Chapter 10: Trial

The air was thick with tension, with anger. I could sense it coming from everyone in the room, much directed at me, but not all. Everyone was pissed at everyone.

I was stewing in my own anger as I trailed along beside Nick, my arm looped through his. I knew what I was, to his people. I wasn't their Alpha Female, their Alpha Consort. I was a trophy to be flaunted, and a shitty one at that. I was a participant trophy on the varsity boy's shelf. I was weak, fragile, in comparison to his other... females. I was small and shrimpy, I covered my skin and worse glasses. I wasn't some strong sexy woman, I was just there, and that wasn't shit when I stood beside Nick.

I kept my chin up. I didn't make eye contact, I didn't break. I would be damned if I gave the people what they wanted; I'd be doing enough of that later.

We sat at the front, the center two seats on a table of seven. After we entered, bodies began to pile into the massive room, and I heard just over a hundred heartbeats. At some point, Dante ended up sitting beside Nick, Candy beside him. I tried to get her attention, but it was clear she'd had a long night. Her features were filled with exhaustion and she sort of slumped over the table, dozing off.

"It's all going to be okay." Tyler's scent overwhelmed me, but when I turned, it was Natalie sitting beside me. I knew why immediately; the low cut dress she wore showed off my brothers mark on her collar bone, in a position I wasn't sure how anyone could comfortably reach.

The mark was what tied you to someone for life, the marriage without the option of divorce. It mingled your scents, your entire biology. You couldn't have pup's until you were marked, you felt your mate's emotions and, sometimes, even their thoughts. The longer you've had the mark, the better you can control it. Marking immediately was tradition - but Nicholas wasn't exactly the traditional sort of guy. I wanted to know what I was getting into before I jumped into someone else's mind head-first - and before I let them into mine.

I smiled at Natalie when she pulled me into a hug, giving her a weak hug back. "Thanks. But I'm ready for this." I assured her, pulling back after a moment. Her smile faded away as she searched my gaze and she glanced at Tyler as he sat beside her, their frowns matching.

"Darcy, don't... don't be stupid. Mom's a big girl."

Tyler had always been good at figuring me out. He'd always been in charge of me as children, and he was good at keeping me out of trouble. He knew when I was planning something naughty before I did. If I got in trouble, so did he, for not keeping me out of it.

But we weren't pup's anymore, and I could deal with my own punishments.

"Mind your business Tyler." I said, sweaty hands smoothing the dress down. "I know what I'm doing. I'm a big girl too." I insisted, scooting my chair in closer. I began fidgeting, waiting for the trial to begin. I scooted my chair in, pulled it back out. I twirled my hair and cleaned my glasses. Anxiety pulsed through me, and I tried my hardest to force it down. I couldn't lose my cool, not yet.

Minutes ticked by and the chattering died down as the doors opened. I turned my head on instinct, gaze landing on my mother.

She was a mess. Dark hair knotted, fine features hollow, eyes dark and pained. She limped with each step, and my every instinct told me to help her. She was my mother, she was my best friend growing up. I'd been shy and awkward and she'd always been there to pick me up when I broke down. It was a mother's instinct to protect her pup, and it was the pup's instinct to protect it's mother.

The Delta's marched her down the aisle, right passed our table and onto the small raised platform at the front of the room. She didn't cower, I gave her that much credit. She stood there, strong and brave and willing to take whatever came at her. I had to wonder where I got my introversion from, seeing her like that.

There was a long moment of silence as everyone waited, sitting on the edge of their seats, for Nicholas to begin. Finally, he cleared his throat and sat back, folding his hands on his lap and crossing his legs, face cool, composed.

"Jenna Evangeline McGreggor, you are here to attest to your crimes against my pack. You've led a raid to attempt to kidnap the Alpha Consort—" There were plenty of grumbles about that, and how I wasn't anything yet. I stayed quiet and Nick ignored them. "—and that is a crime of treason. Do you deny this?"

Silence. I saw the heat build up in my mother's eyes, saw her clench her jaw, and I mimicked the behavior. But every eye was trained upon her, not me.

"I do not." She said finally, and I heard her heartbeat pick up. She was terrified.

Nicholas sucked in a breath, and I felt the dread radiating off of him. He didn’t want to punish her, he knew the damage it would do to me, but he felt he had to. He had to be the big bad wolf everyone feared. “Fifty lashes, from a silver whip.”

My mother closes her eyes, and I take my opportunity. Shoving myself to my feet, the chair squealing as it moved back on the hardwood floor, I circled the table and began walking to the front, standing beside my mother. The air tightened, and I swore every heart stopped for a moment, before beating in the same excited, anxious sync.

"My mother was here to save me. Every action that she did was for me. Every one of them was my fault." I insisted, feeling my skin itch with the eyes that hit me. I pushed my glasses up. "So I’ll be taking her punishment."

