Chapter 1 - Discipline
Diana awoke with a start, heart pounding like the hoofbeats of Ares' war chariot. She groaned, clenching her thighs together as she emerged from the heated throes of an amazing dream. Even now, delicious aftershocks flitted up her spine, making her nostrils flare.
The images had been so real, the pleasures so intense...
For a long moment she lay still, eyes squeezed shut, unwilling to let the vivid visions slip away.
In her mind, she was still thereâstretched out naked on Themyscira's glittering shores. Sweat-slicked muscles rippled in the sun, her armor cast aside and forgotten. White sand clung to her bare skin, hot and gritty. High above, seagulls wheeled across an endless cerulean sky, their distant cries blending with the rhythmic surge of waves.
Then, the serene tableau shifted, morphing into something far more... enticing.
Diana's nails raked the sheets, brow furrowing in sweet anticipation as the lucid reverie pulled her deeper into its seductive embrace.
Two faceless Amazons shimmered into being in the distance, their bodies strong, lithe, and gloriously unburdened by clothing. Bronzed skin glistened, sparkling droplets highlighting every hill and valley of sculpted muscle. Heavy breasts swayed as the warriors strode
closer on long, toned legs.
Soon the three of them lay entwined on the sand, slippery limbs tangling in a fervent clinch. The air grew thick with the scent of salt and sweat, zenith sun competing with the radiating heat of enflamed female flesh.
Callused fingertips roamed the planes and curves of Diana's body with commanding familiarity, leaving flushed skin in their wake. Soft lips followed, trailing fire down her neck, across her collarbone, and latching onto taut nipplesâteasing, tasting, driving her mad with need.
Diana arched into the sweet foreplay, awash in euphoria as warm tongues circled her pulsing pearl, stroking deep into molten folds. Her fingers twisted in silken hair, hips canting toward the heavenly mouths.
"Yes... oh, goddess, yes..." she whimpered, her voice a desperate plea.
Rapture built like a volcano in her loins, radiating through every cell until she practically vibrated.
Seconds before the blissful cataclysm could crash over her, the passionate scene warped again. Welcoming arms turned into harsh bindings. Golden sunlight bled into deep shadow. Ecstasy curdled into agony...
"No! Stop, I didn'tâ"
Diana's protest choked off as a cruel blow snapped her head to the side. Copper flared in her nose, sharp and bracing.
Whaâ? ... Wh-where am I?
Blinking past reflexive tears, she took in the damp, shadowed gloom pressing in from every side. The bare stone walls, blotched with creeping mildew, tugged at memories she couldn't quite place. And that stale, earthy smellâwas this the dungeon beneath the royal palace?
Her body, still nude and sweaty, lay belly-down on a rough stone slab, the chill of it seeping through her bones. Coarse ropes bit into her wrists and ankles, pinning her in place, while the suffocating press of a musky loincloth crammed her mouth, stifling any vocal dissent.
Familiar faces loomed above herâscholars, priestesses, warriors, even her queen motherâall regarding her with glowers of disgust and disappointment. Silent judgment crackled in the air between them.
Self-reproach warred with the intoxicating thrill of submission, the heady mix of emotions making Diana dizzy. She tried to lift her head, to make sense of the punishment, but a cruel hand yanked her hair back, hot spittle striking her face with searing scorn.
"Harlot!"
"...coupling with outsiders like a bitch in heat..."
"She defiles our sacred traditions..."
"Traitor!"
"...dishonoring the name of Champion."
The condemning words rained down on Diana like physical blows, each one shredding her heart. She strained against her bonds, desperate to prove her innocence, but the accusing glares never wavered.
"It would seem our beloved princess is in need of a harsh lesson in chastity and obedience," Hippolyta coldly declared. She nodded to an attendant, who handed her a long leather strap. "Hold her steady. I will beat the wickedness out of her myself."
Four warriors stepped forward and seized Diana's limbs in iron grips, bending her into a vulnerable arch. Hippolyta towered above the stone table, silver-blue eyes devoid of warmth. With a swift, remorseless swing of her muscular arm, she brought the strap crashing down across Diana's upturned buttocks.
Thwack!
Fiery bands of agony seared Diana's flesh. But before she could cry out, two more brutal strikes landed.
Whap! ... Thwap!
The beatings continued mercilessly, building in tempo and ferocity. Diana's world shrank to the blazing pain consuming her backside and thighs. Muffled grunts punched out of her chest with each impact, but she bit down on the sour cloth plugging her mouth, clinging to the last fragments of pride.
Smack! ... Thwack! ... CRACK!
At last, hovering on the edge of consciousness, a frenzied scream tore from her raw throat. The shameful sound bounced off grim stone walls, reminding her of a similar cry wrenched from her moments ago by all-consuming bliss. Pleasure and pain blurred sickeningly until she didn't know which was which.
Mocking laughter echoed in her ears. Male laughter.
Diana's eyes flew open as she jackknifed upright in bed. Her heart galloped, breath shuddering in quick, desperate gulps. Wide-eyed, she blinked in confusion at the familiar silhouettes of her bedroom, the mundane stillness jarring against the taste of blood in her mouth and the phantom ache scalding her bottom.
Her hands fisted in the sheets, seeking an anchor.
"Merciful Minerva..." The invocation left her lips in a breathless rasp, more reflex than conscious thought.
As her pulse steadied, she pressed a hand to her cheek, half-expecting to find the imprint of a slap or the heat of tears. Her fingers touched only smooth, flawless skin.
Relief washed through her. It must've all been in her mind, then.
And yet, underneath the horror, the raw edge of
need