Chapter 229

Lucianne’s eyes met her brother’s, and she declared, “Betrayal.”

The room started to simmer down. Lucianne knew that word better than anyone else there. Every bond-snap before she met Xandar was excruciating. She felt the anguish from the rejections and the betrayal from two of her past mates. She also felt betrayed by the Moon Goddess, who was not supposed to hurt her if she didn’t do anything wrong, and who was not supposed to bond her to creatures who would hurt her. On many nights, she wished that she would just wake up dead. It was no secret that it took her many weeks and even months before she started being okay again.

Every creature in the room was really listening now. Lucianne went on, “Torture and death are merely a consequence of betrayal. We punish criminals because they betrayed the system and its people. We take care of creatures who display loyalty to defend the system and the people in it.”

With suppressed anger, Christian noted, “Greg doesn’t fit