Chapter Four: Rations

                                    

                                          

Chapter Four:
    In the seven days I sat on the cold dungeon floor, they continued to bring me food, multiple times a day. Each time they brought a new tray, they would retrieve the old one untouched. The guard gave me strange looks each time he retrieved my tray. 
     On the seventh day, the door creaked open before the first meal was scheduled to be delivered. I thanked the Moon Goddess for her mercy, sparing me another day of having to stare at food while my stomach rumbled. Footsteps came down the stairs, hidden from view. Moments later, Kind Percyus stepped in front of the cage, unlocking it. 
     He swung the door open, his face devoid of any emotion. "Come, mate. Your punishment is done."
     I stood up shakily, my muscles stiff from the cold. A cramp started to build in my hip, threatening to drop me back to the floor. I stepped forward out of the cage, following him as he strode to the stairs. My walk was more of a hobble, yearning to be warmed up. 
     He started up the stairs, glancing back at me. There was no railing for me to hold, so I braced my hands along the narrow staircase walls and pushed myself up the first step. My muscles immediately burned from the effort. The chilly air sapped all of my endurance. After three painstaking steps, my knees gave out. 
     My kneecaps slammed down onto the cement stairs, my hands catching me only a second before my face followed suit. My knees flared with pain, a small groan escaping my parted lips. 
     At the noise, King Percyus turned to me, seeing me crumpled on the staircase. He quickly stepped down them, toward me. I flinched as he neared, "I am sorry, King Percyus. I will get up, sir."
    "No, I'll-" He didn't bother finishing his sentence. 
     He wrapped his hands around my upper arms, the largeness of them completely encompassing the circumference of my arm. He pulled me up to my feet, drawing me in close. I cringed away at the proximity, shaking my head. "I am alright, sir. You do not need to help. I know better than to do that, sir."
     "Don't say anything, I'll help you, Mate." His words cut my vocal cords, and I closed my mouth.
     He bent down and gently picked me up, cradling me in his arms. I stiffened, wondering if he would chuck me down the stone steps. When he didn't, he carried me into the kitchen. Was I to start my chores now?
     He sat me down on the counter and turned away to do something. I didn't watch. I wasn't sure I was prepared quite yet for my rejection. I wasn't ready for the beatings to start again. 
     I felt too filthy to be sitting on a counter that people made food on. It was inappropriate for me to be in the kitchen at all if I was not cooking or cleaning. I felt my stomach growl, and I knew the King heard it. He hesitated from what he was doing for a split second, then the rustling continued. 
     "Is that for you or for her?" The loud voice of Lorenzo sounded from the doorway. 
     "Who do you think?" King Percyus bit back.
     "With the way you've been treating her... I'm not sure," He had a smug tone.
     "It's for her." 
     My stomach growled again at the knowledge that he was making food for me. 
     "She didn't eat that entire time you had her locked up." Lorenzo scowled. "You should have freed her."
     "It was your ordered punishment." King Percyus suddenly whirled around and caught Beta Lorenzo by the collar, dragging him close. "If you hadn't threatened to take her from me, there would've been no punishment. You think because you are my friend I won't punish you? You think I will break rules for you?"
     Lorenzo stared back at him with indifference, "I thought if you wouldn't do it for me, at least you would do it for her."
      "I am subject to the law just as much as everyone else," The King's eyes were ablaze with anger.
     "She hungry, Percy. Who's fault is that?"  
     "Fucking hell, Lorenzo. If you're going to be such an uptight prick then you take care of her." The King shoved him into the counter, striding from the room angrily.
     Silent tears had wetted my cheeks, a guilty conscience rising bile in my throat. "I am sorry, Beta Lorenzo." 
     He turned to me with a grim expression and a tired voice. "Sorry for what?'
     He must be looking for an explanation of what I had done wrong. I slid off the counter and down to the floor, kneeling before him. "I apologize for causing so much anger between-"
     I gasped as I was pulled to my feet.
     I closed my eyes and flinched away, expecting a blow. His hands were locked on my arms, firm but not squeezing. He shushed me, "No, I'm not asking you to explain your apology. That came out wrong. Just drop the subject."
     He released me and turned to the semi-assembled sandwich that was left by the King. He quickly finished it up, set it on a plate, and turned to me. "Eat, please."
     I nodded my head and took the plate, "Thank you, Beta Lorenzo."
     Eating in front of him was awkward. I had no idea how to be proper in front of a royal. I was sure at any given moment he would take away the sandwich and tell me to learn some manners. But he never did. I finished the sandwich and immediately washed the dish. 
     "We have housekeepers to do those, remember?"
     "I am more than happy to do the dishes, Beta Lorenzo." 
     "Come now, let's get you in a warm bed." He motioned for the door.
     I trailed behind him, following him through the weaving intricacies of the pack house. At the end of a long hallway lay a set of double doors. He opened the doors to reveal a huge room. A four-poster bed was in the middle, a big desk off to the side, an entire bathroom just for him, and a closet that rivaled the size of my cellar back home. 
     "You like it?" He asked proudly.
     "It's beautiful, yes," I whispered, in awe of such a nice room. If the beta room was this nice, I couldn't even imagine how large the King's was.
     "Please, stay in here tonight. I will use a guest room for the time being. The King and I are the only ones with a key to this room, you will be safe here. No one will hurt you." He reassured me. 
     I nodded in agreeance. 
     "Please take a shower and clean up. This is your space for the night. Do as you wish." He gave me a nod before shutting the door behind him. 
     The silence that followed the door closing sent an uneasy chill down my spine. I must've stood in the room, staring at the closed door for nearly an hour, lost in thought. Darkness had settled outside the large windows, the room was dark. 
       I took a warm shower, letting the water wash away the chill in my bones. I took the longest shower I'd ever been permitted. By the end of it, I felt like I was sparkling. 
     I refused to look in the mirror. I didn't want the echoes of my old back to be confirmed. I knew I was ugly. I had scars, bruises, and burns covering my body. I had unspeakable words carved into my back and slashes running across my body. The worst would be on my face from years ago when the Alpha's son took a blade to my face, carving a line from my temple to my jaw. I knew my face was deformed.
     I curled up on the rug at the foot of Lorenzo's bed, hugging my knees to my chest.
     I wondered when the beatings would start. The anticipation was growing too great for me to bear.
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