CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE PUNISHMENT
958 Words
Aria came down at dawn. The kitchen was already hot. Steam curled from pots on the hearth. The cooks moved in their usual rhythm, chopping, stirring, calling out orders.
Marta was waiting by the door.
"You're serving in the great hall this morning. Two girls didn't show. Grab a tray and follow the others."
Aria stopped. "I thought I wasn't allowed in the hall."
You're a servant." Marta thrust a tray into her hands. "Keep your head down and don’t spill anything. The Luna is dining with the Alpha and some elders so be careful.
The great hall was still strung with crimson banners. White roses drooped in their vases. Warriors stood beside the long tables on the, keeping watch.
Aria followed two other servants through the side door. She kept her eyes on the floor.
At the head table, Selene sat beside Kael. A silk scarf covered the mark on her neck. Her hand rested on his arm. She was laughing at something an elder had said.
Aria's tray held a fresh pot of tea. Her cracked fingers ached around the handles.
She was three steps from the table when a foot shot out.
Her ankle caught. The tray flew forward. She hit the stone floor hard, and the teapot shattered against Selene's gown.
The hall went silent.
Selene shot to her feet. Dark liquid soaked through the silk scarf and dripped down her dress.
Aria pushed herself up. Her palms were scraped and bleeding. "Someone tripped me. I didn’t mean to..”
Selene's hand cracked across her face.
The slap echoed off the stone walls. Aria's head snapped sideways and her cheek flared red.
All eyes were now on them.
"You've been a stain on this pack since the day you arrived. I showed you mercy and gave you shelter. And you repay me by throwing scalding tea at your Luna?"
"I didn't…”
"Silence."
Selene turned to the pack. Her eyes swept the crowd. "Twenty lashes, In the courtyard, at noon that will serve as a warning to the likes of you. And everyone should be there.
Aria's blood went cold.
“This will serve as punishment and warming too.”
She turned to Kael. He hadn't say anything. His goblet was still on the table and his face calm.
"Alpha, do you object?"
The silence stretched. Aria's heart hammered against her ribs. Her scalp was still burning.
Kael's jaw tightened. His eyes didn’t leave the table.
"No," he said.
Selene smiled.” You’re all dismissed.
She swept out of the hall. Her gown was ruined. Her victory was complete.
Marta appeared at Aria's side. Her face was pale. She pulled Aria by the arm and led her through the side door, through the kitchen, up the east wing stairs. At Aria's door, she stopped.
"I can't stop this."
Aria nodded. Her hands were shaking. "I know."
Marta's jaw tightened. Then she turned and walked away.
Lina was in the servants' quarters when Mira burst through the door.
"The Luna sentenced her to twenty lashes. In the courtyard.
Lina's hands stopped folding. "Who?"
"The new girl. Aria."
The linen slipped from Lina's fingers and pooled on the floor.
"Twenty lashes," Mira repeated. "She's wolfless. It could kill her."
"Where is she now?"
"The east wing, Marta took her."
Lina didn't move. Mira waited.
"Lina?"
"I have to finish this folding."
Mira backed out of the room. Lina picked up the linen. Her hands trembled. She folded it into Perfect corners with Sharp creases.
She didn't go to the east wing.
At noon, the courtyard was full.
Warriors lined the walls. Servants clustered near the kitchen door. Elders watched from the shaded balcony. The whipping post stood in the center, a thick wooden stake with iron rings.
Aria was led out by two warriors. Her hands were bound.
Selene stood at the front of the crowd. Her gown had been changed. Her hair was freshly pinned.
"Begin," she said.
The first lash tore across Aria's back. She bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. The second and the third, by the fifth, her knees was going down. By the tenth, her back was ripped open.
Lina stood at the back of the crowd. She watched every lash fall.. Her hand pressed against her chest, where Ronan's scent still lingered.
The twentieth lash fell and Aria slumped against the post. Blood dripped into the dirt.
Selene stepped forward. She crouched beside Aria's hanging head.
"Next time, it’ll be more."
She rose and walked back toward the great hall. The crowd dispersed.
Marta cut the bindings herself. She caught Aria before she hit the ground. The girl weighed nothing.
"Get the healer," Marta barked at Mira. "Now."
She carried Aria through the corridors. The east wing was too far. She kicked open the door to the servants' infirmary instead.
The healer was an old woman named Lydia with grey hair She took one look at Aria's back and her mouth pressed into a thin line.
"Put her on the table. Face down."
Marta laid her down. Aria didn't make a sound. Her eyes were open but unfocused. Her fingers twitched against the table's edge.
"How bad?" Marta asked.
Elara didn't answer. She was already cleaning the wounds. The cloth came away red.
"Hold her down. This will sting."
Marta gripped Aria's shoulders. Lydia pressed a salve into the deepest cuts. Aria's body jerked. A low sound escaped her throat, not a scream, but close.
"Done," Elara said finally. "She'll heal. But the scars are permanent"
Marta looked at the girl's back. bleeding. Red marks..
"Stay with her," Elara said. "She shouldn't wake alone."
Marta pulled a stool to the table and sat down close to her.
- Writer
