Ayla POV
The first punishment was nearly enough to make me forget there was another one coming.
Nearly.
The larvae writhed over the steak like a living blanket. For a long moment, I simply stared. Maybe if I waited long enough... Maybe they'd stop moving.
They didn't.
Mr. Bennett watched patiently from the head of the table. Everyone else was waiting. For me.
My fingers tightened around the fork. I closed my eyes. Then took the first bite. The tiny bodies burst between my teeth.
Warm. Soft. The texture was worse than the taste. Some squirmed against my tongue before I could force myself to chew.
My stomach lurched so violently I thought I might disgrace myself right there on the white tablecloth.
I swallowed anyway. Another bite. Another. By the fifth, my body had stopped trying t
