Celeste's POV.
The pack members stood around, their eyes cold, some even smiling. Their voices mixed into cruel whispers and harsh laughs. I felt like an animal in a cage, weak and broken. My body was no longer mine. Every lash stole a piece of me until I was sure I would die there, right on that ground, humiliated and forgotten.
"Again!" someone shouted. The whip tore into me once more. My eyes blurred, and the edges of the hall started to fade. My breath came in sharp gasps. I was close to death.
And then when no one expected it, a loud noise shook the hall. My ears rang, and I flinched. Something metal clattered across the stone floor behind me. It rolled, then stopped. Before I could blink, thick smoke exploded out of it, spreading fast.
I coughed hard, the bitter smoke scratching my throat. The air grew heavy, gray clouds filling every corner. I could barely see the walls anymore. Pack members began shouting, their once cruel laughter now replaced with panic.
