CHAPTER 15: PUNISHMENT

REAH'S POV 

With trembling hands, I answered the phone and placed it on my ears. "Ma?" I answered. 

"Reah? Are you okay? It's so late already and you are not back yet. Do you want me to send someone to pick you up?" Luna Bella's worried voice rang in my ears and my lips quivered. 

She was nice... She was so nice. Why did she have such a wicked child?

"It's nothing, Ma. I will be on my way right away and get home soon," I told her and I immediately stood up. 

"Are you sure you can get home alone?"

"I can. I will see you at home, Ma," I replied and ended the call. 

I stared at the phone in my hand and let out a deep breath. 

"What's it? Are you okay? Who was that?" Gabriel's worried voice brought me out of my trance and I looked at him. 

I forced a smile on my face as I kept my phone and walked toward him "It's nothing. Just a call from work," I lied. It wasn't the right time to tell the siblings yet. They would only be worried about me. "I should leave now. I will see you tomorrow," 

"It's getting late too," Joyce said and stood up. "I will see you off and come back to stay with him for the night," She said and we both left the room. 

Gabriel's gaze was fixed on us and somehow, I felt like he was displeased with something but I had no idea what it could be. 

Getting out of the hospital, I boarded a cab that took me directly to the Castle and I walked inside. My heart was racing and I silently prayed that Alpha Xavier wouldn't be home yet. 

I entered the house, my eyes kept moving around in search of Luna Bella but all I saw were the guards and maids in the house. She wasn't around at all~~

"Where is Luna Bella?" I asked one of the maids who took my bag and led me to the room. 

"She went to bed already. She wasn't feeling very good during the day and a doctor gave her some injections that kept making her dizzy. She was forced to go to bed by Alpha," The maid explained and my heart sank. 

So, she wasn't feeling fine when she called me earlier? 

"Hope her condition isn't critical?" I asked the maid. 

"Not really," The maid replied and then, the expression on her face turned to hesitation. It was like she was scared of talking about something. 

"You can tell... No, don't worry. Just forget it," I replied, waving my hand. 

Forcing her to tell me might put her in danger. I had no power in the house to save myself, how could I save a maid then? I just continued walking without saying anything more and soon, we were in front of Alpha Xavier's room. 

The maid knocked on the door and soon, The door was opened from the inside. I peeked inside to see who opened it but to my surprise, no one was there. The maid entered first with my bag and I followed after. 

My legs were heavy as I tried to maintain a strong expression. Getting inside, I felt Alpha Xavier's cold gaze on me that made my hair stand on end but I refused to look at him. The maid stood by the couch and I walked over to her. "Drop the bag and come help me take a bath," I ordered. 

I aimed to keep the maid around as long as possible. That way, Alpha Xavier wouldn't treat me anyhow as I knew he wouldn't want the maid to share rumors about our issue. I knew he was trying his best to make sure his mother wouldn't find out how much he hated me~

The maid immediately nodded. It wasn't new, helping their madam to take a bath was normal and she didn't think much about it either. I walked toward the bathroom and was about to enter when I suddenly felt two pairs of arms circling my waist and I froze. "What... What are you doing?" I need not look back to know who it was and it sent chills down my spine. 

"Go away and tell no one to stand by the door," His deep and cold voice resounded in the warm room. 

I turned to look at the maid who had her head lowered. I wished I could plead with her to stay but I knew that would only be silly of me to do. I watched her leave the room and close the door behind her, my heart sinking deeper into the boundless hole. 

"Now, it's time for your punishment," Alpha Xavier's voice pulled me back from my thoughts and my stomach knotted. 

He removed his hands from my waist and turned me to look at him but I had my eyes closed. I couldn't afford to look into his eyes which might even be scarier at a time like this. "You know you have to be punished for coming home late, right?" He asked again, his mouth was very close to my ears and his breath made me feel hot from within. 

"I was in the hospital with..."

"I don't want to know," He cut me off and grabbed my chin. "What I want to know is what you want for your punishment. Will you make a choice or make me do it for you?" His question made me shiver and my mind went blank. 

Was he planning to beat me like when I was a kid? Would he tell me to open my ass and then beat me up?

My mouth went dry and I swallowed hard. "I'm pregnant, you know?" I decided to remind him. You can't beat me up because of the baby, You know?

Alpha Xavier's cold laughter resonated in the room and I felt something soft touch my lips "Hitting you isn't fun, Reah. Let's punish you real hard."