The Royal Orphan

6 - Punished

ELLE POV 

I don't know what day it is or what time of day it is. I am stuck here, wherever I am. I am hungry too but that doesn't bother me as much as my dry throat and mouth, I just need a sip, a drop of water to quench my thirst. This is torture, just like they want it to be, I have screamed and begged to be let out but no one replied or heard me, so now I just lay here, on the cold, dirty concrete floor, waiting … waiting for something. 

HUNTER POV

"Do we have to go to this kids party?" I asked Elliot my beta. "Yes Alpha, He is the future Alpha of the Blood Fang Pack, we have a treaty with them which will need reviewing when the kid becomes Alpha" Elliot explained mockingly. Although I knew why I had to go, I really didn't want to, there is something about that pack that unsettles me and my wolf, no-one really knows where the pack came from or the history of the ranked families. " It's one night Hunter, we will leave at 12pm on the Sunday and you never know you might find your mate at the party." Elliot brought me out of my thoughts with his rambling, He was just as unlucky as me at finding our mate. 

Wolves can find their mate once they turn 18, most wolves will find their mate before 21, However I turned 21 two months ago and I am still to find my mate, my family and friends are worried about me because the longer a wolf is without their mate they start to loose control of the wolf counterpart. With me being an Alpha without a mate, the effects of being without her is starting to develop and those closest too me have started to notice to, including my beta who refuses to leave me alone until I find her. 

"Ok, How long until we reach this pack?" I asked Elliot trying to change the conversation away from finding my mate. "Well we have been on the road for about 5 hours already so we have about 4 hours left", "OK wake me up when it is my turn to drive" I tell him. 

The Blue Moon Pack is part of a treaty with Blood Fang and other packs, Blue Moon is the biggest and strongest pack and Blue Moon is the second strongest but White Fang is the second strongest, therefore a treaty was drew up and signed so we didn't attack each other unless the other pack broke the treaty rules, the only issue is we are 9 hours apart, I could have flown there but I needed the peace and quiet that comes with driving and a little bit more time to myself. 

ZANE POV

After punishing Elle last night I headed to the gym for an hour top work off the rest of my anger and guilt? I believe the guilt was coming from my wolf but I didn't need to feel guilty, not after what she did, I am the next Alpha and I taught her a lesson that's all. Once I had finished in the gym and destroyed the punching bag and my knuckles, I mind-linked Sam to get his bag together for the lake house and I went and got a shower and dressed before going to Stacey's room, I knocked on her door but there was no reply so I opened it slightly to make sure she was okay and it looked like she was asleep in the middle of her bed so I closed the door and let her sleep. I met up with Sam downstairs before we went to the lake house. We spent the night playing video games and drinking and talking about Ella's punishment for upsetting Stacey. 

Now, I have woke up still angry and exhausted, but I do smell breakfast. I head downstairs to find Sam sat at the kitchen island and Stacey cooking breakfast. "Morning Stacey, What are you doing?" I asked her while glancing at Sam. "I am making the Birthday Boy breakfast to thank him for being my hero last night" she said as she smirked at me " Now sit down and eat up, we have a party to attend to tonight and your father asked me to inform you of a meeting in his office at 12pm, you have an hour to get ready" "Thanks Stace" Sam said as he dug into the breakfast feast covering the table. Stacey slapped his hand before telling him off "birthday boy gets to go first you can have what's left " she said sternly, I bit my cheek to hide the smile from taking over my face. Once we finished eating and had cleaned up the lake house from our visit, we headed back to the pack-house Sam and I had 15 minutes to spare before the meeting with my father so we decided to pay a visit to Ella. 

We walked up to the guards outside the dungeon and they opened the door immediately, we walked down the dark corridor to her cell, the stench of blood, urine and faeces all around us. One of the guards opened the cell door and allowed me and Sam to step inside, Elle was still on the floor where I left her, in fact it looked like she still hadn't woken up. "Ok, I would never ask you to go easy on someone who hurt my sister or anyone who needed punishment but you do remember she is human right?" I smiled remembering her punishment last night and replied to Sam "Of course, I kept it in mind" "Ok final question you do know your strength and power against her is enough to kill her?" he questioned me which made me think maybe I did go a bit to far, the guilt started building up in me as I thought over Sam's words and looked over Elle as she lay on the floor. "She will be fine. LET'S GO ... NOW!" I spat out, I didn't like the guilt that was starting to eat away at me and right now I don't know who I hate more Elle or myself. I stormed out of the cell and back down the hallway of the dungeon, before heading up the stairs to my fathers office with Sam following behind me, I was too angry, too upset with myself for feeling guilty to calm down. 

I stormed into my fathers office without knocking and with Sam quickly following behind, our fathers watched me as I paced the room before sitting on the sofa and bouncing my knee, I couldn't sit still, I needed to go for a run and to punch something I needed to let go of this anger before I go to far. "Zane? ZANE!" I heard my fathers voice boom across the office, I looked towards him and saw him shake his head "What has happened now what are you pi**ed at?" he asked. "Nothing" I spat back not in the mood to talk about that ungrateful girl he brought into our home. "Is Stacey okay?" Her father asked "Yeah she's good" I replied with a slight smile at the mention of her name. "You know Son it's only a year from now and you will find out you are mates" My father said. "Yeah I still need to protect her though, apparently even in her own home" I said with anger lacing my tone at the last sentence. "My father sighed deeply before replying "She will learn, she will obey your orders we won't let this continue. I heard what you did last night" I looked at my father wondering what he thought about my punishment for Elle but his face was stoic. "yeah? so?" I questioned not really knowing what I was asking or what to say. My father chuckled before speaking seriously "Did you forget that she is human? or that she has a meeting today with Mrs Garth that she was supposed to attend? or the fact that she still hasn't woke up?" he questioned me "SHE'S STILL ALIVE! I DON'T CARE IF SHE IS ONLY HUMAN IT DOESN'T GIVE HER THE RIGHT TO ACT HOW SHE LIKES AFTER EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE FOR HER." I shouted, I wanted to make sure everyone in the room knew I hadn't killed the girl but I also wasn't going to let her get away with what she did. "SHE is the one who brought this on herself, this has been going on since she arrived here, taking things for granted and thinking she is better than everyone else, what she has done to Stacey just because she is jealous and believes she deserves more. She has no position in this pack other than to obey my orders and clean the floors and I will not accept her acting like she is anything more or treating my pack members like they are anything else" I finished sitting back down on the sofa next to Sam. My father and his beta looked at each other before turning back to me. "I understand Zane I do and I am proud of you." "WHAT?" I didn't expect that to come from him I had to make sure I heard him correctly. "I am proud of you, you will be a powerful Alpha and you will do great things for this pack. You protected your pack members against any force strong or weak, werewolf or not, man or woman. You didn't hold back based on the person stood in front of you, you gave a punishment that fit the crime not the prisoner. I have already had Mel contact Mrs Garth to explain that Elle won't be attending the meeting today nor any other other meeting in the future" My father finished rubbing his face with his hands. "We leave her there for now, we have guests arriving soon and we will celebrate my son turning 17 today" I nodded at my father and left the office to calm down before the guests arrived and the party started.