I bit my tongue as I waited for the alpha to utter my punishment. Without a doubt, I knew that it was not going to be a light one, Alpha Duncal has never been lenient on me. I have seen many emotions alight in his olive green eyes and mercy has never been one of them.
I held in my sobs and suppressed my tears, putting on a brave, almost unfazed face in front of my biggest haters and enemies. My knees were beginning to ache from being planted on the aggressively cold floor for so long and the longer I was in the presence of these wicked witches, the more I risked losing my temper and doing something I will live to regret.
I kept my stare downcast as hushed whispers flowed around me, laughter included at the possibility of my dissolution. Alpha Duncal continued to sear me with his eyes, I could feel them slicing into me and I knew that he was staring at me like I am the filthiest, most worthless piece of trash to ever exist. The bable grew louder as the Alpha delayed announcing my punishment to the eager ears of the people who have made it their life mission to make my existence as miserable as possible.
"Silence!" The mighty Alpha roared, asserting his dominance in the pack with just that one word. The room immediately went dead silent at his command and I knew after he exhaled deeply that he was about to address me.
"Why did you do it?" The question came to me abrasively, his tone so stern and punitive, that I felt my stomach clench and not from hunger pangs.
"I am innocent, Alpha." I uttered weakly, my wavering voice barely audible.
I was terrified of Alpha Duncal and the ruthlessness his eyes promised me, but I was more weakened by my wounds than my fears of barbarous punishment. I had already been thrashed till I bled, the wolves had already dragged me across training field after training field and left my garments in tatters, and I was starved and dehydrated. My throat was parched, my bruised body was throbbing in pain and my chapped lips were bleeding.
I was the slave of the pack, I was hated by everyone and I was born into this ill- treatment and abuse. I did not even know why everyone hated me so much, but a couple of times my handlers have suggested that I am serving this life long punishment because of what my parents did before I was even born.
I have faced the Alpha and the elders on multiple occasions throughout the years for minor offenses I would not even qualify as "offenses", but I am still utterly shocked that I am being accused of murdering my own Luna's unborn child. Any and all of the "evidence" they had on me was fabricated and I do not know how anyone could hate someone who has never done anything wrong to them to such an extent.
"Liar!" Alpha Duncal slammed his fist on the armrest of his seat and released a chain of thunderous, feral growls which had me shivering. "There are multiple witnesses, and they all say they saw you push Diana down the stairs!"
I could not stand to be accused of something I did not do anymore, I lost my temper and raised my voice at him. "I did not do it!! They are all lying! Luna Diana was never pregnant to begin with, I did not push her down the stairs, I did not kill her baby because there was no baby, she was faking the-" I was silenced by a brutal slap which left my cheek throbbing in pain and my ears ringing. The force of the blow was so powerful, as my face was swiped to the left, my tongue got caught between my teeth and I tasted my blood.
"You have some audacity!" Alpha Duncal snarled, his brusque speech matching his seething rage. I whimpered and winced in pain as he grabbed a handful of my hair and threatened to rip it out of my scalp. He forced my head up to ensure I was looking him dead in the eyes as he trounced me with his venomous, mordant words. "How dare you call your Luna a liar! You are not even remorseful! When I am done with you, you are going to wish you were never born."
"Yes, Alpha," his beta, Cullin, urged him on and I could tell just how much he desired to spit on my face the same way he did when he collected me from my cell last night. "Our Luna almost lost her life because of this worthless, pathetic creature, you must show her no mercy. Her punishment must be no less than what she deserves." Alpha Duncan's head snapped to his side and he growled at beta Cullin.
"Shut the f**k up, Cullin. I do not appreciate your tone and I did not ask for your f*****g input." His jaw clenched as he locked eyes with me again and I feared that he would wrap his large hands around my neck and strangle me to death if not bludgeon me lifeless with his fists.