Chaos erupted.

Tyler and Candy began shouting at me to sit down, to stop being stupid. Nick looked pissed off. But the real chaos, the kind that hurt the most, came from the pack as they agreed with me. They didn't like me, they wanted me to suffer.

"Silence!" Nick boomed and everyone followed the command immediately. He turned back to us, gaze lingering on me for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Fine, Darcy. If you chose to take the blame, then you may. Trial over."

He wasn't angry, he was furious. Just as soon as everyone began filing out, the entire front table began rushing towards me, but his expression was the one I couldn't look away from. My mother pulled me in, she kept telling me how stupid I was, how I shouldn't have done that. My siblings scolded me and paced, Natalie fought tears. But the entire time, all I could watch was Nick as he crossed the room slowly, nostrils flaring.

"What the fuck was that Darcy?" He demanded, jaw clenched as he stared down at me. I squared my shoulders and stared right back; I was about to be tortured, all semblance of caution had gone out the window.

"I’m doing what I have to for my mother’s sake." I shot back, crossing my arms. The men who'd been flanking my mother moved to me this time, standing on either side of me, waiting for orders to take me... wherever I'd be tortured. Nick watched me for a moment, then turned his gaze to the men and nodded.

--

The torture room wasn't some dirty place in the dungeons. Rather, it was on the first floor, tucked in the far corner. Cleaned well, the scent of bleach no doubt masking the blood. The lights were bright and harsh, the walls soundproof. As soon as the door was closed behind me, it was like the world disappeared. It was quiet and peaceful, and I knew that wouldn't last very long. One wall was a mirror, and I was left to face it. To watch my own torture.

The men didn't speak as they set things up. They bound my hands together, hanging them overhead, the hood so high I hand to stand on my toes to reach it. They removed my dress and glasses very carefully, leaving me exposed in only my bra and underwear. Then, they left. Left me in silence, staring at myself.

After a few minutes, the door squealed open, and Jasmine entered. A smirk was playing on her lips, and I felt my heart speed up. She was a Gamma; Gamma's were in charge of tortures and interrogations. She'd take too much pleasure in it.

"Fifty lashes." She mused, gloved hands holding the whip. Her grip on the wooden handle was tight, as though she was itching to perform the torture already. An exception should have been made, someone else should have brought in. He’s putting me in my place, I realized, and swallowed hard, trying to hold tightly to my resolve.

I didn't respond to that look on her face. I only closed my eyes and forced myself to keep breathing. She edged closer and I could feel the excitement coming off of her.

The whip released a cracking sound as she swung it, flying through the air and scoring across my back. It burned, the metal like poison to my thin flesh, and I clenched my jaw to keep from releasing a scream of agony.

One by one, they came. Slow, like she was waiting for me to break. Again and again, so many that the pain overtook my mind and my resolve broke. Tears streamed down my cheeks, cries of pain escaping with each lash, blood trailing down my body. The closer we got to the end, the more time she took, the harder she hit. I find my eyes slipping open, landing on the mirror, the reflection of us. In it, I see her staring into the mirror, but she’s not looking at me.

It occurs to me, then, that it’s one way glass. Of course, the Alpha would need to witness the torture, to ensure it was carried out. With that realization, that knowledge that Nicholas no doubt stood on the other side, witnessing this, I stared deeper into the glass.

I wanted him to see every second of what he’d done. He needed to know where my loyalties lived, the extent of what I’d take for my kin. I knew I'd never forget this, and I didn't want to. I didn't want to just forgive and forget. I wanted to be angry at him. I wanted him to see how angry I was.

"Fifty." She said, sounding almost disappointed that it was over so quickly. It was done, it was over. As soon as she’d uttered the words, the door was open and Nick was beside me, untying my hands and sniffing at the cuts. There was fear and concern all over his face, because I was his mate and every instinct told him to fix whatever had happened to me.

As soon as I was on the ground, I glared at him, taking a step back.

"Darcy-" He began, but I wasn't going to hear it. Not now, not today.

"I should have left when I had the chance." I mumbled, jaw clenched. I turned to the little table in the corner, the only piece of actual furniture in the room, and grabbed my glasses, pulling them on. "Where's medical?"

"I'll take yo-"

"No, you won't. I need time to think about what kind of person you are." I snapped, sucking in a sharp breath. Everything ached. Each movement sent blood gushing from the wounds, leaving me feeling heavy and tired. I wanted to sleep. But I needed to get treated and wrapped up, if I would have any chance at healing.

He stared at me for a long minute, meeting my eyes and matching the hardness in them. "Take a right, follow the hallway down, take your first left. The first door on the right is Dr. Kozlowski." He said quietly, arms crossing.

I didn't thank him. I didn't say goodbye. I simply turned and walked out the door he came, and once I was in the empty hallway, the tears began. Again.