Bullying

Stella stood outside alone with only a piece of her maid's uniform on, and blood running down her fragile body, dripping to the floor.

It was the middle of the night, and the harsh night breeze was an even greater enemy to Stella at this point.

After she had embarrassed the royal family in front of the distinguished guests and made Luna make a fool of herself, Stella's punishment that night was to receive ten lashes of a whip.

She also had to spend the night outside the mansion until Luna gave her word that she would be permitted back into the mansion.

The gammas who were keeping watch over the mansion also watched Stella to make sure she never took a step away from the spot where Luna had instructed her to stand.

Stella was just like the living dead at this point, but she kept standing. She was used to it; pain was her essence. Stella couldn't feel any part of herself, but just as if the Moon Goddess had finally taken notice of her, Charlotte suddenly came out of the mansion.

“Your punishment is over,” Charlotte said grumpily, as if she had been disturbed from her sleep just to bring this news to Stella.

Stella still remained standing there. She wanted to rush into the mansion and sleep on her tiny mattress, but it felt like she'd lose a leg if she did.

“Luna said it close to an hour ago. I just slept during that time since you're not worth it. It's not as though anyone cares for you enough to scold me,” Charlotte said evilly without the slightest sympathy before she entered the mansion.

It was in the quiet backyard of the mansion, and Stella remained there, staring at the dark silhouette of a man watching her from the balcony of the mansion in the dark night. Stella could still make out his face in the dark. It was the Alpha of the midnight pack, and he had been watching everything they did to her but never said anything.

It was after he walked away that Stella hobbled inside the castle, heading to the maid's quarters where she'd sleep.

Carefully pushing the door to her room open, she hopped inside, her eyes scanning her cold, dark, empty room with only a tiny window.

She shivered from the cold before walking to where the candle usually was to light it.

Even the gammas had power supply in their rooms; it was only Stella who used candles.

Weren't they concerned that she could burn down their mansion just as they claimed she did to her parents?

But before poor Stella could even light her matchstick, she turned when she felt cold eyes on her.

“Stella,” Vivian called sweetly, taking slow steps toward Stella, who began backing away onto her weightless mattress on the floor, which couldn't protect her.

“Your Highness, I served Luna's punishment outside,” Stella tried explaining with a trembling voice, but hissed in pain when Vivian stepped on her finger with full force.

“I'll start with those fingers you used to touch Alpha Sterling. He's mine,” Vivian yelled before putting her full weight on the leg pressing down on Stella's finger.

Stella screamed, struggling to retract her hand as she tried to push Vivian away, but Charlotte came and covered her mouth.

“Shut up. I'm not done with you yet,” Vivian shrieked, irritated by Stella's cry for help, yet her whole weight remained on poor Stella's hand.

After she was done twisting her foot from side to side, she finally removed her foot and stood straight. But she didn't look satisfied yet. Charlotte continued covering Stella's mouth so no one would come in and stop them.

“Vivian, please, let me go. It was an accident, I swear,” Stella begged, but her voice only came out in sniffles. She was too weak to fight back after being flogged outside.

“You held onto his legs. You purposely fell into him to gain his attention, you slut,” Vivian yelled like a sick person before breaking down in tears.

“I love him. You don't get to take him from me,” Vivian cried, but it sounded more like the cry of an insane person. Stella was confused. Why was Vivian acting as though she was dragging the rumored cruel Alpha with her? Stella doesn't even know who he was, why on earth would she want to drag a man with Vivian?

“I swear I didn't do anything,” Stella, whose eyes were clouded with tears, thought that maybe she still had a chance to make Vivian understand since she looked this sad.

But before she could finish, Charlotte shoved her head into the wall. The sound of Stella's head hitting the wall echoed throughout the empty room, causing Vivian to flinch.

“You'll kill her,” Vivian whispered, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

“You're too kind, Vivian. Let me handle this slut for you,” Charlotte proposed, while Stella remained sitting on her tiny mattress, while her head bled.

“Father said no one should kill her,” Vivian reminded Charlotte, and Charlotte only let out an evil laugh.

“Of course I won't kill her. I wonder what your parents are preserving her for,” Charlotte complained and turned to glance at Stella, who remained still on the floor, but her eyelids fluttered, so they knew she was alive.

“She's useless,” Vivian said, crossing her arms over her chest before turning and walking out of the cold room.

Within herself, she wondered how anyone could survive in such a room. This must be the coldest room in the entire mansion. There was no one more deserving of this room than Stella.

Though Vivian had everything and even lived the life Stella should have had, that didn't stop her from still being envious of Stella.

Once Vivian left the room, Charlotte took over the beating, hitting, punching and kicking, and never for once did Stella fight back. Not that Stella was naive, she was exhausted and fighting back would only cause more pain.

When Charlotte was finally done, she left the room, abandoning Stella to her fate.

Stella could only whimper on the floor, unable to move a muscle. Every part of her body hurt.

“Stella, wake up this instant, you waste of air!” a loud voice barked from the doorway of Stella's room.

Stella, who shivered from head to toe, opened her eyes and stared at the door. She was never asleep, instead she was thinking about her life. Stella knew she couldn't continue this way, she had to leave this place.

“I'm awake,” Stella managed to whisper back, her eyes barely making out the figure of the person standing at her door.

“Room Ten needs immediate service,” the voice said before slamming the door, and footsteps echoed as the person walked away.

“Okay,” Stella whispered, wiping her running nose with the back of her hand before forcing herself up from the floor.

It was almost impossible to walk due to all the dislocations from the beating, but Stella still forced herself up, picked up one of her worn-out cloak and staggered out of the room, all the while shivering from the cold.

She walked into the Alpha's quarters barefoot, the cold marble floor feeling like needles piercing into her feet.

Everywhere was quiet in the hallway as everyone seemed to be asleep apart from the few gammas who patrolled the hallway, keeping watch over a particular room.

That wasn't the room she was sent to, but Stella didn't care. She knew who was in there, and that was the exact person she needed to meet if she wanted to get out of here alive.

The gammas spared cold glances at Stella as she approached the door, and she immediately recognized that they must be the gammas of the gust Alpha.

“Take off your cloak,” they instructed, and the sick Stella, who was still visibly shivering, did as she was told, her fingers shaking.

After seeing that she was a maid from the Golden Anchor Pack, they made way for her.

At this point, Stella couldn't care about the consequences, all she needed was to survive.

She turned the doorknob before pushing it open, and stepping into the dark room, but flinched when the door slammed shut behind her, trapping her inside.