyes meet my mate’s for a brief moment right before Brirk’s fist makes contact with my cheek. Her resolve is steeled, and she doesn’t even flinch as the male makes contact. I offer her a smile, telling her that I am okay.

Each male that steps up to strike me, I tell him not to hold back. It is my thanks to them. It is how I tell them I am grateful for this punishment instead of being forced away from my mate either in banishment or death. With each strike, the world grows a little foggier, and my mind runs a little slower. It is worth it, though, because when it is all over, it will be my Skylar that takes care of me. My Skylar that I will spend every day with.

My head lulls as the final male steps up to me. When the blow does not land, I try to focus on who it is. Surely none of my brothers would purposefully not offer me this gift to have my wrongs righted.

When my eyes focus, Almaac is staring down at me with eyes so wide and full of fright that I wonder if something else is wrong with him besides having to dole out my punishment. His hands shake at his sides, and he looks from my beaten and bruised face to the males holding my arms behind me.

“Not me, Ralleth,” Almaac’s words shake as he says them. Ralleth immediately begins to loosen his grip on my arm, allowing my body to slouch. The weight of my head becomes too much, so I let it fall limply toward my chest. “Please, not me. I only see Diane when Yril looks up at me. I see how bruised and broken she was when she arrived. I cannot do this, brother. Please.”

Ralleth doesn’t wait another moment before trading places with Almaac so quickly that I don’t even know if my arm was released. I let out a deep sigh as Almaac’s hands tighten on my arm and help to pull me back to a straight-back kneel. I lift my head, tilting my head up to meet Ralleth.

“Looks like I’m the last strike,” Ralleth laughs softly. I let a smile try to tug up on my lips. Of course I cannot get away with eleven strikes, not that I would want to since this will allow the brothers to fully forgive me. One last strike, and then all is right with my brothers and I again.

Ralleth brings his fist down quickly, allowing me to get the punishment over with. The world grows dull, but I stay awake just long enough to see my Skylar run up to me, cup my face in her hands, and ask me if I am okay.

“I get to spend my life with the most amazing female.” I don’t know if she understands my words, but I hope she does. “How could I not be okay?”

I do not hear her response before darkness takes over, but it’s okay. My mate will still be there when I wake because we have a full life to live with one another. A full life with lots of pleasure and lots of biting.

“You step foot in this room, and I will skin you in your sleep.” Skylar’s venomous words are the first thing I hear when the fog of my mind finally clears. I can’t help but try to smile even though it hurts my entire face to even attempt to move my mouth.

“I will send my mate then,” Ralleth sounds exasperated, which makes me want to laugh. My poor mate has probably been taking out all of her worry on him in the form of mean words.

---