~Daliah's POV~
"Yes-s I did." I said even as my heart began to beat frantically against my chest. My hands felt clammy and my chest was tight. Tears streamed down my face as I stared pointedly at the floor, unable to look up at the Alpha.
"Why?"
That question felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. It was only a few words but it felt heavy. Tight. It felt as though I was being laid bare before the world, vulnerable and lost.
I couldn't answer. I had no answers. How the hell do I explain to them that I wanted to leave because I felt unsafe here? How the fuck do I tell him that their golden angel, Jennifer, was after me and my daughter?
"I'm sorry."
Those were the only words I could say. The only things that in my haze, I could bring myself to let out. Fresh tears seeped out from my eyes when the crowd broke into an angry frenzy, and in a rushed tone, I quickly added; "I didn't do it. I didn't steal the money but I thought about fleeing."
Maybe that was the worst thing I could've said. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all because as soon as I did, a heavy slap landed across my cheek, causing my face to fall to the side.
A soft whimper escaped my lips as the pain spread out across my face but that didn't hurt. What hurt more was the fact that Alpha Zarek said nothing.
He stood there, watching me with nothing but emptiness in his eyes.
… and maybe hate.
Even Beta Orion didn't say anything either. No one moved. No one said a word even as Jennifer continued to rain down several more slaps across my face.
When I couldn't take it anymore, I fell to the floor, my body trembling and for the first time since I woke up this morning, I wished to the heavens that I had listened to Doc Ava and stayed back at the hospital. I wished I hadn't been so stubborn as to leave my sickbed.
I wish I hadn't been so eager to see Alpha Zarek.
Now, my sobs wracked my trembling body and my heart ached even more as the two men I thought I could trust the most watched me as I was being battered by Ms Jennifer. When she was probably tired from hitting me so much, she pulled away and snarled at the guards, pointing at me;
"Drag her to her filthy feet! Make her stand before the Alpha!"
Deep down, I feared what Alpha Zarek would do to me. I feared the emotions I would see when I looked into his eyes. I didn't want the guards to lay their filthy hands on me and so I forced myself to rise, grunting as my shaky limbs gave way and I fell to the floor with a loud thump, a loud cry tearing from the back of my throat.
My fall didn't hurt, in fact, I hardly felt it. What hurt was the way everyone laughed. Everyone besides the Alpha and his Beta. But they didn't try to help either.
I cried again when two guards positioned themselves by my sides and without warning, dragged me to my feet.
My ribs protested at the force, even my legs too but no one cared. Not even my mate.
My breath hitched in my chest when I looked into his eyes and was met with a darkness I have never seen. Now, he looked just like the predator that everyone claimed he was. He looked just like the beast that was whispered about in the auction house.
His eyes roved my body, but this time, it wasn't with the sensuousness that I was used to. This time it was filled with malice… unadulterated hate. I bowed.
He didn't speak. He just watched, that is until Jennifer's shrill voice tore through the hushed murmurs. She snarled; "Baby, say something! This wench tried to steal from us… and she tried to flee with the money!"
As soon as she cried out, the crowd erupted with frenzied shouts of agreement. My heart plunged.
I didn't do this…. I would never do this.
Emotions like a thick bile clogged my throat as I glanced between Alpha Zarek and Beta Orion but none of them regarded me. None of them stopped to wonder if I was innocent. After all, I had indeed tried to flee.
"For stealing from me and for trying to escape despite knowing that it is impossible, you will be punished." Alpha Zarek's deep voice rang out and my face paled. My body trembled. I shook but this time, it wasn't because I couldn't hold myself up. It was because I was hurt. Terribly.
Even my weak almost nonexistent wolf recoiled.
"You will be locked up in the dungeons for three days and three nights… and you'll only be fed on the third day." He snarled, eliciting more cries from the crowd but Jennifer scoffed angrily, obviously dissatisfied with my punishment.
She snapped; "That's the same punishment given to children who steal from the markets, and to runts who try to associate themselves with children of nobles… that's no punishment for someone like her! Someone who has stolen from the Alpha himself and tried to escape with the stolen money!"
Her words made the already agitated crowd cry out even more. She made them thirst for more… hunger for my blood… call out to my suffering.
"Or does the Alpha have a soft spot for the outcast slave? Is that why he's being so lenient with her?!"
We all knew what her intentions were for saying something like that. I for one, knew that she had done it to get under his skin and she succeeded because then he growled;
"Dahlia Sinclair, For trying to steal from the throne, you will be whipped forty times with the soaked whips under the scorching sun and then thrown into the dungeons afterwards to be left for three days and nights without water. When you've served your sentence and have been let out, you'll clean up the entire fortress, without help. And anyone who tries to help you will share in your fate."
My jaws dropped. That cannot be possible.
But it was. I knew it was by the firm set of his chin and the way his eyes darkened even more as he glared in my direction.
I have never seen him this way… I never knew he was capable of an evil such as this. Tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my face when my reality soon began to set in and with a heavy heart, I fell to my knees.
I still do not know why I did it but I held the ends of his garment desperately and cried. I cried until my heart was laid bare… cried until I couldn't see anything else besides my tears and begged. Begged for mercy… for forgiveness.
But do you know what he did?
He brushed me away like I was some pesky insect. He was cold. He was vile.
He snarled; "Get lost!"
If I was hurt before then there were no words to describe how I felt now. Tears continued to flow freely down my face and I was only snapped out of my reverie when I heard Jennifer's derisive snort. She barked;
"You only punished her for stealing, my love. What about… for trying to flee?"
It was at this point that I forced myself to look up at them and what I saw made my heart tighten. It made my chest hurt more than their words did.
Ms Jennifer's arms were draped around Alpha Zarek. Around my mate. And she pointed to me like I was some runt. Something meant for the gutters.
"You need to teach her a lesson for trying to do that. So next time, she doesn't dare to."
I sobbed. My chest burned but that was nothing compared to the words that came next. It was nothing to prepare me for the heartache that came next.
He spat. "For trying to leave, she'll be demoted. Henceforth, she's no longer my personal slave but now belongs to my Beta. He can do to her whatever he chooses to do. I certainly do not care."
The crowd went silent but my heart? My heart felt dead. Crushed. Ultimately destroyed.
Alpha Zarek was finally giving me away— willingly, and to me, that hurt more than any punishment in the world.
I brawled.