Stephanie's Trial

Bad news

The day started like any other, with breakfast being delivered in the morning. I thanked the deliverer, got the usual silence in return, and got to eating. But when the lunchtime delivery came, it wasn't the usual person; instead, it was Samuel, and my face paled when I saw him staring at me through the hatch, a leer on his face that almost made me lose my appetite. However, I was determined not to let him see how scared I was to see him again, and I forced myself to calm. Given his cruel propensity, I knew he'd play dirty and refuse to let me have my lunch. 

Sure enough, instead of passing my food through, his leer turned outright lecherous. "Look at you, Luna Stephanie," he said, grinning as he held my precious lunch just out of reach. "So glamorous. So lovely. So regal. What male wouldn't jump at the chance to fuck your pretty little... Well, I mustn't be crude, must I? You are the Luna, after all, and we all have to bow donw to you."

I felt nausea rise up, but forced the bile down. I would not let him bait me into a reaction.

Samuel raised an eyebrow, before his glance turned to the package of food in his hand. "Does the high-and-mighty Luna not want her lunch?" he inquired in a too-soft voice. "Is she too good to take food from the likes of a lowly Gamma like me? My goodness. Here I thought you were such a personable young lady. All that power must've gone to your head, if you haven't even got one small word of thanks."

Shit, I thought. "I'm so sorry," I said meekly. "I didn't mean to be rude, Gamma Samuel. I do want my lunch, and thank you so much for bringing it to me."

"Oh, the bitch can talk?" Samuel chuckled, giving one last look at my lunch before shaking his head. "Nope. Not good enough. Better learn some manners, or you won't be getting any food tonight." So saying, he slammed the hatch shut, and I stared at it in dismay, cursing myself for af fool. I'd only had to say thank you at the start, and then I'd be eating. Instead, my shock had rendered me mute, thus costing me my lunch for the first time in what felt like forever. 

Then again, I mused, as I prepared to spend a few more miserable hours huddled against the wall, Samuel would probably have found slight no matter what I did or said. 

That didn't help the hunger pangs, though.

At sunset, Samuel returned, and this time, I minded my manners. "Thank you, Gamma Samuel," I said. "I do appreciate you bringing my dinner."

Samuel shook his head as he once more teased me by keeping my food out of reach. "Don't try to play nice, bitch," he said. "The cat's away, and Beta James has left me in charge of your care. So don't even think about playing the sweet act. You know what you did, and you're lucky you didn't get beaten to a pulp."

I cursed myself for a fool yet again. "I'm sorry," I said humbly, and I meant it. Maybe that whole mess had been my fault. I was no longer sure of anything, to be fair. 

Samuel snorted. "You're so fucking stupid," he growled. Then a truly lecherous smirk crossed his face, and an oily smile touched his lips. "Tell you what. I'm willing to let your wounded gazelle gambit go and let you eat tonight. If you do something for me first, that is." 

I swallowed fresh nausea when I saw his hands go to his belt. Oh god, I thought, please don't make me do this. I didn't do anything wrong? 

Didn't you? another voice jibed. You didn't bring the other Lunas into line. You let their Alphas challenge Alpha Simon. Your Alpha. You let him down when he needed you most. 

I put my hands over my ears, trying to shut that insidious voice out. Samuel watched me, his face expressionless, but with a small, cold smile teasing his lips. He hadn't made any moves to undo his belt, but the intent was there, and I shuddered as I lowered my hands. "Okay," I said in a meek voice. 

Samuel raised an eyebrow. "Manners," he warned. 

I winced. "Gamma Samuel," I said, hating myself for each word that left my lips, "I would be ... pleased if you let me give you ... oral sex."

"Would you now?" Samuel taunted. He chuckled. "No, you'd loathe every second of it, but you'd do it anyway, just to get something to eat." He shook his head. "Ah, how the mighty have fallen. There you are, covered in your own filth, begging me to let you suck my cock just so you can have your food. The irony, it kills me." He studied me for a few moments. "No, I'm not letting you near my cock. God only knows the filth you've picked up since you've been here." 

He studied my precious package of food before tossing it to me. "You don't deserve this," he told me bluntly. "You don't deserve anything. Not after what you did. You don't deserve shelter. You don't deserve food, or water, or the right to sleep. You don't even deserve the privilege of your own private toilet. You deserve to be locked in a cage, hidden away in the forest so no one can look on your stupid, pathetic face ever again."

I shuddered, his words driving into my brain like needles. Every one of them burned like hot coals, and though I tried shutting them out, they dug right into my skull and refused to leave, joining that other, jibing voice which had spoken up before. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, tears of shame and humiliation sliding down my cheeks.

"You're not sorry," Samuel informed me coldly. "You're only saying sorry because you know you've done something wrong, and you want to get out of this mess and back to your cushy lifestyle." He chuckled. "Well, guess what, bitch? That's not happening. So get used to this place. You're going to spend the rest of your life here, rotting away, until they find your body in here. And find it they will. You are never getting out of here. Not if I have anything to say about it."

I huddled as close to the wall as I could as his eyes bored into mine. His words echoed and re-echoed in my ears until I thought I might go mad. He chuckled as he watched the growing horror on my face, and I felt sick as I saw just how much pleasure he was deriving from mentally breaking me down.

And as he prepared to shut the hatch on me again, he paused, his smirk turning into a cruel grin. "Oh, and by the way? Your bitch friends Natalia and Delilah were found in the forest today, their throats torn out. Such a pity. I wonder who could have done that." With that last salvo, he slammed the hatch shut, and I sat there, stunned witless with horror and growing shame. 

They're dead, I thought. No. They can't be! It's got to a cruel trick!

It's not trick, that insidious voice said. They're dead because of you. If you hadn't acted so pitifully and pretended to be so upset at the way Simon was treating you, they would never have gone back and told all those lies. It's your fault they're dead!

"NO!" I screamed. 

That night, I ate not a bite. Not did I sleep. Instead, I slumped to the floor, sobbing, screaming, banging on the walls of my little box until my hands were bruised and bloody, crying until I was sick, the tears streaming down my face as I finally gave in. I'm a failure, I thought miserably. I had a good life, and I threw it all away. Simon wasn't ever the bad guy. He took me in, treated me kindly, gave me a good position, and I threw it back in his face. Now I'll never get out of here. 

And it's all my fault.