Punishment

~Houston~

FUCK!!! I want to punch the shit out of him! I hated the way that he spoke to her and how he ignored his child. Then I wonder why the hell I care?! What the fuck is going on with me?! I don’t even know this woman, and yet her being mistreated is angering me. 

I really want to run right now. I could probably run for hours, and it MIGHT help me take the edge off. Maybe I should find their gym and work it off. I make the decision and head to the packhouse. Someone should be able to point me in the direction of the gym. 

Tyrice walks out of the back door as I’m working toward it. He steps off the deck and stops, facing me. His hands are in his pockets, and his face holds no expression. I sigh as I get closer and hope that he isn’t pissed that I walked out of dinner. I just couldn’t take sitting across from her anymore, when I don’t understand these feelings that I’m having. “Hey, I’m sorry for leaving you at dinner, man. I jus-” Tyrice puts a hand up to stop me. 

“Don’t worry about it, Killa. You’ve been off since we got here, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. What’s going on with you anyway?” I stop in front of Tyrice and run a hand down my face. 

“Man, I don’t even know what the issue is. I just… I feel out of place here. I don’t even feel right in my own skin. I can’t even tell you how I feel, because I can’t identify it. I’m just lost right now.” Tyrice nods as if he understands what I’m saying. That’s one thing about him that drew me to him as kids. He has a lot of empathy. He may not understand, but he will give you room to feel, and he will support those feelings. “So, how was the rest of dinner?” Tyrice shakes his head and looks out into the forest. 

“Let's just say that I’m glad to be leaving this place early. It’s weird here and that Beta is a piece of shit.” I let out a dry chuckle. 

“Yeah, no kidding. He’s such an asshole to his mate.” Tyrice jumps at my words. 

“That part! After you left, I tried to get her to join into the conversation and he shut that shit down. Like, I couldn’t even talk to her and definitely couldn’t respond. It was weird as fuck. I mean, she’s the Beta female of the pack and she can’t socialize?!” That tracks with what I saw on the playground. 

“I’ll give you one better. He completely ignores his child.”

“His child?” I quickly fill him in on everything that happened once I left. 

“She was right there, visible to everyone, and he said nothing. He didn’t address her at all. It seemed like it was normal though, because she didn’t address him either. That’s a really messed up dynamic if you ask me.” Tyrice nods. I have to admit that I feel a bit better talking with Tyrice. Maybe instead of the workout, I’ll take a hot shower and go to bed. 

“Come on, man. Let’s get some rest, and maybe this little meeting will fly by.”

~Alayasia~

I tuck the blankets around Zara and lightly kiss her on her head. I bathed her and read to her when we got back. Surprisingly, Maxim hasn’t been back yet. I thought he was right behind us, but I can’t be mad that he wasn’t. 

I was tempted to make up my mat next to Zara, but I remember what happened the last time I didn’t sleep in our bed. I sigh and semi-close the door, making sure not to wake Zara in the process. I turn toward our bedroom to have my arm yanked and be slammed against the wall. 

Maxim pushes his body against mine, and I hate it. His scent is mixed with a fruity one, and it makes me nauseous. I’m sure he deterred and met with a shewolf before coming home. I have no idea why he couldn’t have stayed there. “What made you think it was okay to wear that outfit in front of others, hmm? Were you trying to embarrass me today?”

“Nnnnnoooo, I sssswwwear I was-”

“Stop stuttering! It pisses me off!” Maxim’s mouth is next to my ear, and his teeth are gritted. He hates it when I stutter, but what can I do when I’m scared shitless. “Not only did you wear that outfit, but you also had the nerve to stop and socialize with that Beta.”

“I…” I stop and swallow the lump in my throat, knowing that if I stutter again, I will pay dearly. “I was just collecting Zara, I swear. He just happened to be there when I got here.”

“Why is that little roach talking to people anyway?! I told you to keep her locked up when we have visitors. I don’t need people to know that I have a defective kid. It’s bad enough that she isn’t a boy.” I hate the way he speaks about Zara. She deserves so much more than his disgust, but what can I do?

We can leave. We can’t stay here. I quickly shut my eyes, silently hoping he didn’t catch my eyes glazing over. I’ve told Clover not to speak to me if Maxim is around. We can’t risk our secret getting out. 

“I think you need some time to think.” Maxim grabs my arm and pulls me toward the kitchen. I try to become an anchor to keep me from moving because I know what he plans to do. The kitchen is dark except for the sliver of moonlight falling through the high window. He pulls me past the pantry and throws open the next door. Maxim pushes me through the doorway, though I’m able to stop my hurried descent of the stairs. Had I fallen, I would have broken something and would have had to forgo treatment in order to keep my secret. 

“Please, Maxim, don’t leave me here. What about Zara?”

“She’s asleep right now. I will see how I feel in the morning.” I open my mouth to respond, but he quickly shuts the door and locks it. The air is musty down here, and there are no windows. There’s an old cot, a threadbare blanket with holes, and a bucket for me to go in. 

The tears are building in my eyes, but I refuse to cry. He wants me to cry, to sob. He has video and audio down here so he can hear it. I make it my mission to never give in if I can help it. I grab the blanket and head to my favorite corner. I get as comfortable as possible and hope that the night passes quickly.