Chapter 15

• It was the second day of my punishment. I was weak; my body needed food. My stomach hurt, and I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t even have the strength to cry out; I could only whimper. This was the worst thing anyone could ever do to a person. This was inhumane; this was wicked. It was even my fault that the girl had come in. It was true that I was to blame for letting her in, but how would I have known? I had initially thought about the possibility that he might’ve sent her. How else could she have known how to find me specifically? The way she’d come proved that she knew where she was going and what—or rather, who—she was looking for. But then, this whole nemesis and unwarranted punishment would have been avoided if only she had agreed and left when I’d told her to, but she’d insisted. For what? To be friends and tell stories about myself? That sounded like a very strange reason. What was that look on her face when I asked her to introduce herself? The sudden disappearance of a mile-wide smile was replaced by a slightly irritated expression. And also, when I inquired if the Alpha had sent her, the thoughtful look was a clear telltale that she’d been wondering if she should dodge it or present a straight-faced lie. That hesitation was all I'd seen to know there was trouble and that there would be even bigger trouble if we were found in the room, and I’d been proved right. Now, I was suffering for this crime I had little, ignorant fault in.
• "Don’t be too quick to trust my people; we can be nice and welcoming, but we can also go to any length to seek revenge, including offering hands of friendship. We never forget the wrong done to us or our kind". This was the second time these specific words of Mama Lia’s were ringing in my ear. Had I been too quick to let her in? But I didn’t do it out of trust. I didn’t even know her enough to want to give her my trust.
• Tears stung my eyes as I felt another painful twist in my stomach. Why did he have to go two whole days without a meal? If he had reduced the punishment to one meal per day, it would have been bearable. The cell was better; at least I was fed twice a day there, and even if the food wasn’t five-star, I still had something in my stomach. Even though the portion was quite meager, I was still grateful for it. I was still wearing the gown from three days ago. I had managed to wash it with the soap I had seen in the bathroom yesterday at noon. I had to stay naked because my undergarments had been washed too. No one had come to visit, so I was safe that way. I closed my eyes tight and tried to sleep, but it wouldn’t come. The hunger wouldn’t let me sleep. For two days, my sleep had been induced by hunger, but this time, it wasn’t working. It was very obvious that my body needed food. There was no way to tell time except for the brightness of the day outside. I lifted my head up; it was still bright, and from the intensity of the sun, it was noon. I emitted a low groan. I couldn’t wait for the day to be over. I heard the click of the key opening the lock. I wondered who it was. The Alpha. He was the only one who still exercised the right to see me; no one else did. My heart thumped in fear